Artist Turuza Waujá’s Story

The artist, resident of the Piyulaga village, told us about learning the art of stool-making and of his motivations.

“My name is Tsiuya Turuza Waujá, I am an artist of the Waujá people, which belongs to the Aruak linguistic family and inhabits the Xingu Indigenous Park in the Mato Grosso state. I was born on July 4^th, 1990.

A long time ago, I didn’t know how to make stools, and I got interested when I saw my dad making it. At that time, I started to practice it because of my admiration for my father’s art, and so I learned how to make stools with him. I am not doing it for the money, I am doing it because this is a part of the Waujá culture. I need to value this culture so it never ends and, in the future, my children and grandchildren keep making stools and practicing various handicrafts. That is why I am making stools, to share my knowledge with other people. I also know how to paint, how to make paddles, bows and arrows, and other stuff. I didn’t take any course to learn how to do all that, I am not graduated, I have my own knowledge which I use to make my art.”

See Turuza’s stools present in the collection and a video interview with the artist.

Photos by Rafael Costa