Carrancas
River-boat figureheads.
The Museu do Sertão is a museum in Petrolina, on the São Francisco River in Pernambuco, devoted to life in the «sertão», the semi-arid interior of north-eastern Brazil, and the culture of its people. It was founded on 27 October 1973 and formally created in 1985, then renovated, enlarged and reopened in 1996 over 1,045 square metres. It closed in 2016 after damage to its ceiling and walls, and reopened on 11 October 2017. Its collection of more than three thousand objects covers the environment, Indigenous culture, crafts, rural homes and the economy of the sertão, set out in rooms that include the «carrancas» hall, with the carved wooden figureheads typical of São Francisco river boats, the «north-eastern house», the river, and the «cangaço», with belongings of the famous bandit leader Lampião.
River-boat figureheads.
Lampião's belongings.
Life in the sertão.
Petrolina, Pernambuco state
Carved wooden heads once fixed to the bows of São Francisco river boats.
