Onoto is Home
Onoto
[noun, Spanish]
Tree native to the American continent of short height with oval, fleshy fruit that contains many seeds.
Onoto is Home is an ongoing project exploring collectively this plant as a vehicle for conversations around history, language, memory, and more. It will be shared on 10/15/2023 in Highland Park (M4M7+RGF (J Train, Cleveland St; Q56 Jamaica Av/Elton St; B13 Cypress Hills St/Jamaica Av)) through a participatory installation and more. Everything is free, thanks to a Queens Arts Fund Grant, but please RSVP as the park needs information regarding party size.
Historically used for ritualistic and food purposes among different indigenous groups from the Amazon to Central America, Onoto has both historical and contemporary importance across the Americas, regardless of boundaries and/or language. For this reason, it is known by different names, all coming from different indigenous languages within the continent. From its scientific name, Bixa Orellana, to urucú, used in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, which comes both from guaraní (uruku) and tupí (urucum). To onoto and annatto, used in Venezuela and the USA, both coming from carib (annatto). To achiote, used primarily in Central America, coming from náhuatl (āchiyōtl). Bija, used in Dominican Republic, and more. In contemporary times, the plant is used primarily as a food colorant for different foods across different countries. From hallacas in Venezuela, to cochinita pibil in Mexico, velveeta cheese in the USA, and more. A less known property of this plant is its ability to embed color onto textile.
Works for the project include seeds obtained from three different locations across the Caribbean, the Amazon, and the Andes. Seeds gifted by Leila Mattina, co-founder of Trama Antillana in Aibonito (Puerto Rico) in December 2022. Seeds gifted in January 2023 by Imeru Castro, from the Pemón community in Canaima (Venezuela). Seeds obtained via Régulo Reyes in Cabimas in January 2023, of farmers in Valera (Venezuela). Thank you Leila, Imeru, and Régulo. Further thanks to Alberto and the Primo Autobody Repair team.
The name for Onoto is Home comes from a 2019 conversation with Valencioide Londonoide Marcos Raúl Cabrera who is part of this ongoing collaboration. Gracias mil a Marcos. Further thanks to José Vicente Henriquez, Elvira Eloisa Blanco, Dulcina Abreu, Steve Maldonado Silvestrini, Alejandro Ribadaneira, Andres Altamirano, Tatiana Godoy Betancur, Rosa Romero García, Mariana Gatti, Helena Sasseron, Paula Turmina, Griffin Moore, and many more who have engaged in talking and thinking about this plant since vintage times, teaching me different names for it, different uses, different histories, different stories, and more.
Onoto is Home is made possible with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.
Onoto is Home is part of New York Textile Month, a month-long celebration of textiles started in New York City in 2015 by Lidewij Edelkoort and directed by Ragna Froda.
Onoto
[noun, Spanish]
Tree native to the American continent of short height with oval, fleshy fruit that contains many seeds.
Onoto is Home is an ongoing project exploring collectively this plant as a vehicle for conversations around history, language, memory, and more. It will be shared on 10/15/2023 in Highland Park (M4M7+RGF (J Train, Cleveland St; Q56 Jamaica Av/Elton St; B13 Cypress Hills St/Jamaica Av)) through a participatory installation and more. Everything is free, thanks to a Queens Arts Fund Grant, but please RSVP as the park needs information regarding party size.
Historically used for ritualistic and food purposes among different indigenous groups from the Amazon to Central America, Onoto has both historical and contemporary importance across the Americas, regardless of boundaries and/or language. For this reason, it is known by different names, all coming from different indigenous languages within the continent. From its scientific name, Bixa Orellana, to urucú, used in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, which comes both from guaraní (uruku) and tupí (urucum). To onoto and annatto, used in Venezuela and the USA, both coming from carib (annatto). To achiote, used primarily in Central America, coming from náhuatl (āchiyōtl). Bija, used in Dominican Republic, and more. In contemporary times, the plant is used primarily as a food colorant for different foods across different countries. From hallacas in Venezuela, to cochinita pibil in Mexico, velveeta cheese in the USA, and more. A less known property of this plant is its ability to embed color onto textile.
Works for the project include seeds obtained from three different locations across the Caribbean, the Amazon, and the Andes. Seeds gifted by Leila Mattina, co-founder of Trama Antillana in Aibonito (Puerto Rico) in December 2022. Seeds gifted in January 2023 by Imeru Castro, from the Pemón community in Canaima (Venezuela). Seeds obtained via Régulo Reyes in Cabimas in January 2023, of farmers in Valera (Venezuela). Thank you Leila, Imeru, and Régulo. Further thanks to Alberto and the Primo Autobody Repair team.
The name for Onoto is Home comes from a 2019 conversation with Valencioide Londonoide Marcos Raúl Cabrera who is part of this ongoing collaboration. Gracias mil a Marcos. Further thanks to José Vicente Henriquez, Elvira Eloisa Blanco, Dulcina Abreu, Steve Maldonado Silvestrini, Alejandro Ribadaneira, Andres Altamirano, Tatiana Godoy Betancur, Rosa Romero García, Mariana Gatti, Helena Sasseron, Paula Turmina, Griffin Moore, and many more who have engaged in talking and thinking about this plant since vintage times, teaching me different names for it, different uses, different histories, different stories, and more.
Onoto is Home is made possible with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.
Onoto is Home is part of New York Textile Month, a month-long celebration of textiles started in New York City in 2015 by Lidewij Edelkoort and directed by Ragna Froda.
Onoto
[noun, Spanish]
Tree native to the American continent of short height with oval, fleshy fruit that contains many seeds.
Onoto is Home is an ongoing project exploring collectively this plant as a vehicle for conversations around history, language, memory, and more. It will be shared on 10/15/2023 in Highland Park (M4M7+RGF (J Train, Cleveland St; Q56 Jamaica Av/Elton St; B13 Cypress Hills St/Jamaica Av)) through a participatory installation and more. Everything is free, thanks to a Queens Arts Fund Grant, but please RSVP as the park needs information regarding party size.
Historically used for ritualistic and food purposes among different indigenous groups from the Amazon to Central America, Onoto has both historical and contemporary importance across the Americas, regardless of boundaries and/or language. For this reason, it is known by different names, all coming from different indigenous languages within the continent. From its scientific name, Bixa Orellana, to urucú, used in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, which comes both from guaraní (uruku) and tupí (urucum). To onoto and annatto, used in Venezuela and the USA, both coming from carib (annatto). To achiote, used primarily in Central America, coming from náhuatl (āchiyōtl). Bija, used in Dominican Republic, and more. In contemporary times, the plant is used primarily as a food colorant for different foods across different countries. From hallacas in Venezuela, to cochinita pibil in Mexico, velveeta cheese in the USA, and more. A less known property of this plant is its ability to embed color onto textile.
Works for the project include seeds obtained from three different locations across the Caribbean, the Amazon, and the Andes. Seeds gifted by Leila Mattina, co-founder of Trama Antillana in Aibonito (Puerto Rico) in December 2022. Seeds gifted in January 2023 by Imeru Castro, from the Pemón community in Canaima (Venezuela). Seeds obtained via Régulo Reyes in Cabimas in January 2023, of farmers in Valera (Venezuela). Thank you Leila, Imeru, and Régulo. Further thanks to Alberto and the Primo Autobody Repair team.
The name for Onoto is Home comes from a 2019 conversation with Valencioide Londonoide Marcos Raúl Cabrera who is part of this ongoing collaboration. Gracias mil a Marcos. Further thanks to José Vicente Henriquez, Elvira Eloisa Blanco, Dulcina Abreu, Steve Maldonado Silvestrini, Alejandro Ribadaneira, Andres Altamirano, Tatiana Godoy Betancur, Rosa Romero García, Mariana Gatti, Helena Sasseron, Paula Turmina, Griffin Moore, and many more who have engaged in talking and thinking about this plant since vintage times, teaching me different names for it, different uses, different histories, different stories, and more.
Onoto is Home is made possible with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.
Onoto is Home is part of New York Textile Month, a month-long celebration of textiles started in New York City in 2015 by Lidewij Edelkoort and directed by Ragna Froda.