After writing about my Raleigh falls trip I thought that I wasn't having anymore of these long trips until next year, but what was I wrong. Not long ago we went on a little four day all-inclusive vacation to Menimi eco resort. I've heard about this destination from others who've already been and it was at Raleigh falls that our interest got piqued again by someone who highly recommended it.
At Menimi there are quite a few activities scheduled, of which one is a walk through the forest with an informative nature. During that stroll we learned about a few of the medicinal herbs our jungles have to offer and about some of the tribal customs. What's fascinating to know, is that this knowledge has been past down for generations for centuries, some even pre-colonial. But bear with me, I didn't have pen and paper at hand and recording the tour guide would've been impractical, so I might have forgotten the names of some of the herbs.
Photo by @rarej. The maripa fruit
We started the tour with an explanation of how the women (emphasis by the guide on women π and I chose to remember that it's not my custom and that I had to be respectful) gather the Attalea maripa (maripa palm) fruits. After letting the maripa dry for a while, the villagers grind those and drain the oils from it. It's used for hair, skin and even for cooking and baking.
Then, we learned about a bitter herb that's good against colds, for cleaning the insides, etcetera. There was also a tree of which pieces of the trunk get chiseled off and put into drinks (alcohol). The men use this drink to (re)vitalize themselves. And then there's the yarakopi (Siparuna guianensis) leaf, that's being used as a steam bath for the lady parts of women.
We also came across a tree that's popularly known as a Telephone tree, because it was and is still being used to communicate in the jungle. Especially by villagers and/or hunters and gatherers who have gotten lost and need to transmit their location by hitting the trunk. And then there's the Ingi pipa - which I've kept for last, because of its historical value - that was being used by the indigenous males to cover their member as underwear wasn't commonly used.
Those are some interesting plant, especially the one for the parts LOl!
I wonder why the women have to gather the maripa palm? Probably because they probably use it more than the men hahaha.
Yup, I think that's pre-colonial custom π .
Haha, nah not really. It's customary that when a man takes a wife, he has to cut open an agricultural plot on which the women will have to grow crops. In their culture a man is allowed to have more than one wife, so for every wife another plot of land.
The men hunt, fish, built, etc., while the women do the chores around the house and maintain the agricultural plots.
That's why I had to remind myself that it's not my culture and that I still needed to be respectful. If people are happy and nobody's getting hurt, who am I to intervene?
!ENGAGE 10
ENGAGEtoday.That Maripa fruit looked like a brown hamster till i looked closely π. Thanks for sharing
Hahaha I see it now π .
Was my pleasure writing it π.
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ENGAGEtoday.Nice post @tanjakolader ! The first tree trunk looks old,wise & powerful. The oldest tree i ever saw was in T&T....similar look to your first pic, just bigger...600 years old! Knowledge about old natural medicine is worth a lot!
And the Ingi pipa is the best way to end the post...haha..π π
Yes, our forests are quite old.... In biology class high school they thought us how to determine the age of these trees, by looking at the amount of rings you see in the trunk. Don't recommend checking it that way though, as you would have to cut the tree.
There is actually a market for it π.
LOL thanks haha
!ENGAGE 10
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Hey, thank you. I must have missed this for some reason...
Thank you for the support! π