The Bird’s Eye From Up Above or From Down Below: Changing Perspectives on Aerial Photography of Indigenous Lands in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Aerial photographs in which indigenous people are attempting to defend themselves by pointing their bows and arrows toward the airplane are ingrained in the social imaginary when considering isolated communities. As these people occupy territories from the Brazilian Amazon rainforest that are disputed by many players, the prevailing narrative associated with the aerial images is often warlike, with  “the dangerous savages” pitched against “the workers and conquerors victimised by a people who do not work”. This article proposes re-examining overhead shots of Brazilian indigenous lands by referencing editorials widely published in both local and international press since the 1940s, thereby transforming these images into visual stigmas that depict peoples in isolation. Conversely, it is analysed how techniques of aerial photography have been employed by indigenous peoples over the last decade and how perceptions are altered when the bird’s-eye perspective is used by groups belonging to the regions photographed. By presenting proposals for reconfiguring the relations between spectators, image-makers and photographed subjects, this work fosters counter-narratives to photographic points of view that have historically served a colonial perspective. Thus, it is argued that indigenous aesthetics are yet to be incorporated into the spheres of knowledge, governance, self-representation and cultural production.