Bora Indians

Survival of a Native Culture - Page 2 of 5

The batons typically have shells attached to them that add to the musical harmony. I first witnessed traditional Bora native dances in Colombia near Leticia where they often spend the whole night dancing in their ceremonies.
 
One authentic item you can view at the Bora native community in Iquitos is the "Manguaré" drum.  "Manguaré" drums have different forms, depending on whether they are male or female, and are used in some Bora ceremonies. In addition, you can see traditional bark cloth that the Boras make by pounding the bark of a palm tree.  The Boras peel strips of bark from the tree and pound it with a wooden hammer.  After they wet and pound it until the outer bark disintegrates, only the inner bark is left.  The inner bark is the natural fiber used for traditional Bora clothing. The bark clothes have a coarse, inflexible look and the texture of burlap.  The bark clothing is colored with natural dyes. Yellow colors are obtained from a ginger plant and black from pressed green fruits of the "huito" tree. The "huito" liquid is clear when first painted, but later turns black as it is oxidized by the air.
 
In addition to bark cloth, the Bora Indians in Iquitos have beautiful bags that are woven from "chambira," a fiber obtained from a palm tree. The fibers used in these bags are typically dyed using native plants and the bags really are hand-made works of art.

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