Archaeology and history on the constructions of continuity in Amazonia

• Main Author: Juliana Salles Machado
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi 2009-04-01
• Series: Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi. Ciências Humanas
• Subjects: History; Archaeology; Anthropology; Continuity; Amazon; Caviana Island
• Online Access: http://www.museu-goeldi.br/editora/bh/artigos/chv4n1_2009/arqueologia(machado).pdf

Since the beginning of academic discussions on human occupation in Amazonia there has been a constant disagreement about the continuity of the actual scenario of indigenous populations and their pre-colonial ancestors. From one side or the other, the colonization, its impact among indigenous populations and its impelling effect for the creation and transformation ofnew social actors was – and still is – a key point for the interpretation of this transition between the pre-colonial Amazonian past and the present. In this paper I attempt to approach what these indicators of continuity would be. Through examples from Amazonian archaeology, anthropology and, more specifically, from an ongoing ethnoarchaeological research among riverine communities of Caviana Island, in the Pará state, Brazil, I approach the conceptions and preconceptions embodied in formulations about continuity between Amazonian past and present.