Identificação e estudo das representações zoomórficas na cerâmica marajoara (em apliques e apêndices)

Abstract

Art represents the worldview of a given culture: thus, we must understand art as a form of representation that carries with it a depth of meanings. Indigenous art can be understood as a means of communication that reveals dimensions of the mythical and cosmological universe of the society that produced it. The present study is part of the project "A structural study of the iconographic language of Marajoara pottery"; its objective is to identify the animals represented in Marajoara pottery, relating them to the Amazon fauna. The methodological steps adopted were: selection of pieces and ceramic fragments with zoomorphic appliqués or appendages; description of the pieces by means of a list of attributes; survey of the Amazon fauna, with the separation of the animals in classes; comparison of the animals that appear in the ceramics with the morphology and other characteristics of the real animals. It was possible to identify representations of the following classes of animals: mammals, birds, and reptiles, with the first class appearing in larger numbers. Each piece was measured and analyzed, and some variables were observed, among them the paste and the typology. The predominant paste was Inajás Simples, and the Joanes Pintado typology appeared in larger quantities. The subproject will seek to collaborate with the documentation of the Reserva Técnica Mário Ferreira Simões/MPEG, through a descriptive "catalog" of the pieces with zoomorphic appliqués or appendages.