Draft:Miriti toy

The Miriti toy is a cultural tradition in the city of Abaetetuba (Pará), inherited by men and women who take turns making these crafts all year round. They are produced by the hands of artists who use, among other tools, a knife, sandpaper, fishing line and hot glue to sculpt and assemble the toys. The production of muriti toys is an indigenous heritage that today involves hundreds of families in the Abaetetuba region, and is considered a sustainable production process, listed as intangible historical cultural heritage by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan).

The raw material comes from the miriti (or buriti) palm tree, which grows in floodplains. Its fiber, known as the “natural Styrofoam” of the Amazon, is the basis of many families' livelihoods and as well as being a product with high added value, its use does not harm the environment, as it is biodegradable. Another biosustainable advantage of producing miriti toys is that it is not necessary to cut down the palm tree to obtain the raw material. Each arm is pruned as the tree grows.

The miriti toy is part of riverside art, which portrays the faith and joy of the Amazonian people. The largest production is for the Círio de Nazaré, when ex-voto is also made from miriti. The easiest toys to find are birds, snakes, fish, boats and houses.