Painting Gallery
Kayapo Child
Body painting is widely practised among the indigenous groups of South
America such as the Kayapo and Yanomami of Brazil. Colours such as red,
black and white are used according to the raw materials available in
the Amazon rainforest.
Traditionally, both Kayapo men and women adorn their bodies
and faces with paint. Younger children are painted to resemble
insects which live communally such as bees. Painting becomes
a sign that a child is being integrated into the social world
and a way of transforming the natural body into a Kayapo
body.
