Kayapó Leaders Bring Amazonian Resistance to New York's Cultural Stage

In December 2025, Pat-i Kayapo and Dhayany Rios arrived in New York City from Brazil. Kayapo, a filmmaker from the Kayapó people, wore traditional body and face markings made from plant dyes. Their visit marked the first time many Cultural Survival Bazaar artisans had travelled so far from home. The Kayapó, also called 'The People of the Water Source,' live across 9 million hectares in Pará and Mato Grosso. Their 12,000 members in around 50 villages resist mining and logging through cultural practices like dance, beadwork, and song.

Kayapo often requested meals reflecting his community’s traditions, such as rice, beans, yuca, and plantains. On his first morning in New York, he asked for a Mexican torta for breakfast. The Kayapó use their art and traditions to warn outsiders about the impact of consumerism on their forest home. Many artisans, like Kayapo and Rios, travel long distances to share their culture at events like the Cultural Survival Bazaar.

Kayapo and Rios joined the bazaar to showcase their heritage and raise awareness. Their presence highlighted the Kayapó people’s ongoing fight to protect their land. Through food, art, and storytelling, they connect their remote communities to the wider world.