Paulo Alfeu Junqueira Duarte
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Paulo Duarte (November 17, 1899 – March 23, 1984), full name Paulo Alfeu Junqueira Duarte, was a Brazilian
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
and
humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...
. He was the first person to practice archaeology and advocate for the protection of archaeological sites on a large scale in Brazil. Duarte excavated hundreds of shell
midden A midden is an old dump for domestic waste. It may consist of animal bones, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human oc ...
s throughout Brazil which had been mined for
lime Lime most commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Bo ...
since the beginning of the colonial period. He established the Pre-Historical State Commission of São Paulo (Comissão de Pré-História de São Paulo) in 1952, housed at the
University of São Paulo The Universidade de São Paulo (, USP) is a public research university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, and the largest public university in Brazil. The university was founded on 25 January 1934, regrouping already existing schools in ...
, to preserve the objects he discovered. He also conducted excavations along the coast of
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
state, which discovered a much-publicized pre-historic human skull known as " Miss Sambaqui". In addition to his archaeological work, Duarte was a leading proponent of
Brazilian culture The culture of Brazil has been shaped by the amalgamation of diverse indigenous cultures, and the cultural fusion that took place among Indigenous peoples in Brazil, Indigenous communities, Portuguese people, Portuguese colonists, and Afro-Brazi ...
,
folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
and
art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...
. He argued vociferously for the preservation of the unique cultures of the
indigenous peoples in Brazil Indigenous peoples in Brazil or Native Brazilians () are the peoples who lived in Brazil before European contact around 1500 and their descendants. Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples once comprised an estimated 2,000 distric ...
. With
Mário de Andrade Mário Raul de Morais Andrade (; October 9, 1893 – February 25, 1945) was a Brazilian poet, novelist, musicologist, art historian and critic, and photographer. He wrote one of the first and most influential collections of modern Brazilian po ...
and
Sérgio Milliet Sérgio Milliet da Costa e Silva, generally known as Sérgio Milliet (São Paulo November 20, 1898 – São Paulo November 9, 1966) was a Brazilian writer, painter, poet, essayist, literary and art critic An art critic is a person who is speci ...
, he cofounded the São Paulo Department of Culture (''Departamento de Cultura e Recreação da Prefeitura Municipal de São Paulo'') in 1935. In 1937, in retaliation for various public remarks, he was
exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...
d from Brazil by the government of
Getúlio Vargas Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; ; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. Due to his long and contr ...
. Duarte returned to Brazil after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and brought with him a number of European archaeologists he had met while in exile. With their assistance, the excavation of pre-historic Brazilian settlements began in earnest in 1954. Due to several sensational discoveries including "Miss Sambaqui", Duarte became something of a celebrity. He was asked to draft a law for the protection of archaeological heritage in 1957 by President
Juscelino Kubitschek Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira (; 12 September 1902 – 22 August 1976), also known by his initials JK, was a Brazilian politician who served as the 21st president of Brazil from 1956 to 1961. Kubitschek's government plan, dubbed "50 years i ...
. The legislation passed in 1961, as Law no. 3924, and remains the framework for the archaeological preservation in Brazil today. Taking advantage of his fame to remark publicly on political issues, Duarte came once again into the displeasure of the government and was banned from teaching by the military government in 1969. He was banned from visiting USP from this point, and institution that he had helped found, and never returned. Archaeological preservation laws were poorly enforced by the dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970, and Duarte fought in this period against the destruction of shell middens. He died in 1984.


References


External links


Article by Mauricio Candido da Silva about "Miss Sambaqui.""Public Archaeology in Brazil" by Pedro Paulo a Funari (PDF).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duarte, Paulo 1899 births 1984 deaths Brazilian scientists Brazilian male writers Brazilian archaeologists Academic staff of the University of São Paulo 20th-century archaeologists