ABSTRACT
How can museums enact a profoundly participatory exchange with Indigenous peoples as partners rather than subjects? The Xingu, one of the world’s most ethnically and linguistically diverse Indigenous territories, stands as the largest remaining island of tropical forest in the Brazilian Amazon’s deforestation arc. In September 2018, an expedition found the ancient rock art panels of the Kamukuwaká cave, the most important cultural heritage site for the Upper Xingu communities, systematically destroyed by an unknown assailant at a time of heightened tensions with farming communities in the borders of the protected area. The vandalism was an attack on the cultural integrity of these communities. In an act of resistance, the Wauja people led a cross-cultural collaboration with scholars, artists, and technologists to undertake a 3D restoration of their mythological engravings. This effort enabled the preservation of their collective memory through a 1:1 facsimile of the restored cave and an educational virtual reality experience for younger generations in local schools. The collaborative resurrection of the Kamukuwaká offers museum practitioners insights into establishing partnerships with Indigenous communities. Furthermore, it sheds light on the importance of cultural practices in protecting people and places from climate change and the destructive impacts of human activities.
