Traditional wooden boat building future in the middle and lower course of Xingu river, Pará, Brazil

Abstract

The art of building wooden boats is a secular cultural heritage of the Amazonian peoples, which has lost importance over the last few decades, resulting in a loss of knowledge about the cultural practice of building wooden boats. Thus, our aim was to know the craft shipbuilding carried out in the municipalities of Porto de Moz and Altamira. As a methodology, we used a semi-structured interview, direct and indirect observation and the use of a camera. We found a predominance of men, with a mean age of 43.2 years. Most traditional marine carpenters have little education. Generally, labor begins in childhood or adolescence. Seventeen tree species were cited for building boats, but the Itaúba and Piquiá species are the most versatile and sought after by carpenters. The scarcity of certified wood, professional devaluation and competition with industrially manufactured boats are limiting factors for the commercialization of artisanal wooden boats, contributing to the loss of knowledge about the art of know-how in the activity in the region. Besides, the decrease in activity causes a set of economic, social and cultural impacts observed in the municipalities of Altamira and Porto de Moz.