tour 2 of 18
Unknown Amazon
Making a Living
In the past Amazonians lived by farming,
fishing, and foraging for wild plants and animal foods in an
environment of forests and rivers. This section of the tour looks
at the tools and utensils used by Amazonians to make their living,
to obtain their food, build their homes and make objects both
practical and beautiful. Most of these objects belong either to men
or to women, each having their own specialized tasks in the family
and community.
Illustrated
here is a a manioc grater, one of the most important tools for
preparing food. Manioc, also known as cassava or tapioca, is the
main food crop grown by Amazonians in their temporary gardens
cleared from the forest. Its root forms a tuber rich in starch.
Women use graters like this to turn the roots into mash, after they
have been softened by soaking in water. The mash is then squeezed
dry to remove the poisonous acidic juice by squeezing it in a
basketry tube. It is then sieved and pressed into a dough which is
cooked on a hot plate or
griddle.
Men make the tools
such as squeezers and graters. The board is carved from soft wood
and is set with tough palm spines or, in this case, with small
flints, which are glued in with tree
latex.
Main illustration:
Manioc grater, from the Icana River, Upper Amazon, collected by
Richard Spruce, 1850s (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, inv. no.
38689)
Other
Views:
Manioc planted in a garden in the
middle Amazon area.
Wapishana people of Guiana
processing cassava, from grating the tubers to drying the bread on
the roof and baking it on a griddle. (Robert Schomburgk,
Twelve views in the interior of
Guiana, London, 1841)