Research supported by ISPN brought together young people and elders from the Engenho II community, in Cavalcante (GO) and resulted in an unpublished book
Dona Luzia Francisco Conceição says that there is nothing better than assa-peixe to cleanse the lungs and treat pneumonia, and Dona Elias José Fernandes agrees: “it is so good for the lungs that it corrodes everything that is rotten inside”. For José dos Santos Rosa, known as Zé Preto, tea is only tea if it is made with this plant from the Cerrado.
Getúlia Moreira da Silva, in turn, teaches a recipe. She takes a branch of the leaf and boils it with toasted sesame milk. “Good for coughing and for expectorating.” Each part of the plant has a use, from the leaf to the root.
The same goes for buriti, jatobá, white sucupira... From buriti, for example, it is possible to extract an oil that is good for pain, as Alvino Cesário de Torres teaches. The root of the palm tree in the bottle is good for curing infectious diseases of the body. The sap, extracted during the full moon, is good for cholesterol, inflamed nerves and anemia.
Transmitted by Luzia, Elias, Zé Preto, Getúlia, Alvino and 11 other healers from the Kalunga territory, based on interviews conducted by young people from the community, this knowledge forms the Kalunga Pharmacopoeia. It was systematized in the book “The Medicinal Plants of the Kalunga”, developed by the project “Ancestral knowledge and practices of the Kalunga people about native and cultivated medicinal plants of the Kalunga Community Association of Engenho II”.
The project was selected by a TICCAS call for proposals, with support from the Fund for the Promotion of Eco-Social Productive Landscapes (PPP-ECOS), funding from the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and a partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The book was launched in the quilombola community of Engenho II, in the Kalunga territory in the municipality of Cavalcante, in Goiás, on June 24, and is the first official record of this knowledge.
The authors received a quantity of this material that can be sold to generate income and financial return for those involved. It will also disseminate the systematized knowledge outside the community.
For Isabel Figueiredo, coordinator of the Cerrado and Caatinga Program at ISPN, the highlight of the project is “how a simple activity, such as the interview between young people and elders, has great power to enhance local and traditional culture.”
The coordinator also states that this is “work that strengthens the territory and promotes the continuity of the ways of life there”.
Ethnobotany
To preserve the traditional knowledge of Kalunga elders, the project brought youth to the center of the research: 13 young people studied ethnobotany, a branch of science that studies the relationship between humans and plants. The research was participatory and was coordinated by Renata Corrêa Martins, a doctor in botany, both in the community meetings and in the organization of the book.
“The research results were obtained from fieldwork, botanical identification and participatory assembly”, explained Renata, adding that the organization of the book allowed for strengthening the “dialogue between knowledge”, intertwining the principles of research, cultural appreciation and ancestral knowledge.
During the field trips, 409 plant collections were carried out, with the identification of more than 200 species – most of them from the Cerrado. At the end of the project, the traditional knowledge of 22 of them was systematized in the book, based on the sharing of knowledge by 19 herbalists – the holders of traditional knowledge about plants in the territory.
For Jean dos Santos, 17, one of the researchers on the project, learning about plants is necessary to keep the Kalunga tradition alive. “I know we need to value our stories, our roots, so this is a very important lesson,” said the resident of the Kalunga Engenho II community.
“I don’t want to have this knowledge as a hobby, but as something that is part of me,” explained the young man, adding that being called a root doctor is a source of pride.
At 14 years old, researcher Hellen Sofia Ponciano says that what caught her attention the most during the project was talking to the elders. “I had never stopped to think that I could talk to them.”
She says she wants to remain in the community and contribute to the conservation of knowledge, “so as not to let it die”.
The project also contributed to the holding of several workshops to strengthen the community, such as photography concepts and a deeper understanding of the concept of TICCAs, which means Territories and Areas Conserved by Indigenous and Local Communities, involving the participation of 11 facilitators.
Kalunga Territory
The territory was recognized by the UN in February 2021 as the first TICCA in Brazil – this title is attributed to preserved community and traditional territories in which the community has a deep connection with the place they live.
Kalunga is the largest historical and cultural quilombola site in the country in terms of territorial extension: there are more than 230 thousand hectares of Cerrado protected in the municipalities of Cavalcante, Monte Alegre and Teresina de Goiás.
Around four thousand people live in approximately 30 communities in the area, which was recognized by the government of Goiás in 1991 as a Kalunga Historical Site and Cultural Heritage.
Service
To purchase the book, simply contact the Kalunga Community Association of Engenho II by email: [email protected] or by phone +55 (62) 98198670.
You can also make your purchase directly in the area. Take the opportunity to visit the region's many natural beauties: the Santa Bárbara waterfall, for example, has crystal clear blue waters and is one of the main attractions of Chapada dos Veadeiros.
But be careful, you need to schedule your visit in advance, as the number of tourists per day is limited. Click here for more information.
PPP-ECOS is ISPN's strategy for the Promotion of Ecosocial Productive Landscapes, which has supported and strengthened initiatives with traditional peoples and communities and family farmers since 1994. In this project, PPP-ECOS receives support from the German government through the BMU, the Small Grants Programme of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
*The cover photo, as well as all the images in the article, were kindly provided to the ISPN Archive by Fernando Tatagiba. Text by Camila Araujo/ISPN Communications Advisor.