ARCC Spotlights Traditional Knowledge Conservation in Ecuadorian Magazine
José Macanilla (pictured) is one of ARCC’s main collaborators on the Jambiyura project, which aims to preserve the invaluable plant knowledge of the Amazonian Kichwas in Ecuador.
Native communities of the Amazon Rainforest, including Amazonian Kichwas, rely on the forest as their supermarket and pharmacy. An immaculate diversity of plants are used for injuries, nutrition, daily rituals, and much more. However, due to the mounting pressures of foreign industries and globalization, valuable ethnobotanical knowledge is being lost with each successive generation. Without this deep-rooted connection to the land, the value of rainforest conservation also dissolves.
Naia Andrade, ARCC Vice President, recently published an article in Terra Incógnita, an Ecuadorian magazine that shares diverse content related to photography, anthropology, nature and other topics. In her article, you will travel through the childhood of José Macanilla who was raised in the Kichwa community of Samona Yuturi along the Napo River. At an early age, José learned the importance of rainforest plants, including their essential use for hunting and curing illnesses in the jungle. Now, José works as a naturalist guide at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, sharing his incredible knowledge of plants with researchers and visitors from around the world.
The botanical wisdom of the Kichwa people and other Amazonian communities has been passed down orally for centuries. At 59, José reflects that his children no longer connect with the forest; they depend on modern medicine and no longer speak the traditional Kichwa language. This pattern is shared by many in José's generation, leading to the heartbreaking realization that they may be the last to preserve this invaluable knowledge. Without the involvement of younger generations, this ancient wisdom is in danger of being lost forever, and so may the value of conserving these plant species and the land.
José is one of several collaborators in ARCC’s project Jambiyura, our mission to protect traditional plant knowledge in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Together, we are compiling information and valuable stories related to the traditional uses of rainforest plants into a book. To view a preview of the book, and to view support this project, click the button below:
To buy a physical or digital version of the magazine article, you can contact us or contact the magazine directly at: https://www.terraecuador.net/ +593 99 640 1346 (WhatsApp)
