The Central Role of Educational Approaches in Collaborative Archaeology with Traditional Communities in the Brazilian Amazon (2017-2022)

This article explores the significance of educational approaches in collaborative archaeology projects with traditional communities in the Brazilian Amazon. From 2017 to 2022, we worked with riverside populations in Sustainable Use Conservation Units along the mid-Solimões River in Amazonas. Through this collaboration, we identified a local system of mutual aid among families, which relates to the communities’ pursuit of autonomy since the 1980s. The research was conducted through a technical-scientific cooperation agreement between the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at the University of São Paulo (MAE-USP) and the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development (IDSM), with financial support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation from 2017 to 2019. All work was approved by the IDSM Ethics and Research Committee. Our goal was to engage schools, teachers, and students with archaeology by developing educational activities. We used heritage education methodologies and active listening techniques, informed by archaeological ethnography and oral history, to incorporate local knowledge into our research. The study involved collaboration with community leaders, artisans, teachers, and elders. This context calls for collaborative archaeological practices that seek mutual benefits and deepen the understanding of material culture and historical timelines. Educational initiatives play a crucial role in scientific work, fostering balanced exchanges between archaeological and community perspectives, additionally contributing to the production of more differences based on the notion of kinship.