Cultura material e identidade: as máscaras indígenas dos povos Ticuna e Pankararu

Abstract

The work aims to present and discuss the thematic of the material culture as one of the important elements of human groups, thus, the production and use of these elements spot the identity of these groups. In this perspective, examples of the material culture will be presented through two masks: The Taí (also named as Tae mask) from the Ticuna indigenous people (located on Amazonas) and the Praiá mask from the Pankararu indigenous people (located on Pernambuco). The research method was bibliographic consulting recognized references on the subject. The results were that objects, including the masks, can be conceived as elements that carry cultural values, because it requires knowledge and mastery of certain techniques, of the cosmological universe, of unique relations with the environment, economy, mythology, rituals, revealing the lifestyle of the group/people and its identity.