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Esperança Terena

Eliseu Cavalcante is a Brazilian photographer based in New York. In July 2013, Cavalcante traveled to Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil to capture the land-rights struggle of the Terena, an indigenous tribe. The resulting project, Esperança Terena, aims to bring awareness about the issue of indigenous land rights in Brazil. During the height of occupations to reclaim territory that traditionally belonged to them, Cavalcante traveled to the Esperança ranch right after the tribe took over the land that would restore them to their home. He was able to go thanks to his childhood friend, who is a member of the tribe. At the time, the re-occupied land was closed to non-indigenous people, but Cavalcante managed to gain entry thanks to the generosity of tribe members. While he was with the Terena, he captured their lives: a mix of hope, spirituality, and a constant fear of losing their land once again. As of October 2014, the Terena are still awaiting a government decision to compensate the rancher who currently owns the land so they can definitively reclaim it.

English

Eliseu Cavalcante is a Brazilian photographer based in New York. In July 2013, Cavalcante traveled to Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil to capture the land-rights struggle of the Terena, an indigenous tribe. The resulting project, Esperança Terena, aims to bring awareness about the issue of indigenous land rights in Brazil. During the height of occupations to reclaim territory that traditionally belonged to them, Cavalcante traveled to the Esperança ranch right after the tribe took over the land that would restore them to their home. He was able to go thanks to his childhood friend, who is a member of the tribe. At the time, the re-occupied land was closed to non-indigenous people, but Cavalcante managed to gain entry thanks to the generosity of tribe members. While he was with the Terena, he captured their lives: a mix of hope, spirituality, and a constant fear of losing their land once again. As of October 2014, the Terena are still awaiting a government decision to compensate the rancher who currently owns the land so they can definitively reclaim it.

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