Abstract
This article is based on ethnographic research conducted in recent years among the indigenous Ka’apor of the Xiepihu-rena and Paracui-rena villages in the Alto Turiaçu indigenous reserve, located in the Brazilian Amazonian state Maranhão. The article relates to the world of representations and horticultural practices of the Ka’apor, discussing aspects of oral narratives that contextualize this knowledge within the indigenous world view. It furthermore elaborates on present-day horticultural characteristics in terms of crop diversity, as well as changes in the current organization of horticultural work, due to public policies and the conflicts generated by illegal timber exploitation in the Alto Turiaçu indigenous reserve.
Keywords
Indian horticulture; Traditional knowledge; Ka’apor indigenous people; Amazon region of Maranhão; Brazil
