Os filigraneiros de Natividade, Tocantins: patrimônio imaterial, identidade e turismo

Abstract

The city of Natividade is located in the southeast of Tocantins, being the first locality registered by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN) in the State. It keeps in its streets, squares and alleys traces of the XVIII and XIX centuries. One of them, and that codifies the city, considered an immaterial cultural patrimony by its inhabitants is the secular manufacture of jewelry using the technique of filigree, which consists of curving and braiding threads of gold or silver, forming grains. In the course of this research, it was possible to observe that the tradition of making jewelry in gold and silver in the city, by the hands of the local goldsmiths happens to several generations and remains alive, being the way of passing on apprentices in three artisan workshops. As we delved into the investigation, it was discovered that the earliest jewelry is connected to the local culture, especially the religious sense. It was noticed that the religious festivals of Our Lady of the Nativity and the Divine Holy Spirit are the times of the year that the nativitanos more adorn. As far as tourism is concerned, the trend towards visits to goldsmiths by visitors who value cultural tourism was unveiled. This fact mobilizes the city's economy and attracts dividends. Although it generates resources for the municipality and is a source of income for several families, the workshops still need more support and encouragement from the public authorities. In this way, the main objective of this work was to investigate how Natividade's traditional and / or filigree jewels mark the relationship of society with the place, dynamizing the social and economic relations of the people. The research is inserted in the perspective of cultural geography and had as main concepts addressed: heritage, identity, tourism and the place. Regarding the methodology, the research was carried out through the qualitative snowball approach, that is, the interviewees were indicated by the previous ones. The main techniques used were bibliographic and field research. A total of 44 people were interviewed, including goldsmiths, ex-goldsmiths, apprentices, residents and subjects linked to local tourism. To analyze the data, we used bibliographic and oral sources. Documentary research was also used. It was perceived that past and present are still intertwined as tenuous threads that give rise to filigree pieces, and that this artistic manifestation, besides symbolizing, also strengthens the space in which it is inserted.