A cerâmica dos índios Jurúna (Rio Xingu).

Abstract

The Jurúna, a tupian speaking people, formerly occupied the Xingu River, close to its mouth in the Amazon River. Nowadays, after a long term migration southwards, to avoid first the White intruders and later other hostile Indians, chiefly the Kayapó, they are settled at the northern boundaries of the Xingu headwaters, nearby the Diauaurum Post, of the Parque Nacional do Xingu (see Oliveira, 1968:1). A brief description of their modern pottery is given. Despite the large introduction of metal wares is still a live manufacture. The style, decoration and forms are quite distinct from that of their present neighbours, the Upper Xinguan Indians. They use the burned bark of the caraipé (Licânia) for temper instead of the cauixi, a fresh water sponge of common usage among the Xinguans. The dominant forms are globular in shape with a constrited mouth and rounded botton. Decoration centers in the use of large curvilinear lines in black, dotted in the sides with white specks, over a redish backgraud. Zoomorphic shapes are common in large and small vessels. They are abtained through the use of apliques (head and feet) over the globular shapes. Some of these are a composite of two animal figures, one over the other, and are said to be used for the socio-ceremonial drinking of the caxiri beer. A comparison of the modern Jurúna earthenware, which has no similar among the neighbouring tribes, with that of other archaeological traditions, as described by Hilbert (1968)suggests the persistence among the comtemporary Jurúna Indians of archaic forms, distinct from those of the Tapajós (Santarém) peoples of which they were close neighbours in historical times.