IN-PERSON ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)

Abstract

This paper presents an anthropological investigation into the revival of earthen paints in the Vale do Jequitinhonha (Minas Gerais, Brazil), focusing on how traditional knowledge is being reactivated by rural and quilombola (Afro Brazilian maroon) women to reimagine ways of dwelling. Historically used in adobe houses, ovens, and wall finishes, natural pigments extracted from the soil are now being reclaimed as part of a broader movement of cultural revitalization. The analysis reveals how industrial materials have erased local architectural singularities while contributing to the decline of other cultural expressions, such as songs, dances, ecological farming practices, and craft-based labor. In response, a women’s collective has been building a counter-narrative rooted in memory and territory. They have resumed pesticide-free farming, recovered traditional seeds, and revived ancestral practices like spinning, weaving, embroidery, and dyeing with earth pigments. These practices not only reaffirm territorial belonging but are also inspiring urban architects who are now incorporating these materials and techniques into sustainable and culturally grounded projects. We argue that the resurgence of earthen paints represents a form of living heritage, shaped by women’s knowledge and collective memory, offering an aesthetic and epistemological framework that challenges dominant narratives of development and modernity. Through an anthropological lens, we show how these practices do not merely preserve the past, but cultivate — quite literally from the ground up — new visions of urban futures.