She acquired a PhDi n social anthropology from the University of Sao Paulo and took a position teaching at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) National Museum and School of Fine Arts. With her husband, Darcy Ribeiro, she coauthored several books on Brazilian tribes, including Suma Etnologica Brasileria, Arte plumária dos índios kaapor, and Dicionário do artesanato indigena. Berta had an extensive collection of artifacts, drawings, photographs and sam- ples of plant specimens, clay and paint. He studied in depth techniques of spinning, woven weaving, laced weaving (fillet), use of dyes and textile fibers, allocating them to the National Museum collection. She participated in the Women's Movement for Amnesty and in the Campaign for the Demarcation of Indigenous Lands, coordinated by the Indigenous Missionary Council - CIMI. In 1988, she was assistant professor at level 1in the Department of Anthropology at the Museu Nacional, leaving the Museu do Índio. Berta was a member of the Brazilian Association of Anthropology (ABA), of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science (SBPC, of the Regional Council of Museology of Rio de Janeiro; the Editorial Board of the Revistas Ciência em Museus, Ciência Hoje das Crianças and the Anais do Museu Paulista; of the Judging Commit- tee for the selection for Postgraduate Studies in Visual Arts, Masters in History and Art Criticism, at Escola de Belas-Artes (UFRJ).