Kuarup by Ricardo Teles
The Kuarup is a ritual of the Xingu Indigenous Brazilian to honour the illustrious dead – it is the farewell and closing of a mourning period. The celebration takes place once a year in different villages and lasts for three days. The highlight of this celebration is a competition of a martial art called Huka-huka, similar to the Greco-Roman wrestling fight, which has competitive symbolism that shows the strength and virility of the young men. These photographs were taken during a Kuarup celebration in the Afukuri village of the Kuikuro ethnic group. This year’s ritual honoured the people who lost their lives between the years 2020 and 2021: four of five were victims of Covid-19.
