A strong fiber obtained from a Brazilian palm tree, used historically for making rope, twine, and other cordage.
From Portuguese 'embira,' derived from Tupi (a Native Brazilian language) origin, referring to the fibrous material that could be extracted and worked into useful cords and textiles by indigenous peoples.
Before ships had synthetic ropes and fishing nets, embira fiber was golden currency in Brazil—it was strong enough to hold ocean-going vessels and native traders controlled entire economies through the supply of this single fiber. Today we've forgotten it, but for centuries it tied together the entire Atlantic trade.
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