THE OTHERS RIVER BANKS

History and memory from images of a boat between the hinterland and the coastline

Abstract

This paper aims to show, based on the analysis of the image of a boat from the river Tocantins, aspects of culture and everyday life in the river in the long fluvial trips from the cities located in the Upper Tocantins to the port of Belém (PA). These vessels moved by human power (among 12 and 24 rowers) spent in a round trip between four and six months of duration, and they were the most used means of transportation in the region since the nineteenth century until the mid-twentieth century, when the opening of the Belem-Brasilia highway. The image focus is seen by the prospect of a place of memory (Nora, 1993) being therefore a precious historical document, vestige that is part of the History of Tocantins river life