Estudo do Significado Social das Tangas Cerâmicas da Cultura Marajoara

Abstract

Thongs made of baked clay are unique archaeological objects of the Marajoara culture, manufactured and worn mainly between the 7th and 12th centuries. Each one has a particular size and decoration, which suggests that they were made especially for their wearers. The research is a study of the social significance of the use of the ceramic tanga, taking into account its significant presence in the form of fragments in archaeological sites (3 to 4% of the fragments found), as well as its relationship to funerary rites and other ceremonies. A literature review indicated a single ethnographic case of the use of ceramic loincloths related to puberty rites. The survey carried out with thongs from archeological sites in Marajó, from the collections of the Goeldi Museum and the Museu do Forte, besides bibliographical consultations made in other collections, gave access to information regarding 88 thongs. The quantitative data, collected from a list of attributes, were processed in spreadsheets. We verified a higher incidence of decorated thongs (70%) in the collections, which contrasts with the larger quantity of undecorated fragments found in archeological sites. The decorative motifs were studied according to their occurrence in distinct bands on the thong surfaces. A quantitative and qualitative survey of the decorative motifs was carried out, concluding that there is an even greater variability than initially suspected, suggesting that the identity of the wearer was represented in the thong. The data allow us to relate the loincloths to sexual initiation rites, funerary rites, social hierarchy and labor specialization for their manufacture.