**2. The stilt houses of eastern Amazon**

Having presented above the definition of art and studies in the Amazon, this text addresses the art in the Brazilian precolonial stilt villages of eastern Amazon societies, temporally between the 8th to the 10th A.D., thus, they no longer existed during the period of European conquest in the 16th century.

The stilt villages were ancient dwellings (palafittes) built on piles over a lake. Stumps or trunks of trees served as a support for the superior buildings of the

#### **Figure 1.**

*Map of the stilt villages in eastern Amazon ad apparent stilts at the time of the drought. Photography: Alexandre Navarro.*

**149**

*Ecology as Cosmology: Animal Myths of Amazonia DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94177*

northern Italy and Switzerland (Lake Constanza).

comprises approximately an area of 20,000 km2

are the main cities in this area.

**3. The animal myths in ceramics**

aiming to reflect mythical or ideological themes.

conviviality between the indigenous groups [19].

process over time.

villages [11]. Traces of these wooden stilts are located within rivers and lakes and are shown only at the time of drought. This normally corresponds annually to October to December [12]. Rest of the year, the palafittes are submerged. In some of these prehistoric sites, such as Coqueiro, there can be over three thousand stilts [13]. This type of archaeological sites has been described in isolated cases in South America, namely in the reports of Amerigo Vespucci in 1499 on communities that lived in Stilt Houses on the Venezuelan coast. The stilt villages also appear in the reports of Amazon river mouth and from the Upper Amazon, near Peru [14]. However, as known today, the prehistoric palafittes of Maranhão are the only ones preserved, in the entire American continent (**Figure 1**). The ancient stilt villages have been also common in the prehistory of Europe during the Neolithic age, for instance in

In the Amazonian eastern coast, the geographical area where the Stilt Houses are located is called Baixada Maranhense, in the State of Maranhão, Brazil. This region

more than 500,000 inhabitants. People are very poor, with the lowest HDI indices not only in Maranhão state but also in Brazil as a whole. Baixada Maranhense population lives from the subsistence of traditional agriculture, fishing, keeping small animals and growing vegetables. Santa Helena, Penalva, Pinheiro, and Viana

It is assumed that the easy availability of food in the form of a rich variety of fish created a favourable situation for the sedentary housing of the human groups that occupied the region. It is also likely that these dwellings had defensive purposes. It also notable that the oxygen-free aquatic environment preserved the artefacts in such a way that even allowed the ink on the artefacts to remain visible. The straws of the cottage walls and roofs and utensils made from the hardwood, like oars and indigenous weapons (bordunas), also resisted the decomposition

The most striking Stilt House artefacts are the small objects, like plates and bowls, which most likely were used in serving foods or liquids in rituals. These utensils were made of good quality clay burnt at a very high temperature, giving rise to high-quality vessels. These small ceramics had very complex painted decoration with geometric motifs made with precision, indicating also that these vessels were used in rituals.

These pottery utensils formed an information channel of the social and ideological structure among the members of the society. As regards to their form and decoration, these vessels reflect mythical themes and/or were used in rituals [15]. Archaeologists agree that the ceramics reflect the culture of a society and that the main social changes affect the production and types of vessels [16]. So, the ceramics are vehicles of expression of ideological content. The most likely evidence of this is that they were painted, decorated, incised, modelled, with plastic decoration,

Therefore, the art interpretations are cultural and in this sense adhere to rigid systems of social conviviality. In prehistory, its main material vehicles are smallscale art that is moveable (mobiliary art), such as decorated figurines and pottery and feather art; the graphic art, with parietal art and rock graphics and body painting, the latter very important, because, in general, it demonstrates the status of the individual, as in the case of chiefs and other leaders who had a high social position [17]. Indigenous art is therefore the result of the identity relationship [18] and social

within the legal Amazon and has

#### *Ecology as Cosmology: Animal Myths of Amazonia DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94177*

*Ecosystem and Biodiversity of Amazonia*

between men and animals more noticeable.

**2. The stilt houses of eastern Amazon**

during the period of European conquest in the 16th century.

indigenous art the Amerindian Perspectivism [10], also under structuralist influence, has been used successfully, especially making the shamanistic relationships

Having presented above the definition of art and studies in the Amazon, this text addresses the art in the Brazilian precolonial stilt villages of eastern Amazon societies, temporally between the 8th to the 10th A.D., thus, they no longer existed

The stilt villages were ancient dwellings (palafittes) built on piles over a lake. Stumps or trunks of trees served as a support for the superior buildings of the

*Map of the stilt villages in eastern Amazon ad apparent stilts at the time of the drought. Photography:* 

**148**

**Figure 1.**

*Alexandre Navarro.*

villages [11]. Traces of these wooden stilts are located within rivers and lakes and are shown only at the time of drought. This normally corresponds annually to October to December [12]. Rest of the year, the palafittes are submerged. In some of these prehistoric sites, such as Coqueiro, there can be over three thousand stilts [13]. This type of archaeological sites has been described in isolated cases in South America, namely in the reports of Amerigo Vespucci in 1499 on communities that lived in Stilt Houses on the Venezuelan coast. The stilt villages also appear in the reports of Amazon river mouth and from the Upper Amazon, near Peru [14]. However, as known today, the prehistoric palafittes of Maranhão are the only ones preserved, in the entire American continent (**Figure 1**). The ancient stilt villages have been also common in the prehistory of Europe during the Neolithic age, for instance in northern Italy and Switzerland (Lake Constanza).

In the Amazonian eastern coast, the geographical area where the Stilt Houses are located is called Baixada Maranhense, in the State of Maranhão, Brazil. This region comprises approximately an area of 20,000 km2 within the legal Amazon and has more than 500,000 inhabitants. People are very poor, with the lowest HDI indices not only in Maranhão state but also in Brazil as a whole. Baixada Maranhense population lives from the subsistence of traditional agriculture, fishing, keeping small animals and growing vegetables. Santa Helena, Penalva, Pinheiro, and Viana are the main cities in this area.

It is assumed that the easy availability of food in the form of a rich variety of fish created a favourable situation for the sedentary housing of the human groups that occupied the region. It is also likely that these dwellings had defensive purposes. It also notable that the oxygen-free aquatic environment preserved the artefacts in such a way that even allowed the ink on the artefacts to remain visible. The straws of the cottage walls and roofs and utensils made from the hardwood, like oars and indigenous weapons (bordunas), also resisted the decomposition process over time.

The most striking Stilt House artefacts are the small objects, like plates and bowls, which most likely were used in serving foods or liquids in rituals. These utensils were made of good quality clay burnt at a very high temperature, giving rise to high-quality vessels. These small ceramics had very complex painted decoration with geometric motifs made with precision, indicating also that these vessels were used in rituals.
