Cultural Behaviors of Indigenous Populations and the Formation of the Archaeological Record in Amazonian Dark Earths: The Asurini do Xingú Case Study

Abstract

Every archaeological record is a contemporary phenomenon, formed by material remains that were deposited, formed and transformed by many natural and cultural factors, called formation processes. Natural formation processes take place after deposits are built and affect them, either by destroying them or contributing to their preservation. Among these natural events formation processes are intemperism, erosion, sedimentation, and the action of biological agents such as soil fauna and flora. Cultural processes, on the other hand, are those related to the human behavior during the production, use and discard of material items, which result in a certain configuration of the archaeological record. They also refer to every subsequent cultural intervention. For instance, the reoccupation of archaeological sites by distinct populations, the reuse of archaeological materials, and the activities of the archaeologists themselves when discovering and analyzing material remains (Schiffer, 1975, 1976, 1983, 1987).