Wayana e Aparai

The Wayana and the Aparai, two indigenous peoples who speak the Karib language, have a total population of around 750 individuals. They inhabit three territories in Brazil, French Guyana, and Suriname. The two indigenous territories in Brazil are in the extreme north of Pará state, and comprise 21 villages along the Paru d’Este River. Despite their distinct origins, the two peoples have maintained close coexistence for more than a century, which has generated a certain cultural homogeneity, without completely eliminating the specific traits of each group. Both share a long history of migrations and integration with other indigenous peoples fleeing from the religious missions along the Oiapoque, or from colonizers. Today, they live on land near rapids, where they practice agriculture of low environmental impact, hunting, and fishing.

The Wayana and the Aparai produce a wide variety of artifacts necessary for their daily life and for festivities. Basketwork, pottery, weapons, hammocks, stools, masks, and feather ornaments are made in the traditional way, incorporating graphic designs that recall mythical elements and celebrate creatures from ancient times. A well-known narrative tells how the designs were seen and copied from the skin of a being called Tuluperê (in Wayana) or Oruko (in Aparai), associated both with a caterpillar (larva) or supernatural lizard and with a huge snake. The designs can be painted, woven with straw, interlaced with beads, carved in wood or drawn on paper with pencil or pen

Wayana and Apalai villages always have a community house, circular and open, where meetings and assemblies are held, festivities are celebrated, visitors are welcomed, and the village chief and his wife are buried. A large wooden circle painted with designs of the mythical caterpillar is placed in the center of this house’s ceiling.

At meals and during craftwork, men and women sit on wooden stools (kololo ou epehtopo). The women’s stools are lower than those of the men; both are carved from one block of wood, generally cedar. During rituals, young men must carve the stools, which are decorated with the same paints used for the designs on the circle in the roof. Another type of stool (mijele) is for use by the older Wayana men, the specialists. The seat is curved and the sides are painted black and then receive black designs carved with a knife. These stools can have the head or tail of a variety of animals, such as a king vulture or a turtle. Among the most common designs are the kaikui or kaikuxi, which represents a jaguar or a supernatural two-headed being, and the matawat or atanta, representing a butterfly caterpillar or a supernatural snake.