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EXPRESSIONS Paradise sculpted, carved and photographed Art of the Guarani reflects the story of Paraguay’s people and their land By Matt Hamilton
The indigenous people of Paraguay, the Guarani, have emerged from the country’s turbulent history only as a shadow of their former selves. Once the dominant culture in large areas of present-day Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, as well as Paraguay, the Guarani easily assimilated into what became the dominant Spanish culture. In the process, they lost the ability to exert a clearly defined political and economic influence on the society at large, as has recently been the case with indigenous groups in the Andes and some parts of Central America. Yet in no country in Latin America has an indigenous culture defined a country’s national identity to the extent that the Guarani have in Paraguay. Despite the virtual disappearance of the Guaranis as a discrete ethnic group, being Paraguayan is practically synonymous with yerba mate, a traditional Guarani drink, eating mandioca (cassava), a Guarani staple food, and speaking the Guarani language. By some calculations, an astounding 95 percent of Paraguayans speak this indigenous language to at least some degree. So while many aspects of the Guaraní culture have been lost, a number of other elements have in effect colonized the colonizers. One of these is art, in particular as an expression of the historical narratives and myths that produce a shared Paraguayan culture. A new exhibit at the Inter-American Development Bank’s Cultural Center explores this art, from Christian saints to carvings that represent the traditional animistic Guarani worldview. The exhibit, “At the Gates of Paradise: Art of the Guarani of Paraguay," will run until January 20, 2006. Art that speaks. Like most indigenous peoples, the Guarani culture was transmitted orally. In addition to serving as the vehicle for songs and stories, the language also gave the people a close link to the natural world around them. Linguists characterize Guarani as an onomatopoetic language, meaning that many of its sounds imitate the sounds of nature. Visitors to the IDB exhibit will meet many lively and charismatic representations of creatures that inhabit the Guarani world, from grinning wooden fish to masks representing foxes, birds, and other animals, in addition to photographs of the people themselves. Beyond their role as decorations in ceremonies, these pieces “speak” the Guarani culture, and by extension, that of the Paraguayan people as a whole. A number of the pieces on display also serve as a portal into the country’s early history of interactions between the indigenous people and the Jesuit missionaries. Carved figures and altars depict saints and religious scenes with a unique style characterized as Hispanic-Guaraní Baroque. Particularly striking is a carved panel depicting Saint Rose of Lima, the first saint born in the Americas. The Jesuit missionaries entered the world of the Guaranis to create a utopia, a heaven on earth. Although the legacy they left is mixed, there is no denying that the fusion of the two cultures has created a nationhood that is unique in Latin America. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please write to editor@iadb.org
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Date posted: September 2005