Dive into the entangled lifeworld of Indigenous communities from the Amazon! Xingu Entangled offers a multi-layered experience of Indigenous material practices from the Upper Xingu region, where artifacts, stories, places, plants, animals, rituals, myths and events are uniquely interconnected. Rather than merely learning about physical objects, appreciate their complexity with the support of video clips and interactive networks. The visualized relationships carry deeply intertwined meanings.
The videos show scenes from the Xingu, while the visualization displays elements appearing in the current scene and their interconnections in a diagram. As the scenes unfold, so do their associated diagrams by uncovering and highlighting elements. The interactivity allows you to break out of the default linear narrative and navigate between scenes, as well as learn more about specific elements and their wider contexts.
The Overview contains all stories that are available. The arrows suggest possible viewing paths. You can return to the Overview by selecting the house icon ⌂ in the top left corner.
The Story view shows the entities as they are connected in the current scene.
The Detail view shows all of the connections of the selected entity across all stories.
Fidel Thomet, Nadia Zeissig, Marian Dörk, Andrea Scholz, Thiago da Costa Oliveira, Flavia Heins
Xingu Entangled was created by the Amazonia Future Lab, a transdisciplinary research project carried out 2021–2024 funded by the Digital Culture Programme of the German Federal Cultural Foundation and the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss. The interface was realized with the Wanderer, a web-based interface that links video footage with networks. The Wanderer is freely available as open source software on GitHub.
Indigenous community of Ipatse
UCLAB at FH Potsdam
Ethnologisches Museum
National Museum UFRJ Brazil
Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin
Ibero-American Institute
Institut für Museumsforschung
Xingu Entangled was created by the Amazonia Future Lab, a research project conducted from 2021 to 2024. It was funded by the Digital Culture Programme of the German Federal Cultural Foundation and the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss. The project’s interface was built using the Wanderer, an online tool that connects videos to data networks. The Wanderer is free to use and available as open source software on GitHub.
Collecting and processing for Gimi
- Gimi 1–3: © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ethnologisches Museum, CC BY-SA 4.0
The dispersal and pollination of Moriche
- Moriche palm: © Bryan Ramdeen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Collecting and Processing for Gimi
- Gimi: © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ethnologisches Museum, CC BY-SA 4.0
On Gimi and how to make it
- Hugeku: © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ethnologisches Museum, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kahokuhugu: © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ethnologisches Museum, Helene Tello, CC BY-SA 4.0
Harvesting Annatto and turmeric
- Annatto plant: © J.M.Garg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Annatto Seeds: © Leonardo Aguiar, CC BY 2.0
- annatto cropped images: © Roger Culos, CC BY-SA 3.0
Collecting Moriche Leaves
- Moriche spear leavs (b.r.): © Martha Lucia Ortiz-Moreno, CC BY-SA 4.0
Uses of Moriche and Mats
- Hammock: © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ethnologisches Museum, CC BY-SA 4.0
Using Utu
- Pacu: © Dick Culbert, CC BY 2.0
The story of Uhi
- Moriche tree: © dc-murayari, CC BY-SA 4.0
Using Kusu
- Crenicichla: © Cláudio D. Timm, CC BY 2.0