Figurine Seated in Canoe with Turtle

The Carajá live in twenty-nine villages along the Araguaia River in central Brazil, including on the world’s largest riverine island, the Ilha do Bananal. Ceramic figurines such as the one seen here are made exclusively by women. Originally cultural teaching tools for girls, they are now made for sale to tourists. Canoes are used to travel along the rivers that are the lifeblood of the Carajá people and are thus essential to their way of life. However, river ecosystems in Brazil and elsewhere are threatened today by dams, mining, deforestation, overfishing, and pollution from commercial agriculture.