A dull noise echoes through the jungle. Repeated, precise, uninterrupted blows break the tranquility of this corner of the Amazon, located on the banks of the Iratapuru River, in the Brazilian state of Amapa. But it is neither the din of birds, nor the crash of a branch tumbling to the ground. The author of this strange echo is a very ancient and particular type of inhabitant of the great forest: the castanheiro. In French, the “nut collector”
At 26, Mailson Farias dos Santos has spent half his life searching this plant labyrinth in search of precious seeds. With a basket on his back and big boots on his feet, he sets off along the paths of the tropical forest. Little by little, the ground is covered with a carpet of small white flowers and brown shells. Suddenly, an enormous trunk, several dozen meters high, emerges between the bushes. “That’s it, here are the walnut trees! »exclaims Mailson.
Without waiting, the castanheiro seizes an instrument of his design, the change: a piece of wood, one end of which is split into quarters to grip the cockles (called “ouriços”: sea urchins, in French) and place them in the basket. Sitting on the ground, armed with a sharp hoe, the collector then works to break them one by one to extract the nuts. Mailson says he can open some “800 per day”. All without cutting a single knuckle.
The activity may seem artisanal, if not rustic. However, it mobilizes almost all the families of the Iratapuru, this tributary of the large Rio Jari, which flows not far from French Guiana. The latter went so far as to found a company, the Cooperativa mista dos produtores e extrativistas do rio Iratapuru, Comaru, which over the years has become a reference institution in the preservation of nature and traditional cultures.
Every year, around March, Mailson and his team head to the castanhaltheir patch of walnut trees in the jungle. “Ours is not very far, only a day or two by canoe. Some castanhal are located one or even two weeks away by boat! », says the young man. To access it, you sometimes have to pull the boat using ropes through the waterfalls, “even unload the entire cargo, and carry it through the forest”.
Arriving there, families cut off from the world set up camp and break “sea urchin” from sunrise to sunset for weeks. “We have to bring everything: tents, equipment, fuel…”, Mailson list. For food, nut collectors hunt crocodiles, birds, deer and large rodents, and travel through the forest with more than 100 kilos on their back. It is not uncommon to cross paths with a jaguar… “It’s hard, but it’s worth it!” »assures castanheiro.
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