Early Hunter in the terra firme rainforest: stemmed projectile points from the Curuá goldmines
A pattern of accidental stone-tool finds in the terra firme of the Curua river in the middle Xingu basin suggest a widespread occupation by preceramic hunter-gatherers there, contrary to expectations that the tropical rainforest has insufficient food resources away from the Amazon floodplain. The...
| Autor principal: | LIMA, Anderson Marcio Amaral |
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| Outros Autores: | SILVEIRA, Maura Imazio da, BARBOSA, Carlos Augusto Palheta, BARRETO, Mauro Vianna, ROOSEVELT, Anna C., DOUGLAS, John E., AMARAL, Anderson Marcio, SILVA, Wanderley Souza da, BROWN, Linda J. |
| Grau: | Artigo |
| Idioma: | eng |
| Publicado em: |
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Antropologia
2019
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| Assuntos: | |
| Acesso em linha: |
http://repositorio.ufpa.br/jspui/handle/2011/11072 http://dx.doi.org/10.18542/amazonica.v1i2.296 |
| Resumo: |
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A pattern of accidental stone-tool finds in the terra firme of the
Curua river in the middle Xingu basin suggest a widespread occupation by preceramic hunter-gatherers there, contrary to expectations that the tropical rainforest has insufficient food resources
away from the Amazon floodplain. The stone tools include finely
flaked stemmed projectile points possibly related to some from
terminal Pleistocene contexts at Caverna da Pedra Pintada, Monte Alegre. The food remains with the Monte Alegre tools were
from broad-spectrum rupestral and riverine forest foraging. The
Xingu points were recovered by artisanal gold-miners in sands
and gravels under the Curua river. The miners come across the
tools while digging and screening gold-bearing sediments. Those
deposits also sometimes contain plant remains and prehistoric
wooden artifacts, potential sources of information about ancient
habitat, subsistence, and technology. The research team of the
Lower Amazon project traveled to several of the underwater
find-sites with the miners to prepare for excavations in the future.
At one site, Curupite, where miners had found a large stemmed
point and a complete palm-wood harpoon foreshaft in 1986, the
team used scuba equipment to survey the stream bed and mine
pits and map the topography with laser theodolite. |