“Na minha veia não corre sangue, corre barro”: histórias e memórias de mulheres trabalhadoras ceramistas do bairro Poti Velho, Teresina – PI (1960 – 2019)

Abstract

The present study aims to understand how the women of the Poti Velho village were constituted as ceramists. The object is Poti Velho, the oldest village in the capital of Teresina, bathed by the Poti and Parnaíba rivers. For that, we study the life memories of eight women from the Poti Velho Handicraft Cooperative (COOPERART-Poty), and written documents from the institution, such as the statutes, minutes, work point, notebooks on sales and control of ceramic objects, in addition to photographs and newspapers. We want to know about the common experiences of women as clay workers, how their memories relate to their life trajectories, the local culture of the village, the material culture they produce, and the social transformations they have experienced as ceramists. Finally, we observe that their trajectories were marked by contexts of poverty in the Poti Velho village, resistance at work as women, struggles and transformations.