The spirit of the store
My name is Flavia Beatriz, I am Brazilian, from the state of Pará, in the Amazon basin. I arrived in France in 1999, but my family remained in Brazil.
My native land is currently undergoing a demarcation process (official recognition of indigenous territory, in the case of my village, Borari territory), to protect it from the devastation of large-scale agricultural and mining operations.
In 2024, I decided to contribute in my own way by opening this online store to showcase local craftsmanship and thus participate in the economy of indigenous peoples.
The name AmazoniKaa comes from a compression of the words Amazon and Kaa, meaning leaf in the indigenous Tupi language, spoken by many Amerindian ethnic groups.
Indeed, Brazilian territory is dotted with numerous ethnic groups, each with their own language, culture, rituals, etc.
Each ethnic group uses different patterns. The ornaments are characteristic enough to represent and differentiate them from each other.
Although attached to their ways of life and roots, far from our consumer societies, some ethnic groups use the sale of handcrafted products to raise their profile with the general public and in the political sphere, in order to better defend their cultures, their interests, and protect their territories.
The Brazilian Constitution recognizes the rights of indigenous peoples to the lands they traditionally occupy, but numerous conflicts regularly pit them against either illegal gold prospectors (garimpeiros) or large landowners seeking to expand their territories for cattle or soybean cultivation.
Some ethnic groups have to use video surveillance systems to protect themselves and report problems to the competent authorities.
Indigenous communities are on the front lines against Amazon rainforest deforestation. This artisanal trade allows them to achieve a certain financial autonomy to continue the fight for the preservation of their cultural heritage and their lands.
AmazoniKaa presents jewelry created by various indigenous ethnic groups of Brazil and other local artisans. Handcrafted, they are made in an artisanal way, mainly using dried seeds, glass beads, ceramics, or wood, mounted on stainless steel settings, nylon, or cotton threads.
In a fair trade approach, I work directly with artisans or associations.
The AmazoniKaa brand contributes in its own way to the work of preserving indigenous culture, recognizing their way of life with respect for their territories, transparently with our customers and partners who share the same values with us.
