Safeguarding the ‘path of the souls’: the Don Bosco Museum of Cultures

The Don Bosco Museum of Cultures (Brazil) is the custodian of the largest Bororo collection in the world. The Bororo are one of the most studied indigenous groups in Latin America. Adorned human remains and ritual utensils recount the various stages of the highly complex Bororo burial process. In 2004 the museum underwent a large scale redevelopment. It aimed to establish more participative modes of cooperation with stakeholder indigenous communities. This paper presents the unique journey of this cooperation characterised by new approaches in dealing with the sacred and the indigenous voices in the museum.