Inhabitants of the Xingú Indigenous Park , the Waurá people have a complex and fascinating myth-cosmology, in which the links between animals, things, humans and extra-human beings permeate their conception of the world and are crucial in shamanism practices. .
The Waurá people are direct descendants of several groups who immigrated from the extreme southwest of the Amazon basin and who established the first villages in the Xingú River area in the 800s and 900s. The Waurá are well known for their ancient ceramics, being responsible for supplying pots and roasters for all groups that inhabit the Alto Xingu. In addition, many other items of material culture continue to be manufactured, including those that could have easily been replaced by industrialized objects, but for symbolic reasons continue to play their role in reproducing Waurá culture. This is the case of wooden benches, which follow an aesthetic similar to that of ceramic vessels in the shape of animals, with the head and tail of the species represented on each side of the seat. In addition to pottery and wood carving, the Waurá are also known for the graphics on their baskets, their feather art and their large ritual masks.