Abstract
Recent studies in Amazonia historical ecology have revealed substantial diversity and dynamic change in coupled natural human systems. In the southern Amazon, several headwater basins show evidence of substantial pre-Columbian landscape modification, particularly in areas historically dominated by speakers of the Arawak language family. The headwater basin of the Xingu River, the easternmost of these areas occupied by Arawak-speaking peoples, has revealed such a complex built environment. This discussion examines settlement pattern and land-use, which have implications for understanding the dynamics of natural-human systems in the Upper Xingu basin and other areas across the transitional forests of the southern Amazon.
Highlights
What is Amazonia? Is it one of the few places on earth where Nature still exists in a relatively pristine state, little influenced by human actions until recently? Or, instead, is it a palimpsest of past cultural activities—a human footprint, which reflects substantially modified natural conditions?Recent work on Amazonian historical ecology has led many specialists to believe that major parts of the region reflect extensive anthropogenic influences [1,2,3]
The present paper focuses on the Upper Xingu region, the easternmost of Arawak-speaking populations and known complex societies across the southern Amazon peripheries
Intervening areas between major core settlements, broad agricultural landscapes would have represented what Balée [38] describes as ―intermediate disturbance,‖ indicative of semi-intensive agricultural practices. This does not achieve the level of primary disturbance, but some species are associated only with areas of significant anthropogenic disturbance, notably sapé grass (Imperata sp.) and pequi fruit (Caryocar sp.), which are planted or invade garden areas, as well as certain palms, which are generally limited in their distribution in or near settlement areas, notably including abandoned settlement areas of galactic clusters
Summary
What is Amazonia? Is it one of the few places on earth where Nature still exists in a relatively pristine state, little influenced by human actions until recently? Or, instead, is it a palimpsest of past cultural activities—a human footprint, which reflects substantially modified natural conditions?. In a variety of settings, traditional views of the Amazon forest as essentially virgin tropical forest and those that posit cultural uniformity across the region, have given way to perspectives that emphasize cultural diversity, change through time, and, notably, the appearance of large, settled population aggregates by late prehistoric times [4,5,6]. Recent research in the transitional forests of southern Amazonia documents large, settled social formations in late prehistoric times. Contemporary forests in this region represent complex mosaics of anthropogenic (―secondary‖) forests, the result of fairly intensive prehistoric human use [5,17,18,19,20]. The paper examines the uniquely human and cultural factors in the long-term dynamics of natural-human systems, i.e., the unique ways Xinguano peoples have domesticated nature or, in other words, how they humanized the landscape
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
