Paper short abstract:

The paper focuses on the development of Living Museum; a civic engagement of urban Indians of Aldeia Maracanã and members of the Upper Xingu´s. This Indigenous collective was involved around the construction of an oca (longhouse) at the Campus of Praia Vermelha, University Federal Fluminense/UFF.

Paper long abstract:

This paper focuses on the development of Living Museum; a civic engagement of urban Indians of Aldeia Maracanã and members of the Upper Xingu´s. This Indigenous collective was involved around the construction of an oca (longhouse) at the Campus of Praia Vermelha, University Federal Fluminense/UFF.

According to the decree n. 3,551 of April 08, 2000, this project recorded practices from Brazilian cultural heritage, in accordance with the Registration Book of Knowledge of the Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage-IPHAN, Ministry of Culture of Brazil. Oca (longhouses) of Xingu, Amazonian and other coastal communities are exemplar of Indigenous building practices and dwellings of Brazil, providing a vital expression of Indigenous cultural heritage. This paper is going to discuss the development of Living Museum Project in Brazil and the role that such a project potentially plays in both the expression of Indigenous Knowledge and in community development.

The Living Museum is based upon theoretical visual anthropology, aiming to carry out cultural evaluation through the process of digital documentation. Therefore, the project aims to identify and document those construction techniques which are in danger of extinction, as well as other cultural events to be preserved or revitalized through photographs, videos or digital DVDs. It also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning the nature of the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts (Unesco).