Ǔnáùlǔtu̐

August 17, 2024 11:02 AM

The use of full, unedited pages from the sketchbook, which include notes from the anthropologist, demonstrates how the artists contextualized the history of the sketches—adding another layer of complexity to unaulutu [getty]
posted by HearHere (8 comments total)

That was really neat to read and learn about. I love the way it comes apart (and they show you how) and it makes me wonder about artworks which are intended to be interacted with and yet which can't withstand too much interaction. I assume your use of diacritics in the title adds another layer of complexity to unaulutu?
posted by jessamyn at 11:07 AM on August 17 [2 favorites]

Thanks for this link! It's a fascinating book and I love how much thought and design went into it.
posted by Art_Pot at 11:08 AM on August 17 [3 favorites]

diacritics in the title adds another layer of complexity to unaulutu?
the diacritics are described by Yale:

Title (which is the Caraja [wiki] word for "pebbles in the sand") is printed without diacritics on title page; on bag and box, title is: Ǔnáùlǔtu̐

posted by HearHere at 11:51 AM on August 17 [2 favorites]

Wow that’s spectacular.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 4:35 PM on August 17 [2 favorites]

why i come to metafilter
posted by infini at 11:34 AM on August 18 [2 favorites]

Did Krause not record the names of any of the Karaja who contributed to his sketchbook?
posted by praemunire at 1:25 PM on August 18 [1 favorite]

While I don't know the answer to that question, Krause's work has definitely been re-evaluated in more modern times. This article is really interesting if you'd like to learn more about him and his methods.

Presença Karajá and the Fritz Krause collection: a critical understanding of "immaterial restitution" and the opportunities presented from collaborative "digital dissemination"

The tl;dr is that he was a German man in a position of power during the 1930s and was a literal Nazi. The museum where the original item was held has been doing a lot of its own work and is undergoing a massive restructuring project "deal[ing] reflexively with its own history."

The ùnáùlǔtu̐ which is itself 40 years old, had a stated aim of "address[ing] the impact of colonization on Indigenous communities, and explored these themes through their artwork and a selection of pre-colonial stories, poems, and prayers." and yet somehow, at the time, that was not a question they asked of the original text.
posted by jessamyn at 4:59 PM on August 18 [1 favorite]

praemunire, Eduardo Viveiros de Castro [wiki] appears to have studied this. you may also appreciate the work of the organization Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil
posted by HearHere at 4:06 AM on August 20