An ontological perspective for an etnoarchaeological analysis of the landscapes of Amanã Lake, Japurá Lower River, Amazonas

Abstract

In this text I try to explore developments in an ethnoarchaeological research focused on the forms of transformation and signification of the local landscapes in riverside communities of a protected area of the Japurá and Negro rivers interflowing in the State of Amazonas. Archaeologists when dealing with landscape studies look for anthropic marks. Amongst the riverines of Amanã, beings other than humans leave their mark on the landscape, which reverberates in the processes of formation of contemporary territories. The existence of nonhuman beings, the enchanted, who inhabit the forest and the lake itself, and act consciously, is part of the repertoire to explain strategies for the use of resources and the dynamics of human occupation. The proposed exercise is to consider other ontologies as a starting point to understand the local forms of engagement with the contemporary and archaeological landscape.