Hands Around the World

Indian Cultures from Around the World

Piapoco Indians

Piapoco: (Dzaze) 99 in Venezuela (1975 Gaceta Indigenista); 3,000 in Colombia; 3,100 total. Venezuela: Tributaries and lower Vichada River region (Map). Also Meta and Guaviare rivers. Colombia: Area of San Fernando de Atapapo, Amazonas along the Orinoco. Arawakan, Maipuran, Northern Maipuran, Inland.

Plains. Hunter-gatherers, swidden agriculturalists.

Piapoco (Pee-ah-poh-coh) Indians live in the Amazon basin of Venezuela. The Piapoco men and sometimes women carve animals such as the eagles and armadillos from light-weight balsa wood plentiful in the rain forest. In order to gather the wood they must take a two day journey into the jungle where the trees grow on the banks of a river. They carve the sculptures with a machete and knife. They sometimes leave the wood natural or use  vegetable dyes made from gathered materials to paint and decorate it. The men also carve benches out of the heavier congrio wood which is characterized by both light and dark wood together. They live in traditional villages and their homes are palm-thatched huts.

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The Piapoco take their art to a small nearby town that is the fartherest town into the rain forest area. There they sell their works at an Indian market. The women weave the traditional coil flat baskets of grasses and palm fronds made by several indigenous tribes in the rain forest. The men weave large baskets of wood and fronds of a local palm. The baskets are very pliable and may be collapsed down  in order to pack into other baskets. The Piapocos are a branch of the larger Piaroa tribe indigenous to the Amazon rain forest.

	Carnelio Rodriguez is an extremely talented woodcarver, carving large tropical birds from light-weight balsa wood that is plentiful in the rain forest. Area Indians live very traditionally in villages, bringing their arts and crafts to the nearest small town on market day.
	Raoul Cavares carves animals such as the eagles and armadillos from light-weight balsa wood. He also carves benches out of the heavier congrio wood. Raoul is shown here in front of his home which is a traditional Piapoco thatched hut.

This beautiful hand-carved parrot stands a colorful 20 1/2" tall.

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	Bird approx. 7" long.
	Bird approx. 7" long.

These beautiful sculptures are hand carved from a heavy two-toned hard wood called Congrio.

 

Piapoco basket

 

 

Additional Information

The Yutaje Camp in the Amazonas State of Venezuela

Piapoco language

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market for baskets, pottery, and other hand made crafts

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