In 1935, Claude Lévi-Strauss and his fellow ethnographic expedition companions arrived at the main village of the Kadiwéu, known as Nalike, located in the territory of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. During 15-day research period, the French anthropologist produced a substantial number of photographs, many of which were later published in his works, making some of them widely recognized. In the year 2022, I visited the Kadiwéu, in what is now their main village known as Alves de Barros. On this occasion, I brought with me the photographs captured by Lévi-Strauss. The main purpose of my visit was to apply the methodologies of photo-elicitation and visual repatriation among the Kadiwéu. Both approaches foster
discussions about the images, providing an opportunity to generate new perspectives and counter-narratives. Thus, I sought to understand what those images evoked in my interlocutors, regardless of whether they were related to the content of the photographs, their original contexts, or memories that did not have a direct connection to the subjects depicted in the images. I was already aware of Lévi-Strauss’s stories and interpretations of these images, and therefore, my intention was to explore what other narratives could emerge from the encounter between the present-day Kadiwéu and those from the past through these photographs.
