Ethnobotany!!

eth·no·bot·a·ny

ˌeTHnōˈbät(ə)nē/

noun

1. the scientific study of the traditional knowledge and customs of a people concerning plants and their medical, religious, and other uses.

How cool is that!  Today, I was lucky enough to visit one of the local Ngobe tribes and learn about some of the medicinal plants that they use!  This was an amazing trip for me because it combined my love for plants, the rainforest, and indigenous people. The tour was organized by a woman who started  The Darklands Foundation, which benefits the native people by working to empower them.  We took a boat over to San Cristobal Island, briefly stopped in their village, and then took a sidewalk into the rainforest!  One of the women of the community, Veronica, led the way, stopping to show and teach us about some of the plants that they use for medicinal purposes.

 We learned so many things about the Ngobe culture in this short trip, like how significant the Cacao plant is to their culture, that they plant a species of sugar cane to honor their dead, and that the phases of the moon are very important to their customs.  We also, of course, learned about plants that they use for infection, stomach pain, fever, insect repellent, bruises, and more.  

After our hike through the jungle, we went back to the village and ate a specially prepared lunch of fish, chicken, coconut rice, yucca, and plantain served on wooden dishes.  I had the chicken, rice, and plantain, and it was all very good.   Following the meal, the women took us back to their "community center" to show us the process of making chácaras.  These are handwoven bags that the women make out of a plant related to the agave plant.  The process is VERY labor intensive, beginning with harvesting the leaves from the forest.  The leaves must be cut, edges trimmed of thorns (before they transport them back to the village),  and scraped so that the fibers can be pulled out.  Once the fibers come out, they must be dried for 5 days, then woven into rope, possibly dyed, and THEN they can start weaving the bags!  The process is amazing!  I bought a beautiful bag for $40.  They also showed us how they used some of the plants we harvested during our hike to dye the rope for the bags.  

 I am grateful to have had the opportunity to go on this amazing trip and to have met both some of the Ngobe women, and Mathilde Grande who is working so hard to support the indigenous communities of Bocas Del Toro.  

Of course, there is really so much more to what I learned on this trip.  Please follow some of the links I've included to find out more.  

Next week, I start volunteering at the kids' school!  Stay tuned to get the inside scoop! :)