HANDICRAFT AND SYMBOLIC MARKET OF GAUCHESCOS PRODUCTS: THE CASE OF VILA PROGRESSO IN CAÇAPAVA DO SUL/RS

Abstract

The handicraft has an imprecise origin, seems to have arisen with the needs of men and women, who made basic objects for daily life. A typical example is the handmade pieces made of wool, leather and wood by the rural communities of Campanha, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. In the past, such articles were made and marketed through the social relations of artisans, of the times they were peasants. In contemporary times this scenario has changed, the commercial space of traditional and rustic handicrafts has gained appreciation of the urban population and has expanded beyond the territorial limits of the State of RS. In order to understand the commercial dynamics of handicraft products, a research was carried out in the rural community of artisans in Vila Progresso, Caçapava do Sul, RS, which methodologically presents itself as a case study, with a qualitative character and a socio-anthropological approach The methods used to collect data were the semi-structured interview, the practice of observation and photography. Analyzing the study carried out in the community, it is noticed that the simple market scenario in the past, has become a diversified commercial system at present, covering several symbolic and traditional products of the cultural scene of the Pampa Gaúcho. The growth of this market was due to the demand of the consumers, which influenced in the increase of the production of the handcrafted pieces and in the expansion of the commercial strategies of the products to be adopted by the craftsmen, like sales in trade fairs and to stores of gauchescos products in the urban centers.