Ecuador: Waorani people use chambira for artesan products

lahora.com.ec reported the chambira palm is a tree native to the Amazon in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It has many uses. The fruit serves as food. The fiber from the leaflets is used to make a number of items such as fishing nets, hammocks, bracelets, shigra bags, and earrings. The use of the leaves has caused over harvesting. The Waorani women have had to go further into the Amazon forest to find chambira. A number of communities are conducting reforesting projects to conserve the chambira.

The chambira grows in humid tropical climates with substantial rainfall. The Waorani people use the fibers to make handicrafts. Once the fibers have been collected, they are dried, cooked slowly, then dried under the sun for three days. Various plants are used to give color to the fibers.

The Waorani people live in 46 communities with an estimated population of between 3,500 to 4,000 people. Read Article

SPANISH SLANG ECUADOR – READ THE BOOK