Between Ethnology and Indigenous History: On Some Archaeological Collections in Western Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

The archaeological collections resulting from salvage excavations in the Araguari River basin, Triângulo Mineiro, Minas Gerais, Brazil, have not yet received adequate treatment and have remained unpublished for nearly thirty years. As a first approach, this article seeks to place part of this collection in dialogue with Anthropology, Ethnology, and Indigenous History. Its premise is that materiality, as a unit of multiplicity, can offer clues that allow objects to reconnect with the dynamics of Indigenous populations. Therefore, through a transversal dialogue, pieces and fragments of the collections may acquire new meaning and move beyond purely formalist analyses.