Utilization of Inajá (Attalea maripa (Aubl.) Mart.) in Communities of Abaetetuba, Pará, Brazil

Abstract

Palm trees are striking elements of tropical forests and provide many jobs for Amazonian populations. The research's objective was to identify the palm trees present in the local way of life, the one with the highest consensus value for use in two riverside communities in Abaetetuba, Pará, and evaluate traditional knowledge and implications for residents' way of life. The study was carried out in Rio Urubueua de Fátima (R.U.F) and Nossa Senhora dos Anjos (N.S.A). The interviewees' selection was made by nonprobabilistic sampling. The data were obtained through participant observation, semi-structured interview, non-specific induction, annotation in a field diary, and audiovisual record. Of the total palm trees cited, the Ethno-species Inajá was chosen due to its consensus use-value with values of 0.438 for R.U.F. (with 36 citations) and 0.484 N.S.A. ( 27). Three categories of use were identified: food, construction, and utensils. The high consensus of service is justified by the wide use from its various parts, being a reference as a plant of full use for making it possible to obtain food, protection, shelter, and utensils. Its use is related to the vast repertoires of the interlocutors received from their ancestors. This implies the importance of a species for maintaining people's social lives in two Amazonian riverside communities that depend on nature for their livelihood and quality of life. HIGHLIGHTS• Inajá is a reference as a full-use plant with wide forms of use.• Consensus of use varied by the two Amazonian communities.• Important for maintaining the reproduction of the social life of the two communities.• Used as a source of food, utensil, protection and shelter.