Tibira pride flag. ( Indigenous LGBTQ+ Flag)
Creation and proposal for the “Tibira” flag, a Native Brazilian identity from the Tupinambá people.
Tibira is a historical figure recorded during the colonial period. Research suggests that Tibira may have been: a man who had relationships with other men, or a person who lived gender roles outside the imposed norms, with a predominantly “feminine” gender identity or expression.
This flag is inspired by the Two-Spirit flag from Indigenous peoples of northern Abya Yala, which recognizes Indigenous identities beyond the colonial logic of gender and sexuality.
Çacoaimbeguira (another Tupinambá identity)
In accounts about the Tupinambá people, the çacoaimbeguiras are mentioned:
A woman who had relationships with other women, or a person who lived gender roles outside the imposed norms, with a predominantly “masculine” gender identity or expression.
This shows that gender and sexual diversity already existed before colonization.
What the flag represents
The proposal is for this flag to dialogue with these two historical Tupinambá references, as well as with similar identities in other Indigenous peoples. Not as something official, but as a symbolic interpretation.
The base was inspired by a flag created by the user “Silva.esdras36,” published on Wikipedia, representing Pindorama, a name used by many peoples to refer to the territory now called Brazil.
The bow and arrow were included because they appear in representations of Tibira.
The LGBT flag in the background
It is present to remind us that: LGBTphobia does not originate from Indigenous peoples; it arrived with colonization. Today, Tibira is reclaimed by Indigenous LGBT collectives as a symbol of this memory.
It is an artistic proposal, a personal and respectful interpretation. There are other flags created by Indigenous LGBT people that are equally important. This is one visual contribution within that ongoing dialogue.
