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It’s up to the men to cut down and burn areas
of the forest or old secondary growth for the making
of the gardens. After that, the work is left to the
women, from the choice of the varieties of manioc or
other cultivated species to the preparation of food.
In the arduous work of producing the different derivatives
of manioc(manicuera [sweet manioc juice] , tucupi [seasoning
prepared of pepper and manioc juice], tapioca, beiju
[bread], mingau [porridge], farinha [manioc flour]),
the women spend practically the whole day.
After preparing the first meal, the women go
to the garden to harvest, replant and clean out the
weeds; sometimes they go to the secondary growth of
old gardens, in search of fruits which continue producing
after the gardens are abandoned. At home, they scrape
manioc, carry water from the river to wash the mass,
fetch firewood for the fire, prepare the food and take
care of the younger children. From the time they are
small, girls help their mothers, at first only by entertaining
their little siblings so that the adults can work, and
later helping in all chores.
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The men usually accompany their wives to the garden,
helping them in the weeding and carrying the manioc back
home. Often, principally in the older settlements, the
gardens are quite distant from the houses, which means
that a lot of effort is exerted in carrying the load.
Greater male participation is expected when the family
is involved in the production of a new stock of manioc
flour or a surplus to sell, at which time the men contribute
by bringing in greater quantities of firewood to toast
the manioc flour. This also happens when a lot of caxiri
is made for the great festivals.
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The main activity of the men is to contribute with
the other part of the diet, fish or game meat. In general,
the men go out in their canoes every day or during the
night to fish or hunt. This work requires a good knowledge
of the river, of the best places to fish, the habits of
the fish, and the techniques for fishing. In the areas
where the fish are more scarce, a good command of the
knowledge and techniques of fishing is fundamental. Pratically
all the men have at least one canoe, and great value is
placed on having a canoe that is larger and better for
longer journeys. Sometimes they go out to hunt on foot,
covering great distances in their patient and watchful
search for game. When a man is able to bring down a larger
animal, such as a tapir or a deer, he sets aside part
of its meat for a community meal, to which he invites
all the people of his village. The community meals, however,
are not restricted to occasions of good and abundant food.
Almost every day they take place in the morning. Each
woman takes her basket of beiju, a pot of porridge and
another with fish and pepperpot. Everyone eats together
and chats, taking advantage of the occasion to make decisions
of collective interest.
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Still on the sexual division of labor, the artwork
of the women is traditionally restricted to the production
of ceramics and gourds, twining of tucum fibre for string,
while the men’s work consists of the production of cerimonial
objects and all basketry (except for the carrying baskets
made of vines, which are produced by Maku women). Among
the “river Indians" there are also other points
in common, such as the equipment and techniques employed
in daily subsistence activities (agriculture, gathering,
fishing and hunting; in daily movements and those of
greater distance; in cooking processes and conservation
of foods, and so on). For example, the artifacts used
in the kitchen are the same all over the area: the tipiti
[manioc squeezer], cumatá, sieve and baskets made of
arumã; Baniwa manioc scrapers, made on the Içana and
distributed throughout the region; fans woven from tucum
or arumã strips; besides receptacles for pepper and
jiraus [suspended platforms for toasting or storing
objects] made with the most diverse kinds of material.
The baskets used for transporting manioc, fruits and
other roots vary on different rivers of the region:
on the Uaupés River basin, the Maku aturás made of woven
vines are most prominent, being more resistent and produced
in different sizes, according to the age and strength
of the user; other types of aturá made from the titica
vine are also employed on the Negro and Içana rivers,
besides jamaxis and turi baskets.
Aspects of the daily life of the “forest Indians”
can be found in the page on the Maku.
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