Object description

Archaeological pieces made of wood are rare in the Brazilian Archeology due to the fact that they decompose quickly in a humid and hot environment, such as that predominant on the Southeast coast. Thanks to the microclimate found in the Toca dos Urubus (Vultures Lair), a small granitic cave in the Rio de Janeiro mountain range, weaving pieces such as “slings” and wooden were preserved, as the specimen in focus. All were part of a set of pieces placed as a funerary accompaniment for secondary burials in urns deposited there. It is noteworthy the stick made of hard wood, probably from the heart of coconut or hardwood, well-polished and with slight marks of having, once, an addition of something to adorn, in its wider end, or rhomboid. Bibliography and iconography about the indigenous people of the interior of Rio de Janeiro state record the use of such sticks as a symbol of command.