Itonama

Glasswork presented in Yongsan, South Korea.

This illustration is of the Itonama, from my book “Who lives in the Bolivian Amazon?”

Estimate: 3,000 

Language: Unidentified

Location: Province of Itenez and Mamoré in the department of Beni. 

The Itonama have a language family that has not been clearly identified and seems unrelated to any other identified in Bolivia. 

They grow corn, manioc, bananas, citrus fruits, and several other crops. 

They also believe in the existence of a mystical relationship between plants, people and animals. They do not touch some plants, and believe certain people live on through different animals (such as birds and butterflies). 

Location of the Itonama