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In August, 2016, Aladino, a native Bora shaman, burns a large amount of dry “cetico” leaves in a small village of Pebas, located in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. The ashes when mixed with coca powder adds perfect flavor in the most important Bora element. The purpose to burn the leaves deep inside the jungle is the belief of being watched by the ancient spirits. Aladino says that the real tradition is to be guided by the spirits in order to achieve the perfect mixture. The coca is the main source for a shaman. It is through the power of the plant where a true indigenous shaman gets all his powers and ancestral knowledge. © Leonardo Carrato.
In August, 2016, Aladino, a native Bora shaman, burns a large amount of dry “cetico” leaves in a small village of Pebas, located in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. The ashes when mixed with coca powder adds perfect flavor in the most important Bora element. The purpose to burn the leaves deep inside the jungle is the belief of being watched by the ancient spirits. Aladino says that the real tradition is to be guided by the spirits in order to achieve the perfect mixture. The coca is the main source for a shaman. It is through the power of the plant where a true indigenous shaman gets all his powers and ancestral knowledge. © Leonardo Carrato.
In November, 2016, one of Aladino’s son, Hanz, along with his friends play outside a broken bobcat in the center of the small village called Pebas in the Peruvian Amazon. The abandoned machine demonstrates the lack of public investments and the kids do not always go to school due their low expectations for life. The situation worries Aladino, a native Bora shaman, as he realizes that Hanz does not show any interest in being a shaman. This situation is very common for the native people due to the fact that nowadays they don't have anyone to pass on the culture, making it nearly to disappearance. © Leonardo Carrato.
In May, 2017, Aladino, a native Bora shaman, blows smoke on his patient's head during one of the healing sessions late at night. The house is located in a small village in the Amazon. Before blowing the smoke, he performs a prayer in Bora language and asks the spirits to guide him throughout the process. The spiritual process is to make a woman called Marili, who feels sick from her stomach and is facing trouble sleeping, better again. Aladino says that the duty of a natural healer is to work with all kind of diseases from headaches, which can take a day, to the worse like malediction, which can take weeks. © Leonardo Carrato.
In October, 2018, a heavy rain pours down the village of Pebas, in the Amazon region. At night, when it is time to connect with the spirits, this is the what can be looked at outside the window of his little wooden house. According to him, the spirits can communicate with him in innumerable ways and rain is one of them. When his concentration hits the peek or when in trance, Aladino can finally see beyond reality. © Leonardo Carrato.
In November, 2017, late at night is the best way to hunt capybara, monkeys, curassow, small crocodile and some other wild animals around the Peruvian amazon. Aladino, a native Bora shaman, stands with his shotgun and head flashlight waiting for anything that moves. Often, Aladino has to be at these places in order to provide food for his family, be aware of all the danger that surrounds him and maintain the old native traditions. © Leonardo Carrato.
In October, 2018, Aladino, a native Bora Shaman, sits with his wife, Joana, after an intense walk around the Bora sacred Valley. The purpose of the walk was to find daily supplies for the family. He looks up, in a way, asking for divine help while his children are playing and entertained in a tree on the background making a mixture of surreal and magical scene. The duties of a true shaman are demand Aladino to be at his best body and mind. Nowadays, after all the has happened, it becoming harder to follow the guidelines and not to mention the family time together which is rarer than ever. © Leonardo Carrato.
In October, 2018, Aladino watches a sacred and curative plant called Curarina. It is a difficult plant to find and it can be used mainly as an antibiotic. The curative special plants like Curarina, can only be found at the Sacred Valley, which is a place made still by virgin forest in the Peruvian Amazon. © Leonardo Carrato.
In June, 2019, a small alligator is about to be cooked in Aladino's kitchen. Aladino is an indigenous shaman who lives in a small village called Pebas, in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. As times goes by in his path to become a strong shaman again, he turns into follow old recipes especially when it concerns food. The consumption of the proper nutriment is a real key to follow his ancient traditions and be connected with the spiritual forces of the rain forest. © Leonardo Carrato.
In November, 2017, Aladino, a native Bora shaman, floats in exhaustion in a small creek just the day after a healing session, in a small village located in the heart of the Amazon. The small creek belongs to a Bora Sacred Valley and it’s a tradition for the shamans to come restore his strength to continue the process. © Leonardo Carrato.
In June, 2019, Aladino, a native Bora shaman, smokes a cigarette inside a tree in the Bora Sacred Valley. As he struggles to become a powerful shaman again, Aladino tries to be connected with nature. The desire is to be part again of the whole Cosmo political environment for a shaman. As the environment around him and the contemporary challenges threat his way of living, he is certain the stay aware on what is yet to come. © Leonardo Carrato.
In April 2022, during one of the traditional ceremonies of the Pataxó ethnicity, the thick smoke from a large bonfire engulfs a portion of the forest in the main village in the city of Carmésia, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The reclaiming of their ancestral identity is a crucial aspect of the Pataxós' mission to redefine the historical episode of the Krenak Reformatory and revive the traditions of their ethnicity. © Leonardo Carrato.
On March 4, 2020, Manoel Pankararu wears his cowboy hat in front of the window of his house located in the city of Resplendor, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. He is one of the survivors of the Krenak Reformatory, the former indigenous prison. According to his testimony, he was brought by the military from his original land in the state of Pernambuco, northeast Brazil, where he was one of the local community leaders. The memories of that time are already fading away, and he no longer remembers how long he was imprisoned. What is known is that he was one of those who went through the whole 'integration' process not only in Resplendor but also in Carmésia. Currently, Manoel raises a few heads of cattle for a living in Resplendor. He is not allowed to return to Pernambuco because, after so much struggle, he is considered polluted by foreign culture and not recognized as a true member of his ethnic group, Pankararu. © Leonardo Carrato.
On November 17, 2020, Larissa, 15 years old, and Isabela Pataxó, 16 years old, embrace in a stream in the village where the former indigenous prison, the Krenak Reformatory, was located in the city of Carmésia, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Water and the passage of a river are sacred according to indigenous culture, the lifeblood of the community. This small stream, the only source of water in the village, does not provide the essence necessary for the survival of the community, and vital activities such as fishing are not possible. This feeling of not belonging affects the psychology of the new generation that is on a quest to regain their indigenous identity. Faced with an oppressive past and an uncertain present, staying together through physical closeness is one of the few options to build a sense of community. © Leonardo Carrato.
© Leonardo Carrato.
In April 2022, Sávio Pataxó burns dry leaves in the backyard of his house in the city of Carmésia, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Sávio is a member of the Pataxó youth group that gathers regularly to keep the traditions of their ethnicity alive by organizing traditional cultural events throughout the year. © Leonardo Carrato.
In April 2022, Gabriel Pataxó smells one of the roses planted in the garden of his house in the city of Carmésia, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Gabriel recently moved from the state of Bahia in the northern part of the country after facing interpersonal issues in one of the villages in the region. The city of Carmésia serves as a retreat for some members of the Pataxó ethnicity, as it provides them with greater contact with their native culture and traditions. © Leonardo Carrato.
In November 2022, a member of the Pataxó ethnicity positions themselves behind a broken glass during a national indigenous gathering held in the city of Carmésia, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The meeting takes place annually to discuss topics and issues relevant to the indigenous community throughout the country and to demonstrate unity in resisting the rapid advance of illegal activities against their territory, particularly during the Bolsonaro government. © Leonardo Carrato.
On April 24, 2020, there is intense activity at the entrance to the Rocinha favela subway station. Social conditions make isolation practically impossible during the pandemic. © Leonardo Carrato.
On April 17, 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, a group of favela residents gather to fly kites on one of the community's thousands of rooftops. This activity becomes one of the only forms of leisure for that group during times of social isolation. © Leonardo Carrato.
On May 8th, 2020, balloons from a party were left on the narrow alleys in Favela da Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro. Favelas are known for their cultural activity. The housing issue forces numerous families to share a small space, making social isolation practically impossible. Small celebrations are still happening as a way of avoiding the harsh reality. © Leonardo Carrato.
On April 23, 2020, which is St. George's Day, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, in the Rocinha favela, within an Umbanda 'terreiro,' a religion of African origin commonly practiced in Brazil, a modest ritual is organized during isolation to celebrate this Saint, who is considered the most important figure in the religion. © Leonardo Carrato.
On May 2nd, 2020, a sanitary agent works on disinfection, surprising a local resident on her porch in Favela da Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro. The unplanned urban development and lack of public investments have led houses to be tightly packed into narrow alleys, making disinfection necessary and essential for preventing the spread of Covid-19. © Leonardo Carrato.
On May 21st, 2020, an empty church in Favela da Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro. During the pandemic, all activities have been suspended, but as an act of faith, some residents come to pray as a way to hold on to something during the pandemic. © Leonardo Carrato.
On April 15, 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, an undertaker walks down a corridor at the local cemetery before beginning one of the numerous burials scheduled for that day for those who had passed away due to Covid-19. The cemetery is considered the largest in town and is situated in a neighborhood called Caju, Rio de Janeiro, which is the preferred choice for most families residing in Rocinha due to its affordability. © Leonardo Carrato.
On April 15, 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, a wreath of flowers was placed by the family who couldn't be present while gravediggers lowered a coffin into a shallow grave at a local cemetery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The cemetery is considered the largest one in town and is situated in a neighborhood called Caju, Rio de Janeiro, which is chosen by most families residing in Rocinha due to its affordability. © Leonardo Carrato/VII
On May 6th, 2021, a pastor and a faithful individual pray together in one of the open spaces within the forest of the sacred Mount Cardoso Fontes in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mount Cardoso Fontes, situated in an ecological forest park in one of the primary neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro, holds special significance as a sacred place for evangelicals. The connection of faith with nature inspires evangelical believers to seek a closer relationship with God and the purification of their souls. © Leonardo Carrato.
On May 12th, 2021, a woman, observed by her colleagues, reclines in one of the open spaces of the sacred Mount Cardoso Fontes in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This moment is referred to as 'rapture' by evangelicals, during which the person's soul embarks on a journey through the spiritual realm, encountering visions and receiving answers to their questions about life. Mount Cardoso Fontes, situated in an ecological forest park in one of the primary neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro, holds profound significance as a sacred place for evangelicals. The bond of faith with nature inspires evangelical believers to seek a closer relationship with God and the purification of their souls. © Leonardo Carrato.
On June 10th, 2021, a butterfly alighted on the back of an evangelical apostle while they were ascending towards the summit of the sacred Mount Cardoso Fontes in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Moments as rare as this are regarded as divine signs of acceptance and encouragement to continue the climb. Mount Cardoso Fontes, situated in an ecological forest park in one of the primary neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro, holds special significance as a sacred place for evangelicals. The connection of faith with nature inspires evangelical believers to seek a closer relationship with God and the purification of their souls. © Leonardo Carrato.
On June 15th, 2021, an evangelical apostle sat on a rock to commence a prayer on the sacred Mount Cardoso Fontes in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The white skirt symbolizes a heightened spirituality as it adheres strictly to the norms of the Pentecostal religion. Mount Cardoso Fontes, situated in an ecological forest park in one of the primary neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro, holds significant importance as a sacred place for evangelicals. The bond of faith with nature inspires evangelical believers to seek a closer relationship with God and purification of the soul. © Leonardo Carrato.
On June 4th, 2021, Pastor Luís, 36 years old, engaged in a prayer of thanks for reaching the summit of the sacred hill Cardoso Fontes in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To reach the mountain's summit, one must ascend a steep path that takes more than two hours, demanding a sacrifice from the evangelical faithful. It is through this sacrifice that a profound connection with the spiritual world can be achieved. Mount Cardoso Fontes, situated in an ecological forest park in one of the city's primary neighborhoods, holds special significance for evangelicals as a sacred place. The bond of faith with nature motivates evangelical believers to seek a closer relationship with God and the purification of their souls. © Leonardo Carrato.
On October 17th, 2020, a portrait of a food carrier named Tiago, 28 years old, was taken. He has been working at CEASA, a food distribution center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for 5 years. This is his only form of income, and he has no experience in other areas. The portrait includes an image of his hands and a still photograph of 3 beets. © Leonardo Carrato.
On October 14th, 2020, a portrait of a food carrier named Carlos Artur, 27 years old, was taken. He has been working at CEASA, a food distribution center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for 10 years. This is his only form of income, and he has no experience in other areas. The portrait includes an image of his hands and a still photograph of a purple cabbage. © Leonardo Carrato.
On October 17th, 2020, a portrait of a food carrier named Heverton, 21 years old, was taken. He has been working at CEASA, a food distribution center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for 4 years. This is his only source of income, and he also has experience working as a mechanic. The portrait includes an image of his hands and a still photograph of 3 eggplants. © Leonardo Carrato.
On October 15th, 2020, a portrait of a food carrier named Rodrigo, 37 years old, was taken. He has been working at CEASA, a food distribution center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for 21 years. This is his sole source of income, and he also has experience working for companies that clean glasses. The portrait includes an image of his hands and a still photograph of 5 Scarlet eggplants. © Leonardo Carrato.
Leonardo Carrato
Location
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Leonardo Carrato

Contributing Photographer

Born in Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 1983, Leonardo Carrato threw himself into a photographic journey in 2012. Leo is based in Rio de Janeiro and works as a photographer and filmmaker. 

​The desire to connect with his continent’s native culture and unfold the hidden history carried Leo to the Amazon. Since 2015, he has been working on a long-term project about a native Bora shaman deep inside the rainforest. Also, to uncover the Brazilian search for a common identity, Leo is documenting with visual narratives stories, the sense of the collective memory, its ruins, and its scars which are still intrinsic and connected with the current issues. The intense concern is due to the traces of a colonial past still rooted and perceptible in Brazilian society. With photography and films, Leo desires to unveil the problematic historical development of his country. 

​Leo recently completed the Mentor Program at VII Photo and hosts a series of conversations on, and writes about, Latin American photography for VII Insider. At the moment, Leo is an educator for VII Academy and teaches a seminar on Photojournalism and Documentary Photography for Latin American photographers. His work has been featured in major international news outlets, and his photography and films have been exhibited on a variety of walls and at festivals worldwide.

Programs and Events

May
2
2024
Retratistas do Morro: Reshaping Brazil’s historical records
May
16
2024
Leonardo Carrato’s “En Bora” at Kolga Tbilisi Photo
Exhibition
Sep
20
2024
PNDP.1.014. Central and South America: Program for Narrative and Documentary Practice, Level 1
Spanish
Core, Seminar

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