Repatriation of the Sacred Tupinamba Cloak

Brazil celebrated the return of a sacred Indigenous cloak from Denmark, originally taken by Europeans in the 17th century. The cloak, used in religious rituals by the Tupinamba people, was held in Denmark's National Museum. Brazilian President Lula da Silva attended the repatriation ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil formally received on Thursday the return of an Indigenous cloak from Denmark. The sacred mantle, made with 4,000 red feathers of the scarlet ibis bird, was taken by Europeans during the 17th century colonial era. The ceremony, held outside Brazil's National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, was attended by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, underscoring the significance of the item's repatriation.

The cloak, a ceremonial cape used in religious rituals by the Tupinamba people of Bahia in northeastern Brazil, was removed during the Dutch colonial occupation. It first appeared in a Danish inventory in 1689, although experts believe it was taken from Brazil approximately 50 years prior. By the 21st century, it was part of Denmark's National Museum's ethnographic collection and was lent to Sao Paulo for an exhibition in 2000, where a Tupinamba leader saw it and demanded its return. After years of diplomatic negotiations, the Danish museum decided last year to donate the cloak to Brazil's National Museum, and it was repatriated in July.

To celebrate its return, 170 Tupinamba traveled from southern Bahia to Rio. Cacique Jamopoty Tupinamba emphasized the importance of reclaiming their heritage, stating, "It is crucial they return what isn't theirs and rightfully belongs to us. Our heritage strengthens our identity." From the early Portuguese voyages in the 16th century, numerous Indigenous cultural items were taken to Europe, entering museums and private collections. A fresco from 1674 at the Palace of Versailles even depicts newly discovered America as a woman wearing a Tupinamba cloak. Cultural heritage activist Gliceria Tupinamba noted that 10 similar cloaks remain in European museums. She highlighted the symbolic importance of the cloak's return for protecting cultural and land rights in Brazil.

(With inputs from agencies.)