The village is the center of the Kayapó universe, the most socialized space. The surrounding forest is considered an anti-social space, where men can transform into animals or spirits, fall ill without reason, or even harm their relatives; it is inhabited by beings that are part animal and part human. The farther from the village, the more anti-social the forest becomes, and the more dangers are associated with it. Since there is always the risk that the “social” may be overtaken by the domain of nature, slipping out of human control, the Kayapó seek a symbolic appropriation of the natural world, transforming it into something social through healing songs and ceremonies that establish a constant exchange between humans and nature.
The portion of the forest where villagers hunt, fish, and farm is socialized by assigning names to places. Furthermore, human interventions in nature are accompanied by rituals. For instance, the establishment of new fields is preceded by a dance that structurally resembles a war ritual. Indeed, creating new fields is a symbolic war—not against a human enemy but against a natural adversary. Upon returning from a hunt, men must sing to the spirits of the game they have killed, asking them to remain in the forest. Each animal species has a designated song that always begins with the cry of the animal that was hunted.
The Kayapó ritual system constitutes a very specific language: the rites express and update fundamental societal values, reflecting the group’s perception of itself, its society, and the universe. Each ritual conveys a part of this cosmological vision and establishes a connection between humans and nature, especially strengthening the relationship between humans and animals.
Kayapó rituals are numerous and diverse, but their importance and duration vary greatly. They can be divided into three main categories: major ceremonies for confirming personal names; agricultural, hunting, fishing, and occasional rites (e.g., those performed during solar or lunar eclipses); and rites of passage. The latter are often solemn but brief and are rarely accompanied by dances or songs. They are organized to publicly announce the transition of individuals from one age group to another.
Examples of rites of passage include all ceremonies referred to as mereremex (“people who extend their beauty”), which reflects the elaborate way men adorn themselves for these occasions. Such ceremonies are group activities designed to socialize “wild” or anti-social values. This is particularly evident in the assignment of names, the central theme of most Kayapó ceremonies. Personal names are, in fact, borrowed from nature. Shamans communicate with natural spirits, learning new songs and names from them. These names, along with the songs they reference, are borrowed elements from the "natural" world that must be introduced into the culture during grand naming ceremonies.
During these events, most ritual sequences take place in the central plaza of the village. Here, there is an inversion of the ordinary social space: the village center, usually organized around friendship and non-kinship relations, becomes the domain of activities where familial ties and natural—therefore “wild”—elements, such as personal names or the names of hunted game, take center stage. The true essence of "beauty," which the Kayapó call mereremex, is not merely visual but also includes an inner beauty that arises from group activity and the collective effort required to “socialize” personal names or other precious objects.
