Raoni Metuktire Personal Stick

Collection Jean-Pierre Dutilleux

Kayapo (Mebêngôkre), Brazilian Amazon

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DESCRIPTION

Long natural wood stick, irregular cross-section, preserved in its used condition, showing a homogeneous patina related to prolonged handling.

The upper end, slightly bifid and simply fitted, testifies to functional work aimed at improving grip. The absence of ornamentation emphasizes the utilitarian nature of the object, in keeping with Kayapo material practices where value lies in use rather than decoration.

This stick accompanies walking, but also the wearer's gestures, participating in his physical expression and presence.

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CONTEXT AND PRACTICE

With the Kayapo (Mebêngôkre), the chief's personal objects are not part of a codified pomp and circumstance in the Western sense. The stick is a personal tool, both practical and symbolic.

It has been established that Raoni Metuktire carried a separate stick on each of his international trips, chosen or used for the duration of the journey.

Parallel to this, these trips gave rise to diplomatic exchanges, with the chief receiving or offering various objects as part of official and cultural encounters.

In this context, the stick becomes:

- a traveling companion,

- a medium of presence and representation,

- a discreet element of the chief's identity in public situations.

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ATTRIBUTION AND DOCUMENTATION

This stick is attributed to Raoni Metuktire and is documented by a photograph taken at Place de la Concorde in Paris in 2001, during an international trip by the chief.

Cliché by Jean-Pierre Dutilleux, a privileged witness to his tours.

This documentation gives the object a special value:

it is a personal object identified in a precise context, and not a simple ethnographic type.

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PROVENANCE

Jean-Pierre Dutilleux collection, built up through field missions and direct dealings with Chief Raoni.

Acquired in this context.

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ANALYSIS

This stick falls into a category that is rare on the market:

documented personal objects linked to a major figure in contemporary history

Contrary to an idea of a single object preserved throughout a lifetime, here it bears witness to a specific moment in Raoni's international career, materialized by a precise photograph.

Its interest lies in:

- its actual use,

- its contextualization (Paris, 2001),

- its direct provenance,

- and its place in the chief's travel practices.

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IMPORTANCE

This stick constitutes:

- a material testimony to Raoni's international tours,

- a tangible trace of his presence in Europe,

- an object at the crossroads of ethnography and contemporary history.