Transformed landscapes: the archaeology of Jê people in Paraná State, South of Brazil

Abstract

In this paper we analyse part of Itararé-Taquara archaeological sites in Paraná, especially paleo-village and rock shelter, in relation to the structure and transformation of the landscape, including geoarchaeological and chronological data, between 4000 and 600 years ago. The spatial arrangement of villages, houses and sacred areas in relation to the relief, the movement of land through the construction of mounds with circular to linear shapes, the digging of semi-underground structures with various functions had been collaborating on reflections on the symbolic aspects of precolonial Jê people in Paraná, Southern Brazil. Furthermore, the arrangement of the monoliths for astronomical observation in order to a better understanding of the cycles of nature improved agricultural production. There was a concentration of Je Indigenous groups in the Upper Ribeira between 1000 and 700 years ago, in coastal plains and high mountains, with large difference in altimetry, demonstrating a traditional knowledge of soils and rocks. Some sites were selected and transformed to mark the control and domination of the territory, thus perpetuating mythical memory