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Wild Food and Traditional Knowledge of the Kumiai from Baja California

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Ethnobotany of the Mountain Regions of Mexico

Part of the book series: Ethnobotany of Mountain Regions ((ETMORE))

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Abstract

This work aims to documenting use and importance of natural resources identified as edible by the Kumiai, native people from the northwestern region of Baja California. For this study a qualitative investigation was carried out in both historical and current contexts, to identify edible plants with cultural value and symbolism for the native cuisines. In Baja California, native groups have accumulated a great ecological knowledge by moving as nomads through different ecosystems. This life pattern allowed them to take advantage and survive based on the natural resources those ecosystems provide. For native people it has been important the use of natural corridors containing high richness of medicinal and edible plants. Although the tradition and knowledge are no longer practiced as in the past, people make efforts to revitalize them through individual and collective actions. In the context of modernity, the valuation of the edible elements found in nature with which the native groups of the region subsisted remained outdated. Through fieldwork, this study looked for documenting the diversity of edible components and demonstrating the differential and complementary composition of traditional food among different ecosystems. The design of this research is qualitative, following ethnographic methods, including tools such as interviews and participant observation. For documenting information, we especially worked with elders and traditional authorities within the Kumiai community, considering that they are those people maintaining the most representative ancestral knowledge. As result of our investigation, we identified the influence of the Kumiai knowledge of biodiversity and varieties of native resources and recognized their cuisine and traditions. This work contributes information that adds elements to the scarce data available about food and biodiversity recognized, used and managed by the native people of Baja California and aspires to contribute to recognize their food heritage. This study is mainly directed to show local initiatives that have been implement for the valuation of natural resources and their relationship with culture and complementary information about the role of edible plants and their uses.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The metate, or grinding stone, is a tool used to process (grind or crush) food by different cultures since prehispanic times. In the case of the ancient cultural groups of Baja California, the metate was any long rock that used to grind grains, seeds or dried meat.

  2. 2.

    In Mexican food culture, masita is the diminutive of dough, preparation made from kneading flour with a liquid agent.

  3. 3.

    Edible tuber of Central America, Pachyrrhyzus erosus.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada, Mexico

    Carolina Gutiérrez-Sánchez

  2. Department of Sciences, Environmental Education Specialty, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada, Mexico

    Claudia Leyva-Aguilera

Authors
  1. Carolina Gutiérrez-Sánchez
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  2. Claudia Leyva-Aguilera
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Claudia Leyva-Aguilera .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico

    Alejandro Casas

  2. Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación (CIByC), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

    José Juan Blancas Vázquez

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Gutiérrez-Sánchez, C., Leyva-Aguilera, C. (2023). Wild Food and Traditional Knowledge of the Kumiai from Baja California. In: Casas, A., Blancas Vázquez, J.J. (eds) Ethnobotany of the Mountain Regions of Mexico. Ethnobotany of Mountain Regions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99357-3_7

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