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Anaías dos Santos Freitas is one of the few craft artists from Marajó who lives exclusively from his art. He started in the late 1960s. “Back when there was a mission here, a nun started making things to sell. They were souvenirs. There was also a man from Icoaraci who taught us how to mould clay. The bishop, D. Angelo, had a foreign book with over 1000 pieces of craft art by native tribes, and we learned how to make reproductions.” And they sold everything they made. Some of it was taken by the nuns and priests. Today, this man born and bred in Ponta de Pedras won’t leave the island for anywhere else. “Every weekend I go to Belém (PA) to sell my things, but come back quickly.” In a big warehouse in his backyard he remembers all the artists who had to leave the trade. “We must survive, and if someone offers you a job it can be hard to say no. The clay and wood are then left in a corner for when we retire.” |
