A Place that is Alive for Indigenous Futures

Aldeia Maraka’na is a living Indigenous space of learning, ceremony, and community life.​​

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Long before the modern city of Rio de Janeiro existed, this land held deep spiritual, cultural, and ancestral significance for Indigenous peoples. Despite centuries of displacement, institutional erasure, and intense urban pressure—including development surrounding the Maracanã Stadium—Indigenous presence at this site never disappeared. It endured, adapted, and remained rooted in place. 

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Today, Aldeia Maraka’na stands as the only Indigenous village within the city of Rio de Janeiro, sustained through Indigenous leadership, daily practice, and collective care.

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A Living Indigenous Education System

Aldeia Maraka’na is not a museum or symbolic site.
It is a living Indigenous education system, active every day.

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Learning here includes:

• Indigenous languages and oral traditions

• Agroecology and environmental education

• Arts, theater, film, and storytelling

• Ceremony, assemblies, and intergenerational teaching

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The site is home to the Pluricultural Indigenous University of Maraka’na, which functions as an Indigenous Embassy and serves more than 26 Indigenous peoples, reflecting the reality that nearly 60% of Indigenous people in Brazil live outside forest territories.

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For over 20 years, the University has thrived as a living museum and sanctuary, hosting international congresses, seminars, and exchanges with scholars, artists, policymakers, and cultural leaders from around the world.

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Bridging Urban Life and Indigenous Continuity

In an increasingly urbanized world, the University plays a vital role in bridging traditional Indigenous lifeways with contemporary urban realities.

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It provides a space where urban Indigenous peoples—many of whom have been separated from their territories by displacement or economic necessity—can reconnect with their heritage, learn from one another, and strengthen communal ties across generations.

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In this way, Aldeia Maraka’na stands as a living expression of the resilience and enduring presence of Brazil’s Indigenous peoples, contributing Indigenous perspectives to national and international dialogue on culture, education, and rights.

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History, Resistance, and Continuity

The land surrounding Aldeia Maraka’na includes Indigenous burial grounds and the site of a former prison for enslaved people. The building later known as the Indian Museum was reclaimed in 2006 by Indigenous leaders from multiple ethnic groups as an act of self-determination.

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In 2013, despite the absence of a legal eviction order, military police violently removed the Indigenous community during World Cup preparations. The event drew international condemnation.

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Despite this, Aldeia Maraka’na endures as a Living Museum, education system, language school, and cultural gathering place.

 

Indigenous-Led, Pluriethnic and Decolonized Governance 

Aldeia Maraka’na is governed autonomously by Indigenous leaders from diverse ethnic backgrounds, ensuring that no single group dominates and that decision-making reflects a genuinely pluriethnic and decolonized governance structure.

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The University’s establishment and ongoing activities challenge inherited colonial models of education, demonstrating how Indigenous knowledge systems function as complete, self-determined educational frameworks.

This structure not only empowers Indigenous communities internally, but also sets a living precedent for how Indigenous education systems can operate independently of state control and traditional academic hierarchies, while remaining engaged in national and international dialogue.

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A core objective of the partnership is to support legal recognition and territorial continuity for Aldeia Maraka’na, reinforcing protections for Indigenous land, governance, and rights within Brazilian and international frameworks.

 

A South–South Partnership Rooted in Reciprocity

On May 20, 2025, Shakti Regeneration Institute and Aldeia Maraka’na formalized a partnership grounded in Indigenous sovereignty, long-term stewardship, and reciprocity.

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The collaboration follows a South–South framework, prioritizing mutual learning and shared responsibility over intervention or extraction. It is strengthened by aligned partners such as AIME Mentoring (Australia), a globally recognized Indigenous-led education initiative.

 

Restoring Structures, Safeguarding Living Practice

The partnership works across complementary priorities:

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• Urgent structural restoration, beginning with the roof and extending to participatory rehabilitation of the historic building

• Support for Indigenous education, including ongoing development of the University and new initiatives such as the School for Storytelling and Regenerative Futures

• Cultural and spiritual programming, led by the community and rooted in Indigenous heritage and ecological stewardship

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The building requires care.
The culture carries itself.

 

Current Priority: Preserving the Roof

Within this broader work, one need is immediate.

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The roof of Aldeia Maraka’na shelters classrooms, ceremonies, assemblies, and daily community life. Seasonal rains increasingly expose interior spaces to water damage, placing education and safety at risk.

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This campaign seeks to raise $70,000, which will fully restore and secure the roof, completing this first and essential phase of structural care.

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→ Become a Structural Steward
All contributions directly support roof restoration.

 

Giving Circles for Roof Stewardship

(unchanged — already working well)

 

Resourcing a Living System

Beyond the roof, the partnership is mobilizing approximately R$750,000 through aligned global partnerships, sponsors, and donors to support structural resilience, education, legal continuity, and cultural programming.

 

Global Vision and Ethical Storytelling

Shakti Regeneration Institute brings strategic expertise and global visibility to amplify Aldeia Maraka’na’s voice in international forums.

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The partnership supports joint media and education initiatives, including The Regeneration Generation, and is committed to ethical storytelling, Indigenous representation, and dignity-centered engagement.

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This work reflects a shared belief: caring for Aldeia Maraka’na is not about preserving the past—it is about enabling Indigenous futures rooted in wisdom, dignity, and planetary healing.

 

A Shared Commitment

Aldeia Maraka’na is not a project.
It is a living Indigenous education system.

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Supporting the roof is one tangible way—right now—to help ensure that learning, culture, and continuity remain alive in this sacred place for generations to come.

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