“Unpretentious” photographs

the transformations of the toré of the Tapuias Tarairiús from Lagoa de Tapará at the culture fairs (2015–2018)

Abstract

Toré is a cultural practice that has been mobilized by the indigenous peoples of the Northeast as a form of resistance and social and political reorganization. In the indigenous community of Lagoa de Tapará – belonging to the Tapuias Tarariús people and geographically located in the state of Rio Grande do Norte – toré is part of their cultural repertoire, being used in moments of celebration of conquests, as well as in moments of political confrontation. Given the relevance of the toré as an instrument of struggle for indigenous peoples, this visual essay brings photographs of the Tapuias Tarairiús dancing the toré during the cultural fairs of Lagoa de Tapará, which are held annually on the last Sunday of May. For this, I revisit my collection of images from the incursions I made into cultural fairs, and which was produced over the years from 2015 to 2018. With this visual essay, I intend to build an ethnographic narrative about the transformations of the Tapará toré, by throughout editions of culture fairs.