This small wooden sculpture of an armadillo, painted with natural pigments, embodies the symbolic richness of riverside craftsmanship from the Arapiuns River region, a tributary of the Tapajós in Santarém, Pará. Its stylized form reflects both ancestry and a deep observation of Amazonian fauna.
The armadillo, a creature that curls up to protect itself, is often associated with resilience, silence, and the wisdom of retreat. By transforming it into art, riverside artisans reaffirm their intimate bond with the forest — not merely as a landscape, but as a source of life and being.
This is art that rises from the riverbank, shaped by the slow time of the waters and hands guided by knowledge passed down through generations.
