Date of Issue : 29 October 2014
Brazilian Post issued a special stamp on 29th October, dedicated to graphic art known as kusiwa. The stamp release depicts the example of such an unusual art.
The Wajapi of the Tupi-guarani cultural-linguistic group are indigenous to the northern Amazonian region. Some 580 Wajapi live in 40 small villages on a specially designated territory in the state of Amapá. The Wajapi have a long history of using vegetable dyes to adorn their bodies and objects with geometric motifs.
This graphic art is known as kusiwa and its designs are applied with red vegetable dyes extracted from the roucou plant mixed with scented resins. The Wajapi consider that the technical and artistic proficiency required to master the drawing technique and the preparation of the dye cannot be attained before the age of forty. Commonly recurring motifs include the jaguar, anaconda, butterfly and fish.
Kusiwa designs refer to the creation of humankind and come alive through a rich corpus of myths. This body art, closely linked to Amerindian oral traditions, possesses multiple meanings on socio-cultural, aesthetic, religious and metaphysical levels. Indeed, kusiwa constitutes the very framework of Wajapi society and is endowed with significance extending far beyond its role as a graphic art form. This coded repertory of traditional knowledge is perpetually evolving as indigenous artists are constantly reconfiguring the motifs and inventing new patterns.
Club News
Stamps become a popular subject in Children’s magazine
The recent November 2014 issue of After School covers stamp collection on hobbies. Children may find this issue very interesting. The magazine is edited and published by Mrs Rashmi Luthra from New Delhi. For more details about the magazine Please visit website : www.afterschoolmagazine.com