Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Apdo Postal 63, Carretera Antigua a Coatepec 351, El Haya, Xalapa, 91070, Veracruz, Mexico.
Laboratorio de Etnobiología, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo Km 4.5 s/n, 42184, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2019 Jan 18;15(1):4. doi: 10.1186/s13002-018-0282-z.
This study documents cycad-human relationships in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras over the last 6000 years. The impetus was acute need for a better understanding of previously undocumented uses of cycads in this region, and the need to improve cycad conservation strategies using ethnobotanical data. We hypothesized that cycads are significant dietary items with no long-term neurological effects, are important to religious practice, and contribute to cultural identity and sense of place, but that traditional knowledge and uses are rapidly eroding. Guiding questions focused on nomenclature, food and toxicity, relationships to palms and maize, land management issues, roles in religious ceremony, and medicinal uses, among others, and contributions of these to preservation of cycads.
From 2000 to 2017, the authors conducted 411 semi-structured ethnographic interviews, engaged in participant-observation in Mexican and Honduran communities, and carried out archival research and literature surveys.
We documented 235 terms and associated uses that 28 ethnic groups have for 57 species in 19 languages across 21 Mexican states and 4 Central American nations. Carbohydrate-rich cycads have been both famine foods and staples for at least six millennia across the region and are still consumed in Mexico and Honduras. Certain parts are eaten without removing toxins, while seed and stem starches are detoxified via several complex processes. Leaves are incorporated into syncretic Roman Catholic-Mesoamerican religious ceremonies such as pilgrimages, Easter Week, and Day of the Dead. Cycads are often perceived as ancestors and protectors of maize, revealing a close relationship between both groups. Certain beliefs and practices give cycads prominent roles in conceptions of sense of place and cultural heritage.
Cycads are still used as foods in many places. Though they do not appear to cause long-term neurological damage, their health effects are not fully understood. They are often important to religion and contribute to cultural identity and sense of place. However, because most traditional knowledge and uses are rapidly eroding, new community-based biocultural conservation efforts are needed. These should incorporate tradition where possible and seek inspiration from existing successful cases in Honduras and Mexico.
本研究记录了在过去 6000 年中，墨西哥、伯利兹、危地马拉、萨尔瓦多和洪都拉斯的苏铁与人的关系。这一研究的动机是急需更好地了解该地区以前未记录的苏铁用途，以及利用民族植物学数据来改进苏铁保护策略。我们假设苏铁是重要的食物来源，没有长期的神经毒性，对宗教仪式很重要，并且有助于文化认同和地方感，但传统知识和用途正在迅速消失。指导问题集中在命名、食物和毒性、与棕榈和玉米的关系、土地管理问题、宗教仪式中的作用以及药用用途等方面，以及这些对苏铁保护的贡献。
从 2000 年到 2017 年，作者进行了 411 次半结构化的民族志访谈，在墨西哥和洪都拉斯社区进行了参与式观察，并进行了档案研究和文献调查。
我们记录了 235 个术语和相关用途，28 个族群在 19 种语言中使用了 57 种苏铁物种，涉及 21 个墨西哥州和 4 个中美洲国家。在该地区，富含碳水化合物的苏铁至少在六千年以来既是饥荒时期的食物，也是主食，至今仍在墨西哥和洪都拉斯被食用。某些部分在食用时不除去毒素，而种子和茎的淀粉则通过几种复杂的过程来解毒。叶子被纳入到罗马天主教与中美洲宗教仪式中，如朝圣、复活节周和亡灵节。苏铁通常被视为玉米的祖先和保护者，揭示了两者之间的密切关系。某些信仰和习俗使苏铁在地方感和文化遗产的观念中扮演重要角色。
在许多地方，苏铁仍被用作食物。尽管它们似乎不会造成长期的神经损伤，但对其健康影响还不完全了解。它们通常对宗教很重要，并且有助于文化认同和地方感。然而，由于大多数传统知识和用途正在迅速消失，因此需要新的以社区为基础的生物文化保护努力。这些努力应该在可能的情况下融入传统，并从洪都拉斯和墨西哥现有的成功案例中寻求灵感。
