Another learning experience of the Azoreans with the Carijós Indians is the Canoa de um Pau Só. Generally made with the Garapuvú tree, a native plant and symbol of Florianópolis, it is used for fishing, powered by cloth sails or by rowing. In the past, these canoes also served as a means of transporting passengers and cargo such as vegetables, potteries from the Public market, agricultural and industrial production. In addition, they were for a long time the form of displacement between the island and the mainland.
The preference for using Garapuvú to make the canoe is clear, as it is a light and soft wood to the touch, making it easier to carve. If well cared for, they can last up to 100 years. Other woods can also be used in the construction of canoes, but Garapuvú is special, because thanks to the large diameter of the trunk, they sculpt the “one stick canoe”, barge type and “embroidered canoe”, name due to the added edge. by fishermen to the canoe to make it higher, thus being able to enter rough seas without flooding the vessel.
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The production of canoes was one of the reasons for the near extinction of the tree on the south coast, since from 1950 onwards the Azorean settlers began to intensively use the Garapuvú for their fishing vessels. But before the tree became extinct, the government banned the cut in 1992.
To this day, the Canoa de um Pau Só continues to be part of everyday life in the city of Florianópolis. Proof of this is the Canoe and Sail Race on the Costa da Lagoa, which takes place annually and uses a single-pole canoe as the participating boat. In addition, a councilor proposed in 2012 that the canoe be transformed into an intangible cultural heritage of the city, showing how important this element was in the historical context of Florianópolis. But we couldn't find any more information about it.
Currently, there are few people who continue to manufacture the canoe, not least because it became more complicated after the law against cutting the Garapuvú. It is estimated that about ten people in Florianópolis still maintain production, and generally the master builders, as they are called, pass the tradition on from generation to generation, like some families in the neighborhoods. sambaqui e Conceição Lagoon, who do not intend to let the tradition die anytime soon.
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