Symbolic boundaries between Arawak and Tupi in the Southwest Amazonia from the Pre-Colonial Period to the Present Context
Upper Madeira River; Arawak peoples; Arawak-Tupi boundaries; Iconography; Iconological interpretation
This research aims to investigate symbolic representations, identities and cultural boundaries in indigenous history on the upper Madeira River through the analysis of iconography in archaeological ceramics classified as Pocó-Açutuba, Barrancoid and Amazonian Polychrome, of the archaeological sites Santa Paula, Veneza and Ilha de Santo Antônio. The plastic and painting techniques are analyzed in order to identify the graphics present in these ceramic assemblages. The artifacts found at these sites date from between 3200 and 420 AP: The Pocó-Açutuba Tradition, the oldest, and the Barrancoid Regional Style, both associated with peoples of the Arawak cultural matrix; and the Amazonian Polychrome Tradition, associated with Tupi peoples. We questioned which graphics were elaborated on the ceramics, their variations in space and over time, as well as which symbolic representations were present, focusing on the peoples of the Arawak cultural matrix. In order to achieve the research proposal, we contextualized studies on the Arawak and Tupi in the area covered by the study; then, using samples of Pocó-Açutuba, Barrancoide and Polychrome ceramics, an analysis was carried out of the designs present on the larger fragments, in which it was possible to identify the motifs; last but not least, we discuss the interpretation of the typologies in order to elucidate the recurrences and specificities present in the sites studied.