Palmae 



Astrocaryum Chambira Bunet in Fedde, Repcrt. 35. (1934) 152. 



Collect.: Davis i& Yost 978. 



Waorani Informant: Tomo (m). Upriver dialect: n.v. oopo- 



A common tree of the primary rain forest, the chambira palm is 

 a plant that the Waorani rely on heavily for a variety of uses. Both 

 the immature and mature fruits are eaten, and the apical leaf 

 shoots provide an important fibre which is rolled into twine for 

 hammocks, fishnets, carrying bags and necklaces. Since the Wao- 

 rani often cut down mature trees to gather the fibre, and since a 

 single large hammock may require as many as twenty trees, this 

 tree is one of the resources that may become scarce if a village 

 remains in one area for a long time. 



The Waorani have various names for the chambira palm, 

 depending upon its stage of development. Seedlings are called 

 oon^oncagi, saplings from 2-7 meters are oon^mpa and. once the 

 trunk emerges, the plant receives its mature name oopog^caw^. 



Although the Waorani do not recognize any medicinal proper- 

 ties in Astrocaryum Chambira, certain other species oi Astroca- 

 ryum are used medicinally elsewhere. Astrocaryum Ayri Mart. 

 has a "green fruit that holds 10 grams of a potable liquid which 

 has medicinal properties. It is used as a laxative and against 

 jaundice. When the fruit is ripe, the liquid is transformed into a 

 fleshy mass which contains 1 8% of the oil known as oleo de ayry. 



4 



When the substance is dried, it is reputedly used as a "taenifuge*' 

 (PioCorrea 1926). 



In Brazil, the fruits of /4. Chambira are used to treat erysipelas 

 (Usher 1974), and the fruit pulp is said to be antihelminthic 

 (Pereira 1929). 



Bactris sp. 



Collect.: Davis & Yost 977. 



Waorani Informant: Tomo (m). Upriver dialect: n.v. iica 



A common forest tree that grows to 10 meters high, this species 

 has long leaves with extremely thorny leaf bases. The leaves are 

 commonly used for thatch, and the fruit is eaten. 



172 



