“Conflict and the Interpretation of Palmares, a Brazilian Runaway Polity” by Pedro Paulo A. Funari

Funari, Pedro Paulo A. “Conflict and the Interpretation of Palmares, a Brazilian Runaway Polity.” Historical Archaeology 37, no. 3 (2003): 81-92.

Pedro Funari is one of the most significant scholars to be aware of in the study of Palmares. Coming from the discipline of historical archaeology, Funari’s work examines the Quilombo dos Palmares from the perspective of its little material remains. In this article, Funari attempts to interpret the structure of Palmares through the lens of archaeological theories. He criticizes a straightforward attempt to match material remains directly to ethnic makeup of a society as overly simplistic. Funari writes that “when archaeologists reconstruct culture histories on the basis of material culture’s supposed homogeneity, they are producing a representation of the maroon, which is suited to a nationalist perspective, underplaying conflicts within Palmares itself” (83). While some authors like R.K. Kent have interpreted Palmares as an essentially African settlement modeled on Angola, Funari prefers to highlight the heterogeneity of Palmares. African traditions thrived alongside those of Native Brazilians, Jews, and outcast Europeans. He then links this to the materials that have been found at the site of Serra da Barriga. Archaeological research at Palmares has uncovered primarily pottery of a variety of styles, including native and European. Native pottery utilized a coil technique with a hand temper, occasionally painted brown and red. European pottery instead took the form of glazed earthenware such as maiolica. These items were made in Palmares and evince the specific character of the community; their sitings also indicate the presence of a separate elite area.