Archaeologies of colonialism and the indigenous oresence in Brazil: the remarkable Tupí Guaraní trajectory

Abstract

The archaeology of colonialism is a relatively recent discipline. It decolonises practices with dialogues between different epistemologies. As we argue in this paper, decolonisation must begin from a position where the producers of knowledge and their counterparts can converse on an equal footing from different philosophies. Brazil carries the burden of its Indigenous peoples’ extinguished narratives, shaped by a colonial-influenced historiography and archaeology. This paper presents the case of the Tupiniquim, an Indigenous group from São Paulo, commonly referred to as Tupí or Ancient Tupí, who were mistakenly believed to be extinct. The dialogue between epistemes led to decolonisation of the Tupí Guaraní community recognising their persistence, mixed identity, and interest in recovering traditional language and practices.