Handicrafts are a form of adding value to any raw material. In this report, tagua [or vegetable ivory (Bernal & Galeano)] is the only species treated as a pure handicraft material. Interest in using vegetable ivory for semi-industrial uses (eg buttons) is also reviving but is less likely to provide significant income for forest peoples unless the industries are located in or near areas that produce this raw material.
Many of the other species mentioned is this report also furnish raw materials to Local and regional handicraft industries. Aside from vegetable ivory, all of the other palms can also furnish wood for handicrafts. Pejibaye, for example, has a dark brown fibrous matrix with yellow or beige rays running lengthwise through it, forming a very pleasing design that is highly prized for many small articles. The other palms have a distinct, but pleasing appearance also. The leaf petiole of buriti is exceptionally large and its pith is quite similar to balsa wood and can be used for many of the same handicrafts, although this is not current.
The fruit of the Brazil nut is a spherical woody structure, called an ouriço in Brazil. The ouriço is widely used for handicrafts in eastern Amazônia, with little to significant modification of its natural form. It is easily turned on a lathe and yields a very pleasing grain design when well finished. It is also frequently carved with Amerindian floral or faunal motifs.
Because of its pleasant perfume, rosewood is also used in the manufacture of handicrafts, especially small jewelry boxes or chests for miscellaneous objects. All of the dicots can furnish wood for handicrafts and carpentry also.
The species detailed in this report and the value-added initiatives outlined are merely a sample of what could be done with Amazonian forest products. Imagination is one of the prerequisites for developing or expanding markets for any of these products and ideas, as well as for others not discussed here.
In the following chapters more information is provided on the species mentioned above. These chapters show the limits to current knowledge and point the way to obtaining the type of information that will be necessary to develop each species. As mentioned by Clay (this volume), this information is another of the prerequisites for developing these species further.