Igara (canoe)

Igara or iara is a dugout canoe. It was used by Native Brazilians and Native Peruvians to navigate through igarapés in the Amazon basin since pre-Cabraline times, and it still is a common vessel in the region.[1] Modern igaras have changed their design, and it is not uncommon to see the vessel being built with planks and pieces of wood, instead of being carved on a trunk.

Etymology

The word "igara" comes from Tupi-Guarani, meaning a "wood" or "plank canoe".[2] The word is also found in Cocama, and in Omagua the vessel is known as "iara".[3] It was incorporated into the General Language[4]: 34  and later to Portuguese.[5]

The word is combined for naming other types of vessels, such as the motorized boats "igarité" and "igaritéasu",[2] and "igarapés", the small rivers from the Amazon basin (pathways of the canoe).[6] Amongst the proper nouns derived from "igara" are the cities of Igarassu, Igaraçu do Tietê, Igarapava, Igaratá[7] Icapuí,[8] Igarapé-Miri[9] and Igaratinga.[10]

Description

An igara is a type of dugout canoe that was used by Native Brazilians and Native Peruvians since pre-Cabraline times.[1][3] It is defined as "a vessel excavated in a single trunk (monoxyl) with an approximate elyptical shape, being shallow, flat-bottomed, and upright at the stern".[11] It differs from other canoes by its size. An igara is smaller than a bũgu.[12]: 53  It is used to navigate through shallow waters.[3] The navigation is done through the bow to help with the stability.[3] It can be moved by a paddle called "yapuki" by the Kokamas and Omaguas[3] or "zinga" by the Tremembés, but a sail can also be added.[13]

It takes about one hour to manufacture an igara.[3] The trunks were usually of several types of local trees, specially the ones that it naturally curves on the extremities.[14] They were called a "yaka-yaka" (tree that floats) when it was cut down for this purpose. Some examples are bertholletia excelsa, mezilaurus itauba, laurus nobilis and cedrus.[1] Fire is often used to help with the sculpting process.[3]

On the Kokama and Omagua cultures, the construction of an iara is often done between August and September. In the end of the process, the community unite to sing "icaros" while smoking a mapacho cigarette.[3]

With time, their design have changed, integrating nails, rafters, beams, tow and canvas.[2] It is not uncommon to see the vessel being built only with pieces of wood, instead of carved on a trunk.[13]

The variations of igara differ from their size. Smaller vessels are called "igaramirim", while bigger vessels are called "igarasu".[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c Lima, Ademar dos Santos; Sousa, Rosineide Magalhães de (2021). "Povos indígenas da Amazônia: do caminho da canoa à ressignificação das culturas e línguas". Revista Tellus (in Brazilian Portuguese). 44. Dom Bosco Catholic University: 31–52. doi:10.20435/tellus.vi44.726.
  2. ^ a b c d Lima, Ademar dos Santos Lima; Cruz, Aline da; Castro, Ana Júlia Miranda; Cordeiro, Florêncio; Sousa, Rosineide Magalhães de (2020). "Mayé yamunhã bũgu, a sociolinguistic approach about the origin of wooden canoe". Ph.D in Linguistics. University of Brasília. doi:10.33774/coe-2020-hfs1h.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Regan, Jaime. "La Construcción de las Canoas de los Awajún-Shuar y los Kokama-Omagua". Amazônia Peruana (in Spanish). 33. Centro Amazônico de Antropologia e Aplicação Prática: 147–162. doi:10.52980/revistaamazonaperuana.vi33.23.
  4. ^ Camara, Antonio Alves (1888). Ensaio sobre as construcçoes navaes indigenas do Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Typ. de G. Leuzinger & filhos.
  5. ^ "igara". Dicio (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 1 January 2026. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  6. ^ Lima, Francisco Ferreira de (2021). "Manaus, a metrópole sobre as águas: os igarapés e cacimbas como elementos identitários" (PDF). Master Degree in Geography (in Brazilian Portuguese). Federal University of Amazonas.
  7. ^ Roncon, Lucas Junqueira; Reis, Terezinha Esteves da Silveira. "Águas Tupi: Recursos Hídricos da Comunidade Indígena Laranjinha - Paraná" (PDF). Thesis (in Brazilian Portuguese). International Water Resources Association.
  8. ^ Bustamante, Ana Maria Goulart (2005). "Memória e identidade local em Icapuí, Ceará" (PDF). Ph.D in Psychosociology (in Brazilian Portuguese). Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
  9. ^ Vasconcelos, Artur Ramires Ferreira; Maués, Rayanne Nayara Pereira (2017). "Glossário do vocabulário bajubá do Baixo Tocantins: Aspectos Lexicais e Morfossintáticos". Final Thesis for Licenciature in Letters: Qualification for Portuguese Language (in Brazilian Portuguese). Federal University of Pará.
  10. ^ "Nossa história". Câmara Municipal de Igaratinga. Archived from the original on 6 January 2026. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  11. ^ Sousa, Marília de Jesus da Silva e (2011). "Saberes e modos de fazer objetos artesanais na Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Anamã: Um estudo da cultura material ribeirinha". Masters in Social Anthropology (in Brazilian Portuguese). Federal University of Amazonas.
  12. ^ Couto, Fernando (2012). Porto das Canoas (in Brazilian Portuguese). Clube de Autores. ISBN 9788591396115.
  13. ^ a b Filho, José Mendes Fonteles; Santos, Luiz Henrique dos; Santos, José Vicente dos (2014). Inventário de elementos da cultura material do povo Tremembé (PDF) (in Brazilian Portuguese). Imprensa Universitária da Universidade Federal do Ceará. ISBN 978-85-7485-220-1.
  14. ^ Mello, Saulo Alvaro de (2009). "O arsenal da marinha em Mato Grosso: Projeto político de defesa nacional e de disciplinalização do trabalho. Do planalto à planície pantaneira (1719-1873)" [The Arsenal Of The Navy In Mato Grosso - Political project of national defense and disciplinarization of work. Of The Plateau to the Pantanal plain (1719-1873)] (PDF). Masters in History (in Brazilian Portuguese). Federal University of Grande Dourados.
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