Indigenous knowledge and scientific collections: collaborative research with the Ka’apor Indigenous people

Abstract

This article reflects on the relationship between indigenous knowledge and scientific collections based on a collaborative research experience between the Goeldi Museum (Belém, Brazil), Leiden University and the Ka'apor indigenous people living in the Alto Turiaçu Indigenous Land – Maranhão (Brazil). We begin with a visit to the scientific collections of the Goeldi Museum in September 2022, as part of the BRASILIAE research project, which motivated memory exercises and reflections on Ka'apor knowledge. We will also look at the Ka'apor's own ways of creating and transmitting knowledge, encouraging women's participation in reflecting on indigenous knowledge and their role in the creation and transmission of knowledge.