Soon gamers will be able to explore the rich culture of the Kaxinawá community. 45 members of the indigenous group who live in the Brazilian Amazon have teamed up with anthropologists and programmers to design Huni Kuin: os Caminhos da Jiboia (The Way of the Snake).
The Kaxinawá use the term Huni Kuin, or real person, to define themselves. They have been involved every step of the development of the side-scrolling platform game, according to the BBC.
“With the [Kaxinawa], we decided the script and the story. They designed the prototypes, recorded music, and sound effects,” said Guilherme Meneses of São Paulo University. “Shamans narrated the stories.”
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The main characters are twins, and players can choose to either play as the female or male character. An anaconda named Yube dreamt them up and gave them special powers, Agencia Brasil reports. If players beat the game, they’ll see the male and female characters become masters.
Meneses hopes that this game, which allows gamers to hear the Kaxinawá language, will “debunk prejudices” against indigenous groups in Brazil.
It took nearly four years to put the game together, and it has inspired Meneses to continue working with the Kaxinawá. Next, he wants to shoot a documentary about Txirin, the name of the ceremony of the royal Hawk.
The Kaxinawá community will be able to play the game the first week of April, and it will debut on the Internet soon after that.
Check out the game play below: