The history in pieces: pre-colonial Jê material culture: a case study

Abstract

Material culture expresses the relationship between an individual and their social reality. The objects are inherent products of their social condition and reveal aspects of those who have produced them, which make possible the ability to reassess the dimensions of historiographic work. Therefore, the development of this research set as an objective the discussion of indigenous history based on remaining cultural material, utilizing an interdisciplinary approach as a theoretical-methodological framework. Based on an ethnohistorical approach, we have correlated the study of trace elements from retrieved materials at the Mato Seco archeological site in São Gonçalo do Abaté to the archive of bibliographic references and laboratory analyses. Thus, we have elaborated on the history told by traces of ceramic from the Jê culture, emphasizing an understanding of part of the process of territorial occupation within territory that comprises the state of Minas Gerais. It became possible to evoke the memories of indigenous societies and understand the process of cultural reinterpretation that permeates the Brazilian identity. Therefore, this research, by means of a case study on the diversification of source material, constitutes an ethnohistorical view of Minas Gerais, and attempts to give voice to those who have beens.