"We are the land, and the land is us"
In the language of the Guarani and Kaiowá indigenous peoples, Tekohá is the term used to refer to their territory. Tekohá goes beyond a mere description of a piece of land. The prefix teko- represents a series of norms and customs of the community, while the suffix -ha has a connotation of place. Tekohá is the physical place – including land, jungle, fields, watercourses, plants and remedies – where the way of life of the Guarani and Kaiowá indigenous peoples develops. The land is an extension of themselves and their source of life. In their own words, “the land is them, and they are the land”.
However, since 1920, the Guarani and Kaiowá have increasingly been suffering acts of violence and the expulsion of their traditional lands. Currently, they account for circa 60.000 in Brazil (around 45.000 only in the south of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul).
In a world increasingly alienated and disconnected from nature, ‘Tekohá is Life’ is launched as an initiative to shed light on their struggle to regain access to and control over their ancestral territories, as well as to boost the understanding of non-dominant and more sustainable approaches to mother earth.