The legend spans a few hundred years. There existed a populated village at the edges of the Pará river that was growing rapidly. Due to this increment in the population, the food began to become scarce and the leader of the tribe, called Itaki, did not have another alternative and decreed that the people could not have any more children and from that moment, any newborn child should be sacrificed. 

At the time, the daughter of the leader, call Iacá, was pregnant. Her father was both excited and abhorred, because his grandchild would be treated like every other.

During the pregnancy, Iacá prayed to Tupá (God), that he would show her father a food that could save the tribe. Nothing happened.

The child was born. A precious girl as predicted, but soon after, she was sacrificed. Iacá was devastated, completely destroyed. She cried day and night, did not eat any food and was enclosed in her hut for days.

One night, she heard the crying of her daughter in the forest. She ran, with the little energy that remained in her, directed by the sound, and there, she saw her daughter at the side of a slender palm tree. When she tried to embraced her, the image disappeared. On the following day, they found her dead, with a smile on her lips, embracing the palm tree and with open eyes, looking up, to the many bunches of dark purple fruits.

They ordered the descent of the fruits and the removal of the juice. They obtained a reddish wine, that soon became the diet for the tribe.

Itaki called the fruit Acaí (Iacá inverted) in memory of his daughter. He raised the prohibition and the tribe began to prosper again. Nowadays that population is known as Belém, in the state of Pará, Brazil and Acai remains a staple in their diet.