Abstract
Astrocaryum chambira Burret is native to the western parts of the Amazon basin where indigenous people use it as a source of fiber. Its use among four different indigenous groups in Ecuador is described here. They extract fibers from the pinnae, mostly of the young leaves. Both men and women twist the fibers into strings in their homes after hunting and work in the fields. The main items produced are woven hammocks, bags, and nets. These products represent the main source of cash income for many indigenous people. The highest value for their products is obtained from sale directly to tourists. The commercial use ofA. chambira can possibly be increased in extractivism along with better marketing. The variety of ways this palm is used also makes it a valuable species for agroforestry.
Résumé
Astrocaryum chambira Burret es nativa de la parte occidental de la cuenca amazónica donde los indígenas la utilizan como una fuente de fibra natural. Aquí se describe su uso por parte de cuatro diferentes grupos indígenas en Ecuador. Ellos extraen las fibras de las pinnas, principalmente de las hojas juveniles. Después de terminar con la cacería y el trabajo en el campo, de vuelta en casa, tanto hombres como mujeres enrollan las fibras para hacer cuerdas. Los productos principales son hamacas tejidas y redes. Estos productos representan el principal ingreso económico para muchos indígenas. El mayor ingreso es obtenido de la venta directa a los turistas. El uso comercial deA. chambira posiblemente puede ser incrementado con extractivismo unido a una mejor comercialización. Múltiples usos podrían valorar esta palma para la agro forestería.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Literature Cited
Balick, M. J. 1985. Current status of Amazonian oil palms. Pages 172-182in C. Pesce, ed., Oil palms and other oilseeds of the Amazon (translated and edited by D. V. Johnson). Reference Publications, Algonac, MI.
Balslev, H., and A. Barfod. 1987. Ecuadorean palmsan overview. Opera Botanica 92:17–35.
Bennett, B. C, R. Alarcón, and C. Cerón. 1992. The ethnobotany ofCarludovicapalmata Ruíz & Pavón (Cyclanthaceae) in Amazonian Ecuador. Economic Botany 46:233–240.
Bianchi, C. 1982. Artesanías y técnicas Shuar. Ediciones Mundo Shuar, Quito.
Borgtoft Pedersen, H. 1993. Notes on extractivism in Ecuador with special emphasis on management and economic exploitation of native palms (Arecaceae). Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Aarhus, Aarhus.
—. 1994. Mocora palm-fibers: use and management ofAstrocaryum standleyanum (Arecaceae) in Ecuador. Economic Botany 48:310–325.
—,and H. Balslev. 1992. Economic botany of Ecuadorean palms. Pages 173-191in M. Plotkin and L. Famolare, eds., Sustainable harvest and marketing of rain forest products. Island Press, Washington, D.C.
Burret, M. 1934. Die palmengattungAstrocatyuum G. F. W. Meyer. Repertorium Specierum Novarum Regni Vegetabilis 35:114–158.
Davis, E. W., and J. A. Yost. 1983. The ethnobotany of the Waorani of eastern Ecuador. Botanical Museum Leaflets 29:159–217.
Kahn, F. 1988. Ecology of economically important palms in Peruvian Amazonia. Advances in Economic Botany 6:42–49.
—,and J.-J. de Granville. 1992. Palms in forest ecosystems of Amazonia. Ecological Studies, Vol. 95, Springer Verlag, Berlin, New York.
—,and B. Millán. 1992.Astrocaryum (Palmae) in Amazonia: a preliminary treatment. Bulletin de l’Institut Francais d’Études Andines, Lima 21(2): 459–531.
Mejia, K. 1988. Utilization of palms in eleven Mestizo villages of the Peruvian Amazon (Ucayali River, Department of Loreto). Advances in Economic Botany 6:130–136.
Oberem, U. 1974. Trade and trade goods in the Ecuadorian Montaña. Pages 346-358in P. J. Lyon, ed., Native South Americans: ethnology of the least known continent. Little, Brown and Co., Boston.
Paymal, N., and C. Sosa. 1993. Amazon worlds: peoples and cultures of Ecuador’s Amazon region. Sinchi Sacha Foundation, Quito.
Schultes, R. E. 1977. Promising structural fiber palms of the Colombian Amazon. Principes 21:72–82.
Vickers, W. T., and T. Plowman. 1984. Useful plants of the Siona and Secoya Indians of Eastern Ecuador. Fieldiana Botany New Series 15:1–63.
Wheeler, M. A. 1970. Siona use of chambira palm fiber. Economic Botany 24:180–181.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jensen, O.H., Balslev, H. Ethnobotany of the fiber palmAstrocaryum chambira (Arecaceae) in Amazonian Ecuador. Econ Bot 49, 309–319 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02862351
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02862351