Xavante log race. The log race is not really a race at all, it is a ceremony, an aesthetic event. Xavante are indifferent about the notions of winning and losing what counts the most is the participating in the event and drawing upon ones innate abilities. Seen here are xavante men wrestling with the sturdy forest tree to bring and plant it within the inner circle o the xavante village, the symbolic gesture shows that the xavante are capable of living in harmony with nature. The tree is carried by two teams, representing the oppositions that Xavante believe to make up the universe. The running of the logs expresses the dynamic tension between opposing principles. The purpose of the ceremonies to stress that these antithesis need not tear the world apart. Opposing can be controlled to complement each other and create equilibrium and harmony. Mato Grosso, Brazilan Amazon, Brazil.
