Mejkumrei

Brazil, 2010

In the Kayapo language, people greet each other by saying “mejkumrei,” often with a strong emphasis on the first syllable. In addition to saying hello or sometimes simply describing something that is wonderful, it can sometimes have a more profound and important connotation. It means “I see you.” For a people who live in remote villages with fewer than 150 individuals, the Kaypao are deeply dependent on one another for survival. Acknowledging someone by telling them you see them, means that you are accountable to that person. When I met this woman, a Kaypao elder, she welcomed me into her home with a loud and warm “mejkumrei!”