Papers by Claide de Paula Moraes
Amazonia em simbiose: marcas de humanidades que enfrentam o Antropoceno, 2024
Estudos Avançados, 2024
This paper offers a critical discussion on some definitions of the Anthropocene. From approaches ... more This paper offers a critical discussion on some definitions of the Anthropocene. From approaches in archeology, ethnology, ecology and indigenous debate, Amazonia is the center of reflection on different moments of the history of human interaction with the region. When we recognize the marks of an accelerated and irresponsible exploration, we need to particularize the marks of humanity. We discuss millennial marks, also permanent, of human actions that transformed Amazonia. Meanwhile, these marks are produced by people who understood complex relations that promoted and created conditions to expand the diversity. Such wisdom, which continues in the present, insists on affirming that it cannot be made only by human. Therefore, the question that emerges is: which humans and which Anthropocenes are we dealing with?
Lugares do passado e escolhas do presente
Revista Brasileira de Linguística Antropológica, Dec 19, 2023
Amazonian archaeology has long been concerned with debates that involve estimates of population d... more Amazonian archaeology has long been concerned with debates that involve estimates of population density in the pre-colonial past; differences between floodplain and the so-called terra firme (upland) occupations; and, finally, the impacts that indigenous occupations had upon the composition of the Amazon forest. This paper has as a starting premise that the Amazon as we know it today can be understood as the legacy of native populations’ ancient management practices. The opportunity to undertakearchaeology with the Zo’é people in the Zo’é Indigenous Land – which encompasses an interfluvial area to the north of the Amazon River between the Erepecuru and Cuminapanema Rivers, this being one of the ever scarcer portions of preserved forest in Amazonia –, has allowed us to review these debates using data from a region that is practically unknown in archaeological terms. With an initial mapping of sites identified during expeditions guided by the Zo’é and an initial site classification that also takes into account the observations of the Zo’é, we can affirm that this portion of the interfluve has been intensively managed over the last millennia. Fundamentally, our first results show that archaeology with indigenous peoples presents us with an interesting strategy for approaching these debates, as well as also for highlighting the importance of native populations for the Amazon’s conservation. Keywords: Zo’é; indigenous occupation; interfluve; Amerindian action; continuity; networks of relationships.
Revista Arqueologia Pública, Aug 30, 2023
A partir de um estudo em andamento na região do Rio Ituqui e o Paranã do Maicá, município de Sant... more A partir de um estudo em andamento na região do Rio Ituqui e o Paranã do Maicá, município de Santarém/PA, queremos refletir sobre as distintas evidências de ocupações encontradas, remetendo a 8000 anos de ocupação. Ademais, vemos as ocupações quilombolas atuais como peças chaves para repensar alguns conceitos pré-estabelecidos: comunidade versus território; referências históricas; a dinâmica da várzea, etc. Propõe-se que a cronologia tradicionalmente empregada para a arqueologia Amazônica seja revista, para incluir as histórias dos quilombos. Foram utilizados tanto dados arqueológicos quanto referências históricas e levantamentos orais para aquisição dos dados.
Mais que contar uma história sobre o passado, o estudo da arqueologia amazônica vem nos mostrando... more Mais que contar uma história sobre o passado, o estudo da arqueologia amazônica vem nos mostrando, ao longo das últimas décadas, estratégias bem-sucedidas de "convivência pacífica" entre os povos da floresta e o meio ambiente. Frequentemente as sociedades tradicionais nos alertam que a lógica atual de uso dos recursos da Amazônia é insustentável. Longe de pretender que a arqueologia trará uma chancela científica para algo que já está posto por esses povos, ou de reificar a visão romântica do "bom selvagem", podemos dizer que o quê a pesquisa vem demonstrando é a validade dessas estratégias na longa duração, numa escala de pelo menos 12 mil anos. As primeiras sínteses arqueológicas na metade do século XX apresentaram a Amazônia como um local limitante, onde as sociedades humanas não teriam alcançado um estágio completo de desenvolvimento, em função da escassez e da hostilidade do ambiente. Com um melhor entendimento e acúmulo de dados sobre sítios e vestígios arqueológicos na Amazônia, hoje se tem uma compreensão muito diferente sobre a relação de longa duração entre os humanos e o ambiente. Estas escolhas, feitas há milhares de anos, vêm promovendo resiliência da floresta mesmo diante do desequilíbrio catastrófico iniciado pelo colonialismo e potencializado nos últimos anos pela exploração de recursos de maneira desenfreada dentro de uma economia global. Entretanto, a continuidade da resiliência depende de como absorvemos o eco da voz dos que transformaram a Amazônia na floresta diversa que conhecemos hoje. O texto advoga pela defesa do conhecimento dos povos tradicionais como uma das melhores alternativas de futuro para a Amazônia, um conhecimento milenar e cumulativo, em nada inferior ao que consideramos científico.
Revista Brasileira de Linguistica Antropologica, 2023
Amazonian archaeology has long been concerned with debates that involve estimates of population d... more Amazonian archaeology has long been concerned with debates that involve estimates of population density in the pre-colonial past; differences between floodplain and the so-called terra firme (upland) occupations; and, finally, the impacts that indigenous occupations had upon the composition of the Amazon forest. This paper has as a starting premise that the Amazon as we know it today can be understood as the legacy of native populations’ ancient management practices. The opportunity to undertakearchaeology with the Zo’é people in the Zo’é Indigenous Land – which encompasses an interfluvial area to the north of the Amazon River between the Erepecuru and
Cuminapanema Rivers, this being one of the ever scarcer portions of preserved forest in Amazonia –, has allowed us to review these debates using data from a region that is practically unknown in archaeological terms. With an initial mapping of sites identified during expeditions guided by the Zo’é and an initial site classification that also takes into account the observations of the Zo’é, we can affirm that this portion of the interfluve has been intensively managed over the last millennia. Fundamentally, our first results show that archaeology with indigenous peoples presents us with an
interesting strategy for approaching these debates, as well as also for highlighting the importance of native populations for the Amazon’s conservation.
Keywords: Zo’é; indigenous occupation; interfluve; Amerindian action; continuity;
networks of relationships.
Quando o presente visita o passado , 2023
Mais que contar uma história sobre o passado, o estudo da arqueologia amazônica vem nos mostrando... more Mais que contar uma história sobre o passado, o estudo da arqueologia amazônica vem nos mostrando, ao longo das últimas décadas, estratégias bem-sucedidas de "convivência pacífica" entre os povos da floresta e o meio ambiente. Frequentemente as sociedades tradicionais nos alertam que a lógica atual de uso dos recursos da Amazônia é insustentável. Longe de pretender que a arqueologia trará uma chancela científica para algo que já está posto por esses povos, ou de reificar a visão romântica do "bom selvagem", podemos dizer que o quê a pesquisa vem demonstrando é a validade dessas estratégias na longa duração, numa escala de pelo menos 12 mil anos. As primeiras sínteses arqueológicas na metade do século XX apresentaram a Amazônia como um local limitante, onde as sociedades humanas não teriam alcançado um estágio completo de desenvolvimento, em função da escassez e da hostilidade do ambiente. Com um melhor entendimento e acúmulo de dados sobre sítios e vestígios arqueológicos na Amazônia, hoje se tem uma compreensão muito diferente sobre a relação de longa duração entre os humanos e o ambiente. Estas escolhas, feitas há milhares de anos, vêm promovendo resiliência da floresta mesmo diante do desequilíbrio catastrófico iniciado pelo colonialismo e potencializado nos últimos anos pela exploração de recursos de maneira desenfreada dentro de uma economia global. Entretanto, a continuidade da resiliência depende de como absorvemos o eco da voz dos que transformaram a Amazônia na floresta diversa que conhecemos hoje. O texto advoga pela defesa do conhecimento dos povos tradicionais como uma das melhores alternativas de futuro para a Amazônia, um conhecimento milenar e cumulativo, em nada inferior ao que consideramos científico.
Earthworks of the Amazon
Springer eBooks, 2020
Nature Ecology & Evolution
Sambaqui (shellmound) societies are among the most intriguing archaeological phenomena in pre-col... more Sambaqui (shellmound) societies are among the most intriguing archaeological phenomena in pre-colonial South America, extending from approximately 8,000 to 1,000 years before present (yr bp) across 3,000 km on the Atlantic coast. However, little is known about their connection to early Holocene hunter-gatherers, how this may have contributed to different historical pathways and the processes through which late Holocene ceramists came to rule the coast shortly before European contact. To contribute to our understanding of the population history of indigenous societies on the eastern coast of South America, we produced genome-wide data from 34 ancient individuals as early as 10,000 yr bp from four different regions in Brazil. Early Holocene hunter-gatherers were found to lack shared genetic drift among themselves and with later populations from eastern South America, suggesting that they derived from a common radiation and did not contribute substantially to later coastal groups. Our ...
Informe de evaluación de Amazonía 2021
Archaeology tells us how Indigenous peoples transformed nature in the Amazon over the millennia t... more Archaeology tells us how Indigenous peoples transformed nature in the Amazon over the millennia to the point that it is difficult to separate natural from cultural patrimony there today. It also shows that any kind of sustainable future for the region has to consider the rich Indigenous heritage manifested in archaeological sites and contemporary landscapes, and the contemporary knowledge of traditional societies.
Through Zo’é Paths and Capoeiras: Networks of Relations in the Guianas and the “Sparse Population” Question
Interdisciplinary contributions to archaeology, 2023
This chapter presents initial results of anthropological and archaeological research about the hi... more This chapter presents initial results of anthropological and archaeological research about the history of indigenous occupation in the region of the Brazilian Amazon currently inhabited by the Zo'é. Through information collected in two journeys to the Erepecuru-Cuminapanema inter uve, we explore what we understand to be points of convergence between the ethnology of the Guianas, the archaeological perspective of deep history, and some assumptions of Historical Ecology. By means of this approximation, our objective is to continue deconstructing some of the equivocate images around Zo'é sociality, as well as engage in a critical dialogue with interpretations surrounding human occupation of Amazonia. In particular, we argue that accounts about events and trajectories of important people, material evidence found during these journeys, and the Zo'é mode of occupation of the inter uves, point to the persistence of extensive networks of relations in space and time.
New Data from Pedra Pintada Cave, Brazilian Amazon: Technological Analyses of the Lithic Industries in the Pleistocene–Holocene
Latin American Antiquity, Jul 10, 2023
For many years, the existence of ancient human settlements in the Amazon was deemed impossible, p... more For many years, the existence of ancient human settlements in the Amazon was deemed impossible, particularly those as old as 12,000 BP as found in Pedra Pintada Cave in Monte Alegre, in the state of Pará, by Anna Roosevelt and colleagues in the 1990s and by Edithe Pereira's team in 2014. In this article, we present the results of the technological analyses of the bifacial tools found in the cave, focusing on raw materials, techniques, shaping and retouching methods, and technical procedures. The analyses indicate careful knapping, with no mistakes, in hundreds of flakes in the shaping and retouching phases, as well as fragmented tools with flaws. Whenever possible, we compare the results to the data published by Roosevelt and colleagues in 1996 from the same site.
The perforated discs of the Tapajonic period: technological analysis and contextual issues
The perforated discs from the municipality of Santarém-PA are unique objects within Amazonian mat... more The perforated discs from the municipality of Santarém-PA are unique objects within Amazonian material culture repertoire. They were sculpted on a variety of raw materials, however, the most elaborate were produced with fine grained, homogeneous iron oxides. Previously identified as spindle whorls, these often-fragmented artifacts are found in archaeological sites from the Tapajonic Period, from approximately from the 10th century until the present. Decorated with very fine lines, these discs display graphic motifs that are absent on Tapajonic ceramics. This article addresses the context of archaeological sites in Santarém through a study of such artifacts from a collection housed in the reserve of the UFOPA Archaeology Laboratory (the Juma Janaína collection), in addition to artifacts from other collections and publications. The discs were analyzed following the concept of the chaîne opératoire, considering the processes involved in raw material acquisition, sculpting techniques, u...
Earthworks of the Amazon
Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, 2019
Mix and grow? Assessing the geoarchaeological significance of Terras Pretas in the Central Amazon region
Developing International Geoarchaeology, 2007
In the Amazon basin, mention of anthrosols immediately conjures research on anthropogenic dark ea... more In the Amazon basin, mention of anthrosols immediately conjures research on anthropogenic dark earths or Terras pretas [2-5]. These are circumscribed expanses of organically-enriched soils, often showing abundant archaeological pottery, that are found mostly on the non-flooding terrain of the basin. Linear expanses of terras pretas have been reported as patches extending over thousands of metres along the high bluffs that overlook the major waterways of the basin [2, 3, 6-17]. However, smaller patches also exist on relict ...
Nature Communications, 2022
Archaeological research provides clear evidence that their widespread formation in lowland South ... more Archaeological research provides clear evidence that their widespread formation in lowland South America was concentrated in the Late Holocene, an outcome of
sharp human population growth that peaked towards 1000 BP. In their recent paper Silva et al. argue that the higher fertility of ADEs is principally a result of fluvial deposition and, as a corollary, that pre-Columbian peoples just made use of these locales, contributing little to their enhanced nutrient status. Soil formation is inherently complex and often difficult to interpret, requiring a combination of geochemical data, stratigraphy, and dating. Although Silva et al. use this combination of methods to make their case, their hypothesis, based on the analysis of a single ADE site and its immediate surroundings (Caldeirão, see maps in Silva et al.), is too limited to distinguish among the multiple possible mechanisms for ADE formation. Moreover, it disregards or misreads a wealth of evidence produced by archaeologists, soil scientists, geographers and anthropologists, showing that ADEs are anthropic soils formed on land surfaces enriched by inputs associated with pre-Columbian sedentary settlement. To be accepted, and be pertinent at a regional level, Silva et al.’s hypothesis would need to be supported by solid evidence (from numerous ADE sites), which we demonstrate is lacking.
Pluralidade dos acervos epistêmicos na Amazônia: história, gestão e desafios do Laboratório de Arqueologia Curt Nimuendajú (UFOPA)
Archaeological collections constitute relevant heritage and study sources, essential for understa... more Archaeological collections constitute relevant heritage and study sources, essential for understanding the historical and cultural legacy promoted by past and present societies. The management of these collections goes beyond their curatorship, implying also ethical, political, educational and scientific commitments vis-a-vis different communities. Within this scenario, UFOPA’s Curt Nimuendaju Archaeology Lab, situated in Santarem, Para presents a special configuration due to its location and because it is accessed by different actors, including indigenous and traditional peoples. The lab acts as locus for generational connection and plural knowledge. Based on these specificities, we present the trajectory of its creation and of the constitution of its collections, in addition to the challenges inherent to its management.
The perforated discs of the Tapajonic period: technological analysis and contextual issues
The perforated discs from the municipality of Santarém-PA are unique objects within Amazonian mat... more The perforated discs from the municipality of Santarém-PA are unique objects within Amazonian material culture repertoire. They were sculpted on a variety of raw materials, however, the most elaborate were produced with fine grained, homogeneous iron oxides. Previously identified as spindle whorls, these often-fragmented artifacts are found in archaeological sites from the Tapajonic Period, from approximately from the 10th century until the present. Decorated with very fine lines, these discs display graphic motifs that are absent on Tapajonic ceramics. This article addresses the context of archaeological sites in Santarém through a study of such artifacts from a collection housed in the reserve of the UFOPA Archaeology Laboratory (the Juma Janaína collection), in addition to artifacts from other collections and publications. The discs were analyzed following the concept of the chaîne opératoire, considering the processes involved in raw material acquisition, sculpting techniques, u...
Ancient and Traditional Agriculture in South America: Tropical Lowlands
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science, 2020
The tropical lowlands of South America were long thought of as a “counterfeit paradise,” a vast e... more The tropical lowlands of South America were long thought of as a “counterfeit paradise,” a vast expanse of mostly pristine rainforests with poor soils for farming, limited protein resources, and environmental conditions inimical to the endogenous development of hierarchical human societies. These misconceptions derived largely from a fundamental misunderstanding of the unique characteristics of ancient and indigenous farming and environmental management in lowland South America, which are in turn closely related to the cultural baggage surrounding the term “agriculture.” Archaeological and archaeobotanical discoveries made in the early 21st century have overturned these misconceptions and revealed the true nature of the ancient and traditional food production systems of lowland South America, which involve a complex combination of horticulture, agroforestry, and the management of non-domesticated or incipiently domesticated species in cultural forest landscapes. In this sense, lowla...
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Papers by Claide de Paula Moraes
Cuminapanema Rivers, this being one of the ever scarcer portions of preserved forest in Amazonia –, has allowed us to review these debates using data from a region that is practically unknown in archaeological terms. With an initial mapping of sites identified during expeditions guided by the Zo’é and an initial site classification that also takes into account the observations of the Zo’é, we can affirm that this portion of the interfluve has been intensively managed over the last millennia. Fundamentally, our first results show that archaeology with indigenous peoples presents us with an
interesting strategy for approaching these debates, as well as also for highlighting the importance of native populations for the Amazon’s conservation.
Keywords: Zo’é; indigenous occupation; interfluve; Amerindian action; continuity;
networks of relationships.
sharp human population growth that peaked towards 1000 BP. In their recent paper Silva et al. argue that the higher fertility of ADEs is principally a result of fluvial deposition and, as a corollary, that pre-Columbian peoples just made use of these locales, contributing little to their enhanced nutrient status. Soil formation is inherently complex and often difficult to interpret, requiring a combination of geochemical data, stratigraphy, and dating. Although Silva et al. use this combination of methods to make their case, their hypothesis, based on the analysis of a single ADE site and its immediate surroundings (Caldeirão, see maps in Silva et al.), is too limited to distinguish among the multiple possible mechanisms for ADE formation. Moreover, it disregards or misreads a wealth of evidence produced by archaeologists, soil scientists, geographers and anthropologists, showing that ADEs are anthropic soils formed on land surfaces enriched by inputs associated with pre-Columbian sedentary settlement. To be accepted, and be pertinent at a regional level, Silva et al.’s hypothesis would need to be supported by solid evidence (from numerous ADE sites), which we demonstrate is lacking.