Feathers and body painting are expressions of beauty that contribute decisively to the production of joy in their rituals and festivals.Indigenous body painting is highly developed among the Xingu native tribes. The men's hair is coloured red with a paste made from seeds of the annatto (urucum) tree. A black dye is made from fruit of the genipap (genipapo) tree. The butterfly design is a common theme in the Xingu and abstract swallowtail butterfly designs can be seen on both the face and chest. Female body painting is also ubiquitous in the Xingu region with both women and girls commonly decorating their bodies with various natural pigments and dyes.
