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Ethnobotany of the Rama of Southeastern Nicaragua and Comparisons with Miskitu Plant Lore1

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Abstract

Ethnobotany of the Rama of Southeastern Nicaragua and Comparisons with Miskitu Plant Lore. The Rama are one of the three Amerindian groups of eastern Nicaragua. This is the first systematic study of Rama ethnobotany. A total of 249 plant species, in 190 genera and 78 families, were documented as useful. Included are 190 species used as medicinals, 80 as food plants, and 99 for other uses. The ethnobotanical lore of two distinct indigenous groups, the Rama and Miskitu, were compared. Out of 249 species used by the Rama, 171, or 69%, were used by both groups, and 78 unique species were used by the Rama. These results have important implications for the understanding of ethnobotany as they demonstrate how unrelated indigenous groups sharing the same ecosystem, though separated by some physical distance, can have significantly similar ethnobotanical lore.

Resumen

Etnobotánica de los Ramas del Oriente Nicaragüense y Comparasiones con el Saber Etnobotánico de los Miskitus. Los Ramas constituyen uno de los tres grupos Amerindios del oriente Nicaragüense. Este es el primer studio sistemático de la etnobotánica Rama. Se documentó un total de 249 especies de plantas útiles en 190 géneros y 78 familias. Incluyendo 190 especies medicinales, 80 especies alimenticias y 99 especies para usos auxiliares. La erudición etnobotánica de los Ramas y los Miskitus fueron comparados. Un total de 171 de 249 especies documentadas son usados por ambos grupos y 78 especies solo por los Ramas. Estos resultados tienen implicaciones importantes para el entendimiento de la etnobotánica porque demuestran que grupos sin parentesco alguno que comparten el mismo ecosistema aunque separados por cierta distancia pueden tener una similitud significativa en la erudición etnobotánica.

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Acknowledgments

This study was partially supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the University of Connecticut Research Foundation, and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. I am grateful to the Rama people for welcoming me into their homes and sharing their ethnobotanical knowledge. The field assistance of Basilio Benjamin, Harry Simmons, Jr., and Rodney Martin is appreciated. I thank the staffs of CIDCA (Centro de Investigación y Documentación de la Costa Atlantica) and FADCANIC (Fundación Para la Autonomía y Desarrollo de la Costa Atlántica de Nicaragua). Many specialists provided assistance in the identification of vouchers: William D’Arcy* (MO), Daniel Austin (FAU), Rupert Barnebyt* (NY), Gerrit Davidse (MO), James Grimes (NY), Helen Kennedy (UBC), Ronald Leisner (MO), Michael Nee (NY), Amy Pool (MO), Velva Rudd* (SFV), Warren D. Stevens (MO), and Charlotte M. Taylor (MO). I thank Virge Kask for help with the figure, tables, and appendix.

This paper is dedicated to Bernard Q. Nietschmann*, who fought to preserve the culture, natural resources, and the rights of the indigenous groups of eastern Nicaragua.

*Deceased

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  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 85 Lawler Road, West Hartford, CT, 06117-2697, USA

    Felix G. Coe

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Correspondence to Felix G. Coe.

Appendix. Rama plants and their uses

Appendix. Rama plants and their uses

   
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Coe, F.G. Ethnobotany of the Rama of Southeastern Nicaragua and Comparisons with Miskitu Plant Lore1 . Econ Bot 62, 40–59 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-008-9006-y

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