Artesanatos: da cultura para o turismo na Região dos Lençóis Maranhenses, nordeste brasileiro

portuguesE comum a oferta de artesanatos nao associados a cultura local para satisfazer as necessidades e gostos dos consumidores, principalmente em um comercio voltado para o turismo. O crescente turismo na Regiao dos Lencois Maranhenses promove a venda de artesanatos para atender as demandas dos visitantes. Objetivou-se compreender como esse crescimento turistico vem afetando os tipos de artesanatos produzidos e comercializados na Regiao dos Lencois Maranhenses, nordeste brasileiro. Em tres municipios com diferentes interacoes com o turismo foi investigado quais artesanatos eram produzidos, insumos utilizados, modo de confeccao, finalidades da producao e se estavam relacionados a cultura local. Nos centros de comercializacao avaliou-se quais objetos eram comercializados, insumos presentes nos produtos, origem da peca e relacao com a cultura da area. Verificou-se que a producao de artesanato traz renda e insere grupos tradicionais na economia. Ha uma maior variedade de artesanatos produzidos no municipio com maior contato com os turistas. Grande parte das pecas se diversificaram para atender aos gostos dos consumidores, mas permanece a valorizacao dos saberes, praticas e representacao da cultural. Os itens comercializados utilizam insumos extraidos nos proprios municipios e representam a cultura tradicional. Conclui-se que o comercio de artesanatos na Regiao dos Lencois Maranhenses contribui para a sustentabilidade cultural do turismo nesta area. EnglishIt is common to offer handicrafts not associated with local culture to meet the needs and tastes of consumers, mainly in a trade focused on tourism. The growing tourism in the Lencois Maranhenses Region promotes the sale of handicrafts to meet the demands of visitors. The objective was to understand how this tourism growth has affected the types of handicrafts produced and sold in the Lencois Maranhenses Region, Northeastern Brazil. In three municipalities with different interactions with tourism, it was investigated which crafts were produced, inputs used, mode of preparation, production purposes and whether they were related to the local culture. In the centers of commercialization it was evaluated which crafts were sold, inputs present in the products, origin of the piece and relationship with the local culture. It has been verified that the production of handicrafts brings income and inserts traditional groups in the economy. There is a greater diversity of handicrafts produced in the municipality with greater contact with tourists. Most of the handicrafts have diversified to meet the tastes of consumers, but the valorization of knowledge, practices and representation of culture remains. The items marketed use inputs from the region and represent the local culture. It was concluded that the sale of handicrafts in Lencois Maranhenses Region contributes to the cultural sustainability of tourism in this place.