Toponymy of the Lower Amazon and the Carib linguistic family

• Grant number: 25/13545-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Archeology
• Principal Investigator: André Menezes Strauss
• Grantee: Júlia França e Castilho
• Host Institution: Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia (MAE). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This study proposes to investigate the historical process of Carib language expansion in the Lower Amazon mesoregion of Pará, based on the correlation of historical, archaeological, and linguistic sources. The project aims to identify the presence and frequency of toponyms in the region that originate from the Carib linguistic family. Archaeological research has linked the Incised-Punctate Tradition, characterized by finely decorated ceramics, to the Carib expansion, due to temporal and geographical overlap. However, discrepancies between archaeological and ethnographic ceramics have made it difficult to confirm this association. European colonization and the widespread use of Língua Geral Amazônica contributed to the erasure of many indigenous vernacular languages, complicating efforts to trace linguistic dispersals in pre-colonial Amazonia. Toponymy, still an underutilized resource in Brazilian archaeology, has shown promising potential for historical reconstruction. Methodologically, the project involves surveying toponyms by compiling maps and travel reports (from the 16th to the 20th century), organizing the data in a digital database, applying georeferencing techniques, and conducting linguistic and cultural analysis-thereby addressing a significant gap in regional studies. (AU)