Niède Guidon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Niède Guidon
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| Born | 12 March 1933 |
| Died | 4 June 2025 (aged 92) São Raimundo Nonato, Piauí, Brazil
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| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Citizenship | Brazilian, French |
| Alma mater | University of São Paulo University of Paris (Sorbonne) |
| Known for | Conserving the natural and cultural heritage of the World Heritage Site Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil |
| Awards | Prince Claus Award |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Archaeology |
| Institutions | American Man Museum Foundation; Serra da Capivara National Park in Piauí, Brazil |
Niède Guidon (born March 12, 1933 – died June 4, 2025) was a Brazilian archaeologist. She was famous for her work on the ancient history of South America. She also worked hard to protect the Serra da Capivara National Park, a special place recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Niède Guidon studied in Brazil and France. She spent most of her career working in Paris. Since the early 1970s, Guidon led archaeological digs in Southeast Piauí, Brazil. There, thousands of ancient sites have been found. Her discoveries suggest that humans lived in this area much earlier than previously thought. Some of her findings date back tens of thousands of years before the Clovis culture in North America. These ideas changed how many scientists thought about the first people in the Americas.
She was the first president of the Fundação Museu do Homem Americano (American Man Museum Foundation). This group helps support and protect the Serra da Capivara National Park. Guidon received many awards for her work, including the Prince Claus Award.
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Early Life and Education
Niède Guidon was born in 1933 in Jaú, a city in the state of São Paulo (state), Brazil. She later moved to the city of São Paulo. There, she studied Natural History at the University of São Paulo. After graduating, she worked at the Museu do Ipiranga, a museum in São Paulo.
In 1963, Guidon helped put together an exhibit of ancient paintings at the Ipiranga Museum. A visitor from Serra da Capivara showed her photos of rock art from rock shelters in that area. Guidon quickly saw that these paintings were very different and much older than any she knew. She was amazed by how many there were and how varied they were.
Career
In 1964, Guidon faced difficulties from the Brazilian government at the time. To stay safe, she moved to France. There, she earned her Ph.D. in prehistory at the Sorbonne University in Paris.
From 1966 to 1977, she worked as a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Paris. She also became a professor at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences.
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Guidon visited the rock shelters in Piauí herself. In 1973, she started her research there. By 1978, she convinced the French government to start an archaeological mission to study the ancient history of Piauí. Guidon led this team of researchers from Brazil and other countries, along with local helpers, until she retired.
In 1978, Guidon and her team asked the Brazilian government to create a protected area in the Serra da Capivara region. The Serra da Capivara National Park was created in 1979. This park is protected by UNESCO, but it has not always received enough money to be fully managed.
As the main archaeologist at the park, Guidon was in charge of protecting and managing its ancient sites. She and her team found over 800 ancient sites. More than 600 of these sites have rock paintings.
Guidon's most famous site is the Toca do Boqueirão da Pedra Furada. This rock shelter is 55 feet (17 meters) deep. Its walls are covered with over 1,150 ancient images. Guidon found thousands of tools and objects here that she believes were made by humans. She also found a structure that looks like an old campfire with arranged logs and stones. She thinks this campfire is about 48,700 years old.
Guidon suggested that humans arrived in Brazil about 100,000 years ago, possibly by boat from Africa. Plant and animal remains found at Pedra Furada show that the area was once more humid and forested than it is today. Guidon and her team found evidence of an early human culture, called Paleoindian, that they believe is as old as 30,000 years. This idea challenged earlier theories about when the first people arrived in the Americas. She recorded over 35,000 ancient images and wrote many papers and books.
Her findings first gained attention in 1986. She published an article in the British magazine Nature. In it, she claimed to have found 32,000-year-old campfires and human tools. While these very early dates are still debated, Guidon and her team showed that the area was home to early humans who hunted and gathered food. In 1988, she started working with the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) to continue her excavations. After she retired, Eric Boëda, another researcher, took over her project.
Community Work
From 1986 until 2020, Guidon was the president of a non-profit group called Fundação Museu do Homem Americano (FUMDHAM). She and others started this group to protect the local environment and rock art. FUMDHAM also manages the National Park and helps the nearby communities.
Personal Life and Legacy
In 1990, Guidon moved from Paris to São Raimundo Nonato, Piauí. This town is near the Serra da Capivara National Park, and she lived there ever since.
As president of FUMDHAM, she helped create two museums: the Museum of the American Man and Nature's Museum. She also started a research center and many social projects. These projects focused on education, health care, and ways for local communities to earn money sustainably. She helped train people in ecology, ancient history, and how to restore archaeological objects.
Guidon also pushed for building schools. She successfully established five new schools in local communities. Teachers from the University of São Paulo helped with these schools. She also started a ceramics business, Cerâmica de Capivara. When it became profitable, she gave it to local business owners.
Death
Niède Guidon passed away on May 4, 2025, at the age of 93, at her home in São Raimundo Nonato. The director of Serra da Capivara National Park announced her death.
Awards
Guidon received the Prince Claus Award and the Ford Conservation and Environment Award. In 2005, she was one of 1000 women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
See also
In Spanish: Niède Guidon para niños
- Toca da Tira Peia
