GAIA, Roots of Nature
We always tell people to chase their dreams, but we can only dream of what we can imagine, and sometimes, depending on where we come from, the barriers imposed on our imagination can be insurmountable. The indigenous peoples of Latin America are by far the best guardians of the region’s forests, which are not seen as a place where you take out resources to increase your money, but as a space where we live and that is given to us to protect for the next generations. However, the indigenous communities are much more than the guardians of the forest; far from establishing the boundaries of their world on the fringes of the Amazon, they have a persistent desire to dream big and pursue their dreams.
MABI’s latest collection, GAIA, Roots of Nature, is born out not only from our desire to make the world a better place, but especially from our determination to do our bit so that these stewards of nature can realise their dreams and conceive of how their lives might be different, better, but most of all fulfilled because they have the tools and confidence to chase their dreams. To this end, we have created, together with the indigenous activist Yarikazu Xipaya, our star piece: a unique work of art inspired by the body paintings of the Xipaya and Juruna people.
In the indigenous cosmology, everything is alive, from the mountains to the river. This ancestral community see themselves as the protectors of the planet, the sun, the moon and all the creatures and beings that inhabit the forest. Reflecting this way of looking at the world, they have developed a grammar of symbols that become evident through their myths and emotions, as reflected in all their body painting. In the words of Yarikazu, who is studying law in Belém, 500 kilometers from her hometown, with the aim of advocating for the rights of her community: “Our painting goes beyond aesthetics; painting is like our second skin, a protection, a connection with our ancestors, and with Mother Earth. Our paintings are our identity”.
Yarikazu, who has become MABI’s latest brand ambassador, brings the ethnic richness of hand-painted designs to our limited collection, using the same technique and materials of her ancestral culture, such as the ink obtained from the fruits of the jenipapo and urucum, whose colours, black and red respectively, identify the Yanomami and reflect their historical memory and cultural legacy, inherited from generation to generation.
The 100% of the profits obtained from the sale of these exclusive pieces will go entirely to the Waninawa community, Apïrinã community and Yarikazu Xipaya community.
MABI wants to give wings to the will of these inhabitants of the Amazon, so that the limitations that hinder their dreams disappear. To achieve this goal, the primary purpose of our financial contribution is to ease the obstacles that may limit their freedom to dream.
Dressing MABI is dressing the history of life intertwined with Mother Nature. GAIA, Roots of Nature has been conceived with the idea of speaking the unwritten tradition and history of thousands of generations of healers, cosmologists, dream tellers and keepers of knowledge. If we want to make the world a better place, we need to protect its protectors, ensuring that everyone can dream big and be the master of their fate.
MABI, together for a better future.
