Cultivando las plantas y la sociedad waorani

Abstract

Resumen: Las prácticas agrícolas dan información que revelan la relación entre un grupo humano y el bosque. Este estudio describe y analiza el itinerario agrícola considerando que las acciones materializan las principales características socioculturales de los waorani de la Amazonia ecuatoriana: libertad de acción y autonomía personal. La observación participante y la identificación de las plantas cultivadas en dos aldeas waorani durante quince meses de investigación permitieron determinar los aspectos socioculturales y ecológicos del sistema de roza-tumba-pudre. La práctica de este sistema agrícola no es común en otras partes del mundo, siendo relativamente poco conocida y desvalorizada debido a su productividad. El presente artículo presenta un caso de estudio del sistema de roza-tumba-pudre inscrito en la cosmovisión cultural, prácticas agrícolas y representaciones que se mantienen a pesar del contacto con otros tipos de agriculturas. Los waorani continúan realizando estas prácticas agrícolas porque están en concordancia con su propia concepción de las dinámicas de transformación de los recursos naturales.Palabras-clave: Waorani. Amazonia. Prácticas agrícolas. Rasgos socioculturales. Sistema de roza-tumba-pudre.Abstract: Agricultural practices produce information that reveals the relationship between people and the environment. This study describes and analyzes the agricultural itinerary of the Waorani people of the Ecuadorian Amazon, through which major sociocultural characteristics are materialized: individual freedom and personal autonomy. During fifteen months of fieldwork in two Waorani villages, participant observation and field walks were undertaken to identify cultivated plants. With the collected information, socio-cultural and environmental aspects of slash-and-mulch were established. The practice of this agricultural system is not common in other parts of the world, it is relatively unknown and is undervalued because of its yield. This article presents a case study of slash-and-mulch agriculture as part of the Waorani cultural world view, agricultural practices and representations, which persist despite contact with other types of agriculture. The continuation of these agricultural practices can be explained by the very conceptualization the Waorani people have regarding the dynamics of transforming natural resources.

Dear food: Yuca’s relational role in sustaining precarious populations in Ecuador

“…According to Zurita-Benavides (2017), the indigenous groups of the Ecuadorian Amazon ‘use and transform the forest in unique ways according to their own conceptions of the world’ (p. 496). Within the forests, there are countless edible crops, which occupy an important place in their worldviews.…”

Genetic Diversity of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in Ecuador by Using SSR Markers

“…In the chakra Kichwa, similar to other indigenous communities, cassava grows along with other species such as maize, rice, plantain, and beans [62] up to 25 species [63]. Between four and 13 varieties of cassava (kene) are managed by one Waorani family in the chagra de yuca or kewenkore [64]. The Jívaroan indigenous group in Pastaza province, intercrop cassava that occupies most of the cropland of the households [65] and in the same province where Quichua, Shiwiar, and Zapatero indigenous people live reported up to 16 varieties of cassava per household [63].…”

Sustainability Dimensions Assessment in Four Traditional Agricultural Systems in the Amazon

“…These groups manage their own traditional agricultural systems, which are part of each cultural heritage and geographic origin, for their tangible and intangible assets (Rudel et al, 2002;Lu and Bilsborrow, 2011;Ima Omene, 2012;Torres et al, 2015;Zurita-Benavides, 2017). However, climate variability, deforestation, and poor land management practices have led local populations to depend on agrochemicals (Davis et al, 2012) or in the expansion of the agricultural frontier to increase incomes (Mena et al, 2006(Mena et al, , 2011Walsh et al, 2008).…”

“…In their language (Wao-terëro), the generic name for the Waorani's traditional production system is the kinkore. According to Zurita-Benavides (2017), this ethnic group considers that the name of the traditional system depends on the main crop, which is usually accompanied with other crop species. For example, if cassava (Manihot esculenta Cranz) is the main crop, it is called kewenkore (a traditional system of cassava production), while if it is banana (Musa paradisiaca), the system is called penenkore (a traditional system of banana production).…”

“…The size of the kinkore depends on the composition of the family group. Edible and medicinal plants are sown, as well as other species that allow for the extraction of natural dyes, seeds, and fiber for handicrafts (Zurita-Benavides, 2017). The kinkore are the places where knowledge is transferred to younger generations, commonly managed by Waorani women (Zurita-Benavides, 2017;Paniagua Blanc, 2019).…”