Aves da marujada: a ultilização de penas na confeccão do chapéu da maruja

Abstract

This work aims to understand the use of bird feathers as fundamental raw material for the confection of the maruja hat in Bragança-PA, emphasizing the relationship between the artisans who produce the hats and the animals chosen para for this purpose. The preference for a species of duck, which resulted in the gradual disuse of other birds – such as guarás, herons and hens –, follows practical and aesthetic criteria that has affected the productive chain of the hat over the years. The obtaining and sacrifice of birds, as well as the choice and withdrawal of the feathers and the subsequent treatment necessary to their durability are marked by a relationship that reveals nuances of animating and different ways of dealing with religiosity. The duality between the human and non-human elements results in the materialization of the craft knowledge and in the experience of an occupation sometimes described as devotional. The work was developed based on fieldwork, with interviews to five artisans, and in the bibliographical research about material culture, from which is possible to highlight Miller (2010) and Hall (2003).