From «A Thousand Pieces» to Reconstruction: Ticuna Collections and Post-2018 Paths at the National Museum

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21142/DES-1802-2026-%25p

Keywords:

Museology, cultural heritage, indigenous peoples, Traditional knowledge, Curatorship, Decoloniality

Abstract

This article examines the trajectory of the Ticuna collections at the National Museum of Brazil through two revisits. The objective is to analyze how Indigenous participation influences the construction of object meanings. The methodology combines documentary review and collaborative fieldwork, including the exegesis conducted by a Ticuna researcher in 2014 and the exploration of digital collections in 2025. The results highlight Indigenous protagonism in the interpretation of objects and the epistemological and museological challenges after the 2018 fire. In conclusion, the creation of the Digital EthnoMuseum opens new opportunities for joint research and participatory curatorship, supporting a decolonial museology.

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Author Biographies

  • Bianca Luiza Freire de Castro França, Museu Nacional/UFRJ

    PhD in History, Politics, and Cultural Heritage (PPHPBC/ CPDOC-FGV), Master’s degree in Preservation of Science and Technology Collections (PPACT/ MAST), Bachelor’s degree in History from the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), with a specialization in Sociology from Cândido Mendes University (UCAM) and a specialization in Teaching from IFMG/Arcos. She is a collaborating researcher in the restructuring project of the Ethnology and Ethnography Sector of the National Museum (RJ) and a researcher/collaborator in the indigenous biography project “Os Brasis – Indigenous Memories.” She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the National Museum with funding from FAPERJ, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. João Pacheco de Oliveira, researching digital collections of Ticuna objects in foreign museums. She completed a previous postdoctoral fellowship at PPGH/Unirio on History of Science and Environmental History, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Heloisa Bertol Domingues. She was a researcher in the project "Indigenous Documentary Heritage: Collaborative Work between FGV CPDOC and the Apinajé People," coordinated by Prof. Dr. Celso Castro. Her academic interests revolve around the study of heritage and the history of Brazilian Indigenous peoples; the history of science in Brazil with a focus on anthropology and ethnology; and the processes of forming ethnographic collections in the 20th century and their revisitation, reinterpretation, and participatory curation by the Indigenous peoples who originally produced them. Since 2017, she has worked with digital anthropology and ethnology collections. In the field of education, she conducts research on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in history education. She is the author of undergraduate history course materials in the distance learning (EAD) modality for UniLaSalle, and of religious history materials for Grupo A. Areas of expertise: History; Sociology; Education; Heritage; Collections; and Ethnology.

  • Salomão Inácio Clemente, Universidade Federal do Amazonas. Manaus, Brasil

    Doctorando em la Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Programa de Posgrado en Antropología Social. Magíster en Antropología Social y bachiller en Antropología. Curador en el Museu Magüta. Miembro ejecutivo de OGPPTB y miembro del directorio da FCCIT. Colaborador del movimiento indígena Tikuna no Rio Solimões. Antropólogo, experto en investigación etnográfica e investigador indígena del pueblo ticuna. Colaborador de la Associação das mulheres artesãs de Bom Caminho (AMATÜ).

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Published

2026-05-27

How to Cite

From «A Thousand Pieces» to Reconstruction: Ticuna Collections and Post-2018 Paths at the National Museum. (2026). Desde El Sur, 18(2), e0049. https://doi.org/10.21142/DES-1802-2026-%p

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