Diagonal: An Ibero-American Music Review

In response to the news of a murdered Indian chief around 1980, Marlos Nobre composed Yanománi, op. 47 as a symbol to the suffering of an indigenous nation facing annihilation. With this work, Nobre pioneered an advocacy on behalf of the Yanomami through art, at a time when only international attention could potentially change their situation. Yet, as a cultural artifact, this work builds upon a history of stereotypical images of the índio brasileiro (Native Brazilian) in the arts, literature, and music, which ranges from representations of the exotic and noble savage to a figure that poses a threat to national security.

As I demonstrate, Nobre represents an imagined rendering of the Yanomami’s ritual of death within a musical language that, while emulating “native” sounds, is built upon avant-garde techniques of Western music. As such, it emphasizes the sense of otherness of the Brazilian Indians. Indeed, while the indigenous words in the lyrics are hardly understood, the Portuguese words are clear: “Mata cacique” (kill the Indian chief). Ultimately, Yanománi joins the work of anthropologists and other artists in bringing international attention to the negligence and criminal acts against the indigenous communities in Brazil.