|
The history of caves
walks along with the own human history, and the primitive man is known
as the “Cave Man”. The caves were used by them as shelters and
sanctuaries, in these places were printed the first demonstrations of
art and writting. During our existence,
the caves have been revived different kinds of feelings, especially for
the unknown, the dark, and the mistic and for the danger that is inside
of it. This mix of feelings have been given to the caves different types
of use SPELEOLOGY HISTORICAL VIEWS OF CAVING IN BRAZIL AND WORLDWIDE It was only in the XlX century that the study of this “world of darkness and silence” begun, specially for the Frenchman E.A.Martel, known as the father of speleology for the published works Les Eav Souterraiens and Les Abimes. In Brazil, the precursor was the Danish Peter W. Lung, who, settled in Brazil, dedicated himself from 1835 to 1844 to the study of the fossils of the region of Lagoa Santa (state of Minas Gerais). He was responsible for the description of more than 100 types of fossils, as the Sabretooth Tiger and the Lagoa Santa Man; his material was gathered together in his famous “Memories”. After Lung, came the German Ricardo Krone, settled in Iguape (state of São Paulo), who realized studies between 1895 and 1906 in the region of Vale do Ribeira. He produced the first register of caves in Brazil, with 41 caves, and maps and photographs of the Vale do Ribeira. Forty years later, in 1937, it was established the first caving group in the Americas, the SEE – Society hiker and Espeleologic, of the School of Mining at Ouro Preto. In 1953, took place in Paris the First International Speological Congress, it brought together 161 participants from 23 countries, this congress is held every four years in a different country. In Brazil, in the 50’s, it was established the Speleology section of the Club Alpino Paulista, composed mostly by European cavers, where it must be mentioned the Frenchman Michel Le Bret, the Yuguslav Peter Slavec, the Spanish José Luis Vasquez Yust, the Frenchmen Pierre Martin and Guy Collet, and the Brazilians José Epitácio Guimarães, Pedro Comério, Luis de Alcântara Marinho e Salvador Lino Haim, and then it was established the most interessed and studious group. The first Brazilian Speleological Congress was in 1964, at the Casa de Pedra cave. In 1969, it was founded the SBE – Society Brasileria de Espeleology, it came to develop, organize and stimulate the national speleology study. Since then, others groups were established all around Brazil, such as CEU – Center University Hiker, EGB – Espeleology Group of Brasília, CPG – Center of Geologic Research of Belo Horizonte, NAE – Core of Espeleologics Activities, UPE – São Paulo union of Espeleology, GPME – Group Pierre Martin of Espeleology , BAMBUÍ – Group of Espeleologics Research, one of the most dynamic of the country, today it is a ONG. We live, today, a great moment which the outdoor sport is having its “boom” and starts to revive the ecological conscience in the middle of caos. The Speleology Society, besides the study of activities and documentation, is helping a lot to protect and keep untouchable, the wonderful criation of the nature; studing, measuring and photografing.
|
