Viola Koikoro, 25, divides her gaze between the sky and controlling a drone. Fresh out of high school, he flies equipment over the forest surrounding the village where he lives, Ibatsi, in the Xingu indigenous district, in Mato Grosso. This is his second time flying, as part of a project that trains indigenous people to use remote sensing techniques and traditional archeology methods to uncover the past of their ancestors in the Amazon.
Located in a transitional zone between forest and savannah of the Alto Xingu, Ibatsi is surrounded by dozens of ancient archaeological sites discovered in the past 30 years by archaeologists in partnership with the Quiqueros. Together they mapped more than 20 cities up to 1,500 years old, spread across 1,200 square kilometers of forest, an area equivalent to the city of Rio.
“These people have been in the same area for thousands of years,” says project leader Helena Lima, an archaeologist at the Emilio Gueldi Museum in Belem. “Everything here has a history. We have the privilege of knowing these stories directly from the Quaycorus. We just have to listen to them and guide our research based on what they tell us.”
Lima and a group of archaeologists and remote sensing technicians It was June of this year In the village for a two-week scientific expedition, part of the Vozes da Amazonia project, funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), an entity linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. The initiative seeks to integrate science and indigenous knowledge to study the past and present interaction of indigenous peoples with the forest.
In recent years, Lima and her colleagues have been conducting regional exploration and mapping workshops in the village using drones connected to lidar sensors. This device emits laser pulses that scan the Earth’s surface and generate detailed 3D maps, identifying structures and signs of occupation, even under the tree canopy. Technology has revolutionized tropical forest archeology, revealing ancient indigenous civilisations.
In the Koikuru region, indigenous people and researchers used lidar technology to reveal details of already discovered archaeological sites and search for places that are still unknown, but mentioned in the oral culture of the local people. “We have a lot of history, and there are still a lot of places to study,” says Sebi Koikoro, a teacher and local leader.
The partnership between the Quiqueros and researchers began in the 1990s, led by archaeologist Michael Heckenberger, from the University of Florida (USA), a pioneer in collaborative research with indigenous people in the Amazon region. With the support of the Ibatse chief, Avocaka Koikoro, Heckenberger went out into the field several times with villagers to excavate and map ancient towns, many of which are mentioned in the oral history of the Koikoro tribe.
“I didn’t discover anything,” he says. “The Quaikoros took me to all the sites and helped me draw a map of each one.”
In 2003, in an unusual move at the time, the researcher published an article in the journal Science that he had co-authored with the president. The study showed that the people of the Upper Xingu, the ancestors of the Quecuros, lived in large forest cities between 500 and 1770 AD – before and after the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. It is estimated that at their peak, 800 years ago, these cities were inhabited by at least 50,000 people.
Similar to today’s villages, these towns had wooden cavities arranged around circular squares, but were ten times larger. The wood has not withstood time, but traces of the occupation are still visible on the ground. Huge dirt circles were once central squares. Ditches around towns served as defensive trenches, and mile-long straight lines of land formed interconnecting roads.
Anthropologist Carlos Fausto, of the National Museum, says the discoveries have helped change our view of the history of human occupation in the Amazon. Until then, it was thought that the dense forest, with its nutrient-poor soil, was unable to support large, complex sedentary societies, but only small nomadic groups.
For Chief Avocaka Koikoro, the research, which has already produced six articles co-authored by Koikoro, was important for learning about the long history of his people. “The research made white people believe in us,” he says. “It showed the world, in a language that white people understand, that we have been here in this area for a long time.”
Pure archeology makes no sense. We’re not here just to dig holes and learn history
In 2019, as Heckenberger was about to retire, he turned over leadership to Lima, who deepened his research and community connections. Using lidar technology, researchers revealed details that went unnoticed during fieldwork, such as less visible roads and squares, and even signs of dams built by ancient people on the region’s rivers.
However, the decision on what to draw on the map rests with the Koikuru tribe. “We decide together where to look and what to map,” emphasizes Lima. “Our goal is to share these technologies and give them control over them.”
All collaboration data is stored in an online portal hosted by the Goeldi Museum and managed by the Associação Indígena Kuikuro do Alto Xingu. Access to any data depends on indigenous permission.
For kuikuros, this control is essential. Daniel Kalutata Koikuru, grandson of Chief Avocaka and president of the association, says it is necessary to identify areas to study and what information can be released to the public. He fears that the lack of oversight will lead to the destruction of his cultural heritage, as happened in 2018, when centuries-old inscriptions in a cave considered sacred by his people were destroyed by unknown criminals.
For Lima, his commitment is above all social. She hopes that the discovery of new archaeological sites will help preserve the forest and the indigenous way of life. This is because, according to Brazilian legislation, archaeological sites are protected by the Union. Furthermore, she says she believes new evidence of the ancient presence of indigenous people can help in the fight to secure and expand their lands.
We need real training so that one day we become not just assistants, but research leaders
“Pure archeology doesn’t make any sense,” Lima says. “We’re not here just to dig holes and learn history.”
After years of collaboration, the Koikoros themselves see archaeology as a political tool. “It is a weapon for us,” says Komisi Wora Koikoro, a nursing technician who participated in the excavation in 2018. “If they try to invade our lands or harm us, we can show that we have been here for centuries and that this place belongs to us.”
Inspired by the partnership, they are increasingly seeking a university education. But Mutua Mihinaku, one of the first in the village to complete his master’s degree, wants more. He wants to see indigenous people take charge. “We need real training, so that one day we become not just assistants, but research leaders,” he says.
The road is hard. The nearest universities are hundreds of kilometers away, and enrolling involves leaving the communal way of life in the village and finding the resources to survive in the city. But at the end of the trip, Lima and his team bring good news.
They obtained grants for kuikuros to engage in research and pursue university degrees. Viola, the drone pilot, is one of the recipients. He will participate in a preparatory course for the bachelor’s degree in indigenous archaeology, which will be launched by the University of Brasilia next year.
“Little by little,” Viola says with a shy smile. Who knows, maybe one day he will become a research leader.