TAPAJÔNICA CERAMICS

Vandria is an indigenous ceramist from the Borari people of Alter do Chão, in the Brazilian Amazon. She grew up watching her grandmother produce vases and pots, and over the years, she was also molding and claiming her own indigenous identity through clay.

Tapajônica pottery is found by archaeologists throughout the Lower Tajapós River region and some fragments found date back to 11 thousand years, serving as a document to prove the existence of indigenous peoples in a territory full of disputes and agrarian conflicts.

The Borari Indigenous Territory is not yet demarcated and the Borari ceramics found in the soils of Alter do Chão is a testament to the resilience of indigenous families against the advance of real estate speculation and unbridled and predatory tourism in the region.

Pottery is one of the main cultural traits of the Borari people and through it, Vandria feels connected to her ancestors.