Palikur

The Palikur, who call themselves Parikwene — 'people of the middle river' — are an Arawakan-speaking people of the Urucauá river in the Oiapoque borderlands of northern Amapá, with communities also in French Guiana around Saint-Georges and Cayenne. They are among the longest continuously documented peoples of the Americas: European sources first recorded the 'Paricura' on this coast in 1507.

Their language, Parikwaki, remains vital in Brazil, and society is organized into patrilineal clans associated with particular stretches of river. Decisions are reached in long communal discussions where senior men carry particular weight. The seasonal economy alternates fishing and hunting in the dry months with manioc farming in the rains; Palikur growers supply most of the manioc meal sold in the town of Oiapoque.

In Brazil their villages lie within the demarcated Uaçá Indigenous Territory, shared with the Karipuna and Galibi-Marworno, and the three peoples coordinate through joint Indigenous organizations. Cross-border movement to French Guiana for work, trade, and family visits is constant, and pressures from a planned road corridor and regional gold mining remain live concerns.