Análise das urnas funerárias do sítio arqueológico gruta das caretas, região do Rio Maracá, estado do Amapá

Abstract

The funerary urns from the region of the Maracá River have been known since the last century, but only in this century has their systematic study begun. The urns have the same morphological characteristics and details that differentiate one from another, such as the appliqués and paintings. In this work we will analyze them, emphasizing the paintings to define their decorative patterns. To better observe the decorative patterns, the umas were drawn "open" to highlight the paintings. From the total of 77 pieces from the Caretas Caves, 60 were analyzed, and only in 43 paintings were found. In the analysis of the "painted bodies" two geometric decorative patterns were identified on the front and back: rhombuses and straight lines. These patterns can be presented in thirteen different motifs. Besides them, seven linear patterns occur sporadically on the side of the bodies, which can be sinuous, "broken", or in spirals (circular or square). As for the color, the motifs can be black, white, yellow or red. In analyzing the covers we observed that the decorative pattern presented is different from that used on the body. The difference is mainly in the way the painting is executed, while on the body the motifs are always executed from thin lines, on the face they are presented in large filled areas or in large bands, always in yellow. Four face painting patterns were identified. In addition, two more patterns were identified on the back of the face: the first is in sinuous vertical lines, and the second is diamond-shaped. The later patterns are in black and white. It is likely that the occurrence of these "body paintings" on the faces represent visual messages related to the social and religious relations of the human group that inhabited the Maracá area in the past.