By Natasha Baker | MSMC Volunteer
One of the key components of empowering indigenous youth in Fortaleza is to help them connect and take pride in their ethnic Pitaguary roots. Through your support, MSMC is able to organize a variety of experiences to achieve that goal.
One such recent experience was a performance of the traditional Toré dance in four villages (or aldeias) simultaneously, where youth interacted with locals, other Pitaguary, and other native Brazilian tribes. It was a momentous ocassion for the youth to publicly display and celebrate what it means to be Pitaguary. It was an opportunity to practice coexistence with other communities and strengthen their "ecofilia," or connection to Mother Earth.
In one of the villages, known as Monguba, extra celebration was in order because of the recent government recognition of additional protected indigenous Pitaguary land. One of the indigenous youth, Neto Witko Pitaguary, spoke at the celebration, highlighting how such a move represents not only a victory for the Pitaguary, but also for the enviroment, for the land was under threat of being reused as a stone quarry, as it had been in the past.
Our students have the talent and the will to be great. Thank you for helping us put the resources behind them to make that greatness possible.
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