Palikur

The Palikur are a people of the Arawak linguistic branch, who inhabit the region of the Oiapoque River, in the North of Amapá state. There are several ancient records regarding this people, including archaeological ceramics from the pre-colonial period. It is known that they were seen in 1593 by Spaniard Vicente Pinzón in the region around the mouth of the Amazon.

The Palikur people managed to remain relatively distanced from Portuguese incursions, taking refuge in the savannahs. Throughout the19th century they migrated en masse to French Guyana; after the Franco-Brazilian Dispute, most of them returned to Brazil, maintaining ties with family members who stayed on the French side. There are more than 1.700 inhabitants on the Brazilian side and 720 on the French side.

The Palikur have followed the Pentecostal religion for more than three decades, celebrating very few indigenous rituals. Among these is the Turé, held for the purpose of offering a great feast, with lots of dancing, singing, and caxiri (a fermented drink), to the karuanãs, the shamans’ spirit helpers.

The individual wooden stools, for use by the shaman, are carved for this occasion, almost always representing a bird: gull, toucan, macaw, vulture or hawk. For the indigenous peoples of the Oiapoque region, birds are the paradigm of the invisible, great helpers to the shamans, with whom they make their voyages to other worlds. It is while seated on a small ornithomorphic stool that the shaman enters into contact with spirits, effecting his cures.

The stools are sculpted from cashew wood and then painted with graphic designs and marks that characterize the animals they represent. The forms and designs are dreamed of by the shaman, according to the Turé and the animals to be honored.