Unoesc opens Archaeological Center with support of CTG Brasil

After coming to light with the excavations carried out around the Canoas River for the construction of the Garibaldi HPP, a part of the history of the Serra and Midwest of Santa Catarina can now be revisited by the population at the Unoesc Archaeological Center. The space, inaugurated on May 6th, was built in partnership with CTG Brasil, responsible for the operation of the Garibaldi HPP since 2015.

“It is a place of study and research that preserves history, marking the present and future of the next generations. We are grateful for the partnership that provided the construction of this space”, said the dean of Unoesc, Professor Aristides Cimadon.

The collection comprises more than 11,000 pieces that reflect the way of life of indigenous groups that inhabited the region before the arrival of Europeans: hunter-gatherers, who lived in the state for over 12,000 years, and the group of potters- horticulturists, who lived about two thousand years ago. The pieces – fragments of crockery, glass, ceramics, arrowheads and other objects – were found during the studies and excavation for the construction of the Garibaldi HPP, on the Canoas River. This work, provided for by Brazilian environmental legislation, determines the carrying out of archaeological research in large infrastructure works with the objective of preserving historical vestiges.

The Archaeological Center will be a teaching, research and extension tool for various courses at Unoesc, the Institution's external public and for the entire school community in the region, since it will be open to the entire community from Tuesday to Friday.

“In addition to promoting culture and research, having an Archaeological Center like this one in Unoesc reinforces the University's role in its mission of educating and developing the regions where it operates. We invite everyone to come and see it”, said the Museum's coordinator, Tiago Diersmann.

Ronan Max Prochnow, Environment coordinator at CTG Brasil, recalled that the partnership with Unoesc does not end after the opening of the Archaeological Center. The company and the University have been working together to train teachers in the cities around Garibaldi HPP, focusing on environmental preservation and archaeological heritage education.

“These actions open doors for future partnerships. For us, it is very important to have educational institutions like Unoesc helping the company to improve the quality of life of people and communities around Garibaldi HPP through preservation and environmental awareness”, he said.

Regarding the Archaeological Center, Prochnow highlighted that the idea is for the space to become from now on a reference center for research in archeology, deepening knowledge and the relationship with other communities of researchers in Brazil and abroad.