Booklet records recipes for traditional medicine of the indigenous peoples of Roraima

The Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR) launches this September a booklet that records 34 traditional medicine recipes used for many generations by the Macuxi, Wapichana, Taurepang, Ingarikó, Wai Wai, Yanomami and Ye'kuana peoples.

Produced with the objective of strengthening and valuing indigenous knowledge, the booklet "Recipes for Traditional Medicine" was prepared during regional workshops held in the communities themselves between February 2019 and March this year. The initial print run is 2 thousand copies.

The booklet records the recipes for ointments, syrups, teas, bottles, baths and resins used in traditional indigenous medicine. The booklet also includes the recipes used to face the Covid-19 pandemic.

Maria Betânia Macuxi, general coordinator of the Indigenous Women's Movement of the CIR, stressed the importance of the participation of communities in the development of the booklet. In all, 74 people, including indigenous elders, women and young people, participated in the project to produce the material.

"We held several workshops and during the meetings many women and young people participated, they were interested", she highlighted. "Some ladies who have been practicing traditional medicine for years said that they had never lived an experience like this, of rescuing and valuing their knowledge".

For Marizete de Souza Macuxi, coordinator of the women of the mountain region, Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Land, the objective of the booklet is to preserve and share traditional knowledge. "We want this to expand in all schools, in all communities," she said.

She also pointed out that during the Covid-19 pandemic, communities came together to face the disease through medicinal herbs. "When Covid arrived, we were not prepared for this disease, but right away we were talking, exchanging dialogue, experience, exchanging recipes between women, between families, between regions to say how they were treating themselves," she said. "This helped us a lot to face this moment."

The booklet will be launched at the First Meeting of the Expanded Deliberative Coordination of the CIR between September 28 and 30 in the Araçá community, Amajari region. The copies, which are free of charge, will be distributed to the communities. The production of the booklets was supported by the Ford Foundation and the Royal Norwegian Embassy.