Apalai
Encyclopedia
The Aparai or Apalai are an indigenous people of Brazil, who live in Amapá
and Pará
states. They were sedentary slash and burn
farmers, necessitating periodic relocation as soil became exhausted, but also hunters and gatherers. They spoke a Carib
language and in the 20th century their subsistence shifted towards craftwork as they to adapted to modern Brazil and the cash economy.
, Wayana, Portuguese
, and Tiriyó
, as well as Wajãpi, Aluku, and Criollo
. The Aparai language is one of the Karib languages.
Amapá
Amapá is one of the states of Brazil, located in the extreme north, bordering French Guiana and Suriname to the north. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south and west is the Brazilian state of Pará. Perhaps one of the main features of the state is the River Oiapoque, as it was once...
and Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
states. They were sedentary slash and burn
Slash and burn
Slash-and-burn is an agricultural technique which involves cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fields. It is subsistence agriculture that typically uses little technology or other tools. It is typically part of shifting cultivation agriculture, and of transhumance livestock...
farmers, necessitating periodic relocation as soil became exhausted, but also hunters and gatherers. They spoke a Carib
Carib language
Carib, also known as Caribe, Cariña, Galibi, Galibí, Kali'na, Kalihna, Kalinya, Galibi Carib, Maraworno and Marworno, is an Amerindian language in the Cariban language family....
language and in the 20th century their subsistence shifted towards craftwork as they to adapted to modern Brazil and the cash economy.
Name
The tribe calles themselves Aparai today. They have been known by Apalai, Appirois, Aparathy, Apareilles, Apalaii, Aparis and Apalaís.Language
Most Aparai people are multi-lingual, and many speak AparaiApalaí language
Apalaí is a Cariban language spoken in Brazil. Approximately 450 people speak Apalaí.-External links:*...
, Wayana, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, and Tiriyó
Tiriyó language
The Tiriyó language , is spoken by approximately 2,000 people living in several villages on both sides of the Brazil-Suriname border in Northern Amazonia. It is a relatively healthy language, learned by all children as their mother tongue and actively used in all areas of life by its speakers...
, as well as Wajãpi, Aluku, and Criollo
Criollo people
The Criollo class ranked below that of the Iberian Peninsulares, the high-born permanent residence colonists born in Spain. But Criollos were higher status/rank than all other castes—people of mixed descent, Amerindians, and enslaved Africans...
. The Aparai language is one of the Karib languages.