Many surprises marked the second trip of the group of Insper students and professors to the Xingu Indigenous Territory (TIX), in Mato Grosso, in November 2023 — the first took place in August. The purpose of the expedition was to build a communication network for the Kamaiurá people and resulted from the partnership between Arq.Futuro Cities Lab and Insper’s Final Engineering Project (PFE). Students Bernardo Cunha Capoferri, Davi Reis Vieira de Souza, Francisco Pinheiro Janela and Paulo Souza Chade completed the second part of the PFE accompanied by professors Paulina Achurra and Rodolfo Avelino. The second immersion had the support of Arq.Futuro and the school’s undergraduate department.
On the first visit, the team spoke to people in the community, learned about the Internet infrastructure already installed in the village and identified technical deficiencies. Upon returning to TIX, the mission was to install the devices, put them into operation and teach residents how to keep the network running — including training them for possible repairs. “We were able to implement the network upon arrival so that we could measure efficiency in the following days of immersion”, says Avelino. “In the first few minutes, we noticed the difference in the quality of the connection.”
There were certain unforeseen events in the journey to the Xingu Indigenous Territory. Although the trips by air and land from São Paulo were shorter, due to some logistical changes, the group got lost on the way to the village. The person hired as a guide was making the journey through the forest for the first time. “Picture yourself lost in the middle of nowhere, with no one knowing where to go”, compares Paulina. “David, one of the students, has an excellent memory and remembered the places we had been to on the previous trip. Whenever we took the wrong path, we went back. There were moments of tension, because for us everything is unknown, everything looks the same, there is no reference point or cell phone to check the route.”
An hour and a half late, the group was received by chief Akauã Kamaiurá. The first step was to put the Internet back online. A week earlier, the public access network — installed within the Indigenous Primary Health Care Unit (UBSI) — had been struck by lightning and was disabled, and nobody knew how to turn it back on. After checking, it was just a burned outlet. On the first day, the four students successfully set up the new network, guided by Avelino. Once communication was resumed, however, the bad news came via WhatsApp: a Kamaiurá family member who lived in the city had passed away days before.
In the face of death, custom recommends silence throughout the community. “Our first days were marked by a mourning period”, reports student Bernardo Capoferri. “For four days, the village was silent. Children were not allowed to play, talk loudly, or laugh. It was different from what we expected, but we managed to keep working. In the end, they thought it was good that we were there, because if we hadn’t restored the Internet, they wouldn’t have received the news and would not have performed the funeral ritual.”
Other problems happened at TIX in addition to the burned outlet. After the antennas and server for the new Internet network were installed, the village’s batteries charge lasted just two days. Once again, the group had no electricity, no Wi-Fi. An entire day was spent repairing the solar panel network, fixing several electrical problems resulting from the lightning, changing the outlet, and repairing the cables with poor contact on the batteries. The result paid off: Internet reach increased 30 times compared to the old network. It is no longer necessary to gather near UBSI, in the northern part of the village, to get a signal.
According to student Francisco Janela, the Kamaiurás said that the Internet remained stable in the following weeks — when the team had already returned to São Paulo. The subsequent exchange of messages is proof of operation. “This is basically due to the improved infrastructure we took there”, says Francisco. “As they do not have 3G or 4G coverage, it is essential that there is coverage that works as a cellular network signal, so that the Kamaiurás can move away from the primary health care unit.”
Student Paulo Chade was not on the first trip, but he was able to join his colleagues in November. “In addition to the technical experience, we had great contact with the Kamaiurá people”, says Chad. “They are very welcoming. We learned a lot about their culture, and everyone wanted to learn about us and share it with us. We had the chance to visit a very beautiful Brazil.”
Chad celebrates the completion of the project, defended at the Final Engineering Project panel in December. “We managed to increase the network reach by 3,000% and make Internet available to the entire village”, he says proudly. “Before, the connection was restricted to some health care employees and nurses who work at UBSI, and now everyone has access to information and communication. Talking to doctors is very important because of the distance. Now, the Kamaiurás can talk to them when they need to.” In addition, the Internet also helps them contact relatives who live outside the village and take online courses.
To give users autonomy, the repair and installation process was monitored by members of the community. Everything was explained: use of equipment and tools, testing devices, maintenance tips. Tutorial videos were posted on YouTube. There was still time to do extra work. Capoferri and Vieira, for example, grounded the electrical system of the oca (house) of Takumã, the chief’s nephew. From now on, those who dedicate themselves to the project will be able to develop ways to improve battery energy consumption and eliminate some Internet blind spots, among other improvements.
Francisco Janela recalls chief Akauã explaining to his daughter, in the Kamaiurá language, how to use a multimeter. This has become a usual process. Paulina explains that meetings were held with a group of men and then with a group of women. “In general, men speak Portuguese better”, she emphasizes. “Not many women speak Portuguese, especially among older women. So, the chief’s wife, who had accompanied us the entire time, translated for the others.”
In conversations, Akauã revealed that many did not believe in the return of Insper professors and students, three months after the first visit. Often, researchers and curious people from different parts of the country do not fulfill their promise to return, for various reasons. “I think that, by failing to meet this expectation, we earned the population’s trust”, comments Francisco. “If for us it was a matter of personal achievement, for our institution, Insper, it also became a proof of credibility.”
The tension with the lack of references on the trail, the mourning ritual, the contrast between eating and household habits and the difficulty of communicating with people outside the territory were some of the experiences of this immersion in the Xingu that marked the group of students and the teachers. “It was fascinating when Akauã and Takumã told us the different legends and how these beliefs translated into everyday life”, highlights Paulina. “We just wanted to stay there, talk to them, learn. And we started this process of educating and sharing knowledge, which we always miss in many projects. The infrastructure arrives, but the knowledge is not always there.”
In Avelino’s opinion, the success allows other groups to expand the initiative to neighboring villages, as an institutional project of Insper. One of the challenges mapped at the beginning of the project was the cultural and social impact of web access, especially among children. “This is one of my academic interests: monitoring how much Internet actually impacts the region culturally, for better or worse”, highlights the professor. “We have direct contact with a technical leader at Xingu, with whom we speak at least once a month, and open dialogue with the chief.” For future engineering students, many observations will be on the horizon.