Batalha do Jenipapo : reminiscências da cultura material em uma abordagem arqueológica

Abstract

The main thought that guide this thesis is constituted by an historical archaeological approach of Battle of Jenipapo, notedly from the remaining material traces of this historic event. It occurred on March, the 13th 1823, in Campo Maior village, Piauí, in the context of the events which marked the process of Independence of Brazil. A singular aspect of this battle was the expressive participation of common people, which formed an improvised army under the leadership of local military authorities that convoked them urgently, without providing the necessary time to their correct training. The main objective of this independent army was preventing the marching of the troops led by the Portuguese major João José da Cunha Fidié, which had been sent from Portugal to Piauí with the incumbency of assuming the Arms Government of the Province in August 1822 and, this way, avoiding the dissemination of the independent movement and maintaining the provinces from the North allied to Portugal. The material traces, to which there is reference in this thesis, are specifically about bellicose objects, which were reported as derived from the Battle of Jenipapo. In addition to remaining exposed in the Museum of Jenipapo without proper identification and in a poor conservation status, there were no studies about these objects. In this analysis, besides the remaining objects, the memory spaces and places of the battle are also considered as material traces, such as the Battalion Cemetery, which is constituted as the space for excellence of this materiality and as the place of devotion to the souls of dead soldiers. For a better comprehension about the battle, it was sought the study of formation context of Campo Maior village since its settlement and colonization, when Indians were chased away from their lands, ceding space to hundreds of cattle farms installed in the plains. The Battalion Cemetery is constituted today as the main reference of Piauí Cultural Heritage, state which claims urgency in the effectiveness of public politics of patrimony conservation.