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Rare wooden Ceremonial Karaja doll with distinctive circles on the face, Brazil
About the Item
The Karajá people inhabit a 180-mile-long region in central Brazil, spanning the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso, Pará, and Tocantins. Currently, they reside in 29 villages throughout the Araguaia River valley, near lakes and tributaries of the Araguaia and Javaés Rivers, as well as on the Ilha do Bananal.
In the early 20th century, the Karajá population was around 45,000. By 1999, it had declined to approximately 2,500–3,000, and today they number between 3,200 and 3,700, living across 20 different villages. The Karajá typically wear minimal clothing but adorn themselves with various ornaments. Men wear labrets in their lower lips and earplugs, while both men and women use body paint extensively and have a small circular tattoo on each cheek as a tribal mark.
The Karajá call themselves "Iny," meaning "us." The name "Karajá" is a Tupi term that loosely translates to "large monkey." Early records from the 16th and 17th centuries refer to them as "Caraiaúnas" or "Carajaúna." In 1888, Ehrenreich proposed the name "Carajahí," but in 1908, Krause standardized the spelling to "Karajá."
The Araguaia River serves as a mythic and social center for the Karajá, whose territory spans the river valley, including Ilha do Bananal, the world's largest river island, covering approximately two million hectares. Their villages are strategically situated near the lakes, tributaries, and higher inland areas of Ilha do Bananal. Each village defines specific territories for fishing, hunting, and ritual practices, with culturally designated spaces recognized by the entire group.
This connection to the Araguaia reflects the Karajá’s cultural mobility and tradition of exploring food resources along the river. Today, they continue the custom of camping with family in optimal locations for fishing and turtle-catching in lakes, tributaries, and river beaches. In the past, they built temporary villages in these areas for festivals during the dry season, when the Araguaia’s water level dropped. With the rainy season, they relocated to permanent villages on higher ground, away from rising water levels; some of these locations still serve as sites for farming, dwelling, and communal ceremonies.
Historical records reveal that the Karajá once engaged in conflicts with other indigenous groups, such as the Kayapó, Tapirapé, Xavante, Xerente, Avá-Canoeiro, and occasionally the Bororo and Apinayé, to defend their territory. These interactions led to an exchange of cultural practices between the Karajá, Tapirapé, and Xikrin (Kayapó).
A second wave of external contact began with the São Paulo bandeirantes (explorers) who journeyed to the mid-west and north of Brazil, like the Antônio Pires de Campos expedition from 1718 to 1746. Subsequent expeditions increased the Karajá’s exposure to Brazilian society. Despite this, the Karajá have maintained a strong resistance to cultural assimilation, preserving key cultural practices that support their sociocultural organization and indigenous identity.
- Dimensions:Height: 10.24 in (26 cm)Width: 1.97 in (5 cm)Depth: 1.58 in (4 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:-
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Leuven , BE
- Reference Number:Seller: 60271stDibs: LU3301144451592
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