Figurine Traditions from the Amazon

Bibliographic Data

ID5766569
AuthorsCristiana Barreto (0000-0001-5842-3418, corresponding author)
EditorsTimothy Insoll (0000-0002-3072-3088)
Year2017
Pages928
Publication date2017-06-06
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
VenueOxford Handbook of Prehistoric Figurines (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199675616.013.020
OpenAlexW2732776928
Open LibraryOL28605622M
ISBN9780199675616
LanguageEN
Citations received8

Stone and ceramic figurines occurred in many pre-Columbian cultures of Amazonia but only appear as recurrent, traditional objects late in the cultural history of the region, primarily in the large settlements which flourished along the Lower Amazon and its estuaries. Marajoara and Santarém ceramics include an array of figurines depicting humans and animals, in languages emphasizing body transformation and reproduction, and, sometimes, decapitation. Some also performed as rattles, or maracas, an instrument traditionally related to shamanic power. Stone figurines from the Lower Amazon present similar modes of body representation and seem to be part of the drug paraphernalia used in shamanic rituals. Rather than being a marker for the appearance of more complex, agrarian societies, Amazonian figurines seem to be related to the intensification of deeply rooted shamanic practices. This chapter reviews the context and repertoires of figurine traditions within the different models proposed in Amazonian archaeology for pre-Columbian societies

Paraphernalia · Representation · Visual anthropology · Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · Indigenous Health and Education · Ancient Figurines · Antiquities · Figurines · Prehistoric · Prehistoric Antiquities · Prehistoric Art · Prehistoric Figurines · Prehistoric Sculpture