I Am a Tree!
(Naine Terena de Jesus, 2022, Brazil)
Naine Terena’s I Am a Tree! proposes a dialogue between human and non-human realms by offering a record of the world of the trees. It raises the question: are you a tree? What is rooted in you beyond what we can see? For Brazilian indigenous peoples, all things have an “owner” – a guardian that is in conversation with human beings. Taking this as a source of departure, I Am a Tree! presents textile sculptures and a photographic essay portraying trees from South Africa, Brazil and Germany, seeking to establish a poetic interaction. The following text, by the Terena teacher Évelin Hekeré, translates I Am a Tree! into words. It discusses her people's understanding of the relationship between living beings and cosmological plant beings.
I Am a Tree!: A Manifesto for Living Beings
Évelin Hekeré
“I am the beginning of everything. I am the shadow of peace. I am the one who observes all surroundings. My insight allows me to get a grasp of all territories and spaces. Always steady and firm, I am the one shaking leaves on the branches when the wind comes, whether it is a serene breeze or a storm. Along with the Earth, I am the mother of all the other beings, giving continuity to the next generations.
Sometimes no one notices or admires me, but I am always here. I am the guardian that goes through all the stages of this imbalanced world. I bring balance to all natural elements – to all the ohokoti, as we call shamanic rituals among the Terena. I am the one protecting all my children during days of reflection, giving, sacrificing and offering parts of my body so that herbal baths can be made in order to protect them for the new era that is beginning.
I empower people with my herbal baths, so that they can have the strength to pray in the days of joy and in the days of lament. I am the guardian. I stand by my children, both believers and unbelievers, in every step they take. Every day I reinvigorate my armor, matter and soul, taking care of each of them.
On the face of the Earth, my eyes are like sunflowers planted along the roads following the sunrise and the sunset. I sometimes cast my gaze on both, saluting all the spirits of the forests, sky and waters that the eyes of my children cannot observe and admire due to their lack of faith. I sometimes leave behind a trail of seeds so that new guardians can germinate with the fresh air of the night and continue caring for my children.
I am the guardian of all times. Along with spirits and their forces, I observe each grain of sand of time: water, wind, earth, fire, and the forests. Nothing and no one passes through this world without being held accountable for their actions in relation to me. Crowned with ancestral forces, I am the guardian sitting on rocky thrones. I am a cosmological shelter for each of my children who connects with their inner strength.
I am basis of every that is born. I am the mother, the daughter, the grandmother. I am all the generations that take care of this space. I am the owner of everything that your eyes can see as far as the horizon allows. I am the owner of the food you eat and the air you breathe. I have been here for thousands of years. I have followed your birth and your fall. I take care of your generation now. I will keep caring for future generations. You may not understand me, but the wind whispers and asks me to warn you about times to come.
Even when you do not understand me, I ask Orekayuvakae, the creator, to send a Humurukuku bird to warn you about the moments of dangers or joy that are to come. I am the beginning of everything. I am never the end. I cross centuries and ages. I am belonging. I am knowledge. I am the Koixomuneti shaman that heals you and takes away what is negative from your matter and soul. It is through my hands that birth is given and grandchildren come into this world. My roots and my rustling heal your human pains. I am the beginning of all things. I am a tree”.
