Considerations of the sambaquis of the Brazilian coast
1998
Author
Gaspar M.
Abstract
Sambaqui is the same given to a certain type of archaeological evidence left by fisher/hunter/gatherer groups who inhabited large expanses of the Brazilian coast. The word is of Tupi etymology, tamba meaning shellfish and ki a piling-up (Prous 1991: 204). The Tupi were a horticultural/potter group who lived on the Brazilian coast at the time of the first European arrivals: they coined the term which describes the main characteristic of the sites-the accumulation of great quantities of mollusc shells. The sambaquis are made up of faunal remains such as shells and fish bones related to the diet of their builders. Whole artefacts (bone arrowheads, perforated teeth, polished stone axe-blades, hammers and manos, grinders, stone flakes, shell scrapers), remains from the manufacture of artefacts (cut bones, quartz flakes) and fragments of used objects are also found in them. There are numerous burials, hearths and occasional habitation structures. The layers of shells are many times composed of different species of molluscs, and charcoal from the hearths and burials mix in the stratigraphy to form a complex mosaic. The sambaquis have often been considered as places for habitation and as burial grounds, because of the presence of these different elements. The results of the research from Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina point to different construction processes, in the first case marked by the routine rhythm of the accumulation of faunal remains associated with feeding, in the second associated with the vertical of burial. The studies point to the different functions of the sites. In Rio de Janeiro there is an association between living space and burial ground, while in Santa Catarina there seems to have been a specialization of some sites as a locus for burial. The systematic study of these two areas points to a way that will allow us to characterize regionality within `collective individuality`, a way to order the different types of sites. Above all, it underlines that only the study of the sambaqui formation process will alow understanding of the regional aspects.
DOI
10.1017/S0003598X00087020
Journal
Antiquity
Source
Scopus