A Database of Brazilian Ethnographic Collections

Abstract

This paper presents the design, modeling, and implementation of a digital database (DB) for the project Mapping of Ethnographic Collections in Brazil, coordinated by the Fluminense Federal University (UFF), in partnership with the Brazilian Anthropological Association (ABA) and supported by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). The aim is to build a public and interoperable DB that gathers information on ethnographic collections dispersed across Brazilian cultural institutions and initiatives, promoting access, research, and the appreciation of heritage. The DB is understood as a strategic resource for storing, organizing, and retrieving information in a structured, contextualized, and semantically treated manner. The project is grounded in Information Science, with an emphasis on metadata, interoperability, normalization, controlled vocabulary, and information retrieval, while also engaging with Digital Humanities and anthropological approaches focused on decoloniality, community representation, and respect for cultural contexts. The methodology was qualitative, exploratory, and documental, and involved a national network of regional coordinators responsible for field mapping. The development of the DB followed four main phases: analysis of requirements and objectives; data organization through Form A (F1); relational modeling with the definition of primary keys; and terminological standardization. The DB was implemented using open-source tools such as MySQL and Tainacan, ensuring flexibility, standardization, and compatibility with the SQL relational logic. The repository is available at https://colecoesetnograficas.uff.br, featuring keyword search, taxonomic filters, geolocation, and visualization of records by typology and media. The structure includes 36 standardized fields derived from F1, converted into primary keys with corresponding metadata and relationships. The platform was designed to serve diverse audiences (professionals, students, scholars, and represented communities) and provides educational materials, a glossary, and a digital library. Among the challenges faced were the need to converge natural and technical languages, and to build a semantic structure consistent with the cultural diversity of the collections. In addition to its scientific and technical dimensions, the project also fulfills a social role by democratizing access to information and strengthening participatory and collaborative preservation practices. The experience contributes to the fields of Museology, Anthropology, and Information Science, demonstrating how digital databases can be ethical and effective tools for cultural heritage management.