Ehuana Yaira Yanomami

An artist, researcher and member of the Yanomami people in the Brazilian Amazon, Ehuana Yaira Yanomami is an illustrator, writer, and activist. She is also joint author, with the anthropologist and translator Ana Maria Antunes, of Yɨpɨmuwi thëã oni (Words about Menstruation), the first book written by a woman in her language, in which she describes menstruation rituals and the role of women in her community. In addition to her work of keeping alive and passing on ancestral traditions, Yaira, through her art and in work that has been shown in exhibitions in New York, Milan, and France, condemns deforestation and pollution of the land, destruction of communities, and sexual violence against women by garimpeiros (illegal gold miners). The plunder and killings in the territory, as result of this illegal mining, have led Yaira to raise her voice on behalf of all the women of her community, many of whom are living under the constant threat of death.