Abstract
Arecaceae Schultz-Sch. (Palmae Juss.), a member of the monocotyledon group, is considered one of the oldest extant angiosperm families on Earth. This family is highly valuable because of its species diversity, its occurrence in a wide range of habitats, and its status as an integral part of the culture and the family-based economy of many traditional and nontraditional communities. The main objectives of this study were to perform an ethnobotanical study involving these palms and a “Quilombola” (Maroon) community in the municipality of Cavalcante, GO, Brazil. The variables gender, age, and formal schooling had no influence on the number of species recognized and used by the Kalungas. Ethnobotanical studies based on traditional knowledge in addition to use and management of palms are fundamental aspects for planning and appliance of public policies directed to the use of natural resources and improvement of life quality.
Highlights
Several studies of palm species have highlighted their variety of uses
This study aims to add to the local botanical knowledge regarding the family Arecaceae (Palmae) in Brazil, especially in the Cerrado, by studying communities closely linked to the Cerrado and its natural resources to understand their relationships with and the use of native palms
The uses were grouped into 10 categories (Table 2) as follows food/direct use, food/cooking, food/animal feed, handicrafts, construction, medicinal, biofuel, toxic, ritual, and fertilizer
Summary
Several studies of palm species have highlighted their variety of uses. Palms have often been cited as useful materials for construction, food, handcrafts, rituals, and therapeutics. Quantitative methods have been used in ethnobotanical studies to analyze the knowledge and use of palms by local people, with the work of Bates [1], Byg and Balslev [2], Byg et al [3], Campos and Ehringhaus [4], Nascimento et al [5], and Zambrana et al [6] deserving special mention. The Brazilian Cerrado is home to a diverse range of Quilombola (Maroon) communities, who represent the descendants of African people who arrived in Brazil as slaves during the colonial period. Because of the wide distribution of these communities across Brazil and their diverse cultures, landscapes, and natural resources, a great deal of ethnobiological knowledge remains unexplored
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