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In 2025, when the policy of safeguarding intangible heritage turns 25, the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) officially recognized the Kene Kuĩ as Brazil’s Cultural Heritage. Kene Kuĩ is a set of knowledge and graphic practices developed by the people Huni Kuĩ, which inhabits the Western Amazon in the regions of Acre and southern Amazonas.
The request for registration was made in 2006 by representatives of the people Huni Kuĩ and indigenous organizations, such as the Federation of the Huni Kuĩ do Acre (Fephac). During the 107th Iphan Advisory Board Meeting, the proposal was unanimously approved, marking an important step in the cultural preservation of the Huni Kuĩ people.
Kene Kuĩ, a set of graphic patterns of the people Huni Kuĩ, is preserved through ritual practices and oral transmission between generations/Photo: Photo: Mariana Alves/Iphan
Kene Kuĩ encompasses techniques used in various forms of expression, such as weaving, body painting, basketry, ceramic, and is a fundamental part of the subsistence and cultural identity of the Huni Kuĩ people.
Now that the Kene Kuĩ has been recognized, protection and appreciation actions will be developed, such as safeguarding workshops and research, to ensure that these knowledge will continue to be transmitted to future generations.
Indigenous people of the Huni Kuĩ people display the Kene Kuĩ graphics, recognized as cultural heritage of Brazil/Photo: Collection/Iphan
The president of the Federation of the Povo Huni Kuĩ do Acre (Fephac), Chief Ninawa Huni Kuĩ, celebrated the recognition: “It is a fight of many years and a collective dream come true. Today Iphan delivered the final product that is recognition by the Brazilian state of our cultural manifestation”. The information is from the Government of Brazil website.
