Description

The use of medicinal plants has always been an important resource for rural communities. Among the Quilombolas, there are several representatives with notable knowledge of practices using native and backyard plants to treat illnesses. In 2022, the Kalunga Community Association of Engenho II (AKCE) carried out a project to record this knowledge in its territory. The project promoted dialog between young people and elders in ethnobotanical research. Thirteen young people went on several field trips within the territory to collect and record their knowledge of the plants, together with 19 elders recognized by the Kalunga population. More than 400 collections were made, representing around 210 plant species. In an assembly with all the research participants, 22 species were chosen from the 42 most cited throughout the survey. The 22 species are described and presented in the book published in 2023, where the biography of the Kalunga authors highlights the ancestral knowledge present in traditional culture. The book also presents the total list of species recognized and used within the territory, making it an important safeguarding document for the Kalunga people. However, in order for the safeguard to be guaranteed, we need to make a second edition of this Book 1, as it is urgent and necessary to register the work with the ISBN (International Book Numbering Standard). The printed copies have been and will again be distributed among the authors, which represents the first work in which the Kalunga themselves are the authors of their knowledge. The sale of the copies generates income and visibility for the mestras and mestres inside and outside their communities. We believe that after this second edition, we can safely plan and execute volume 2 of the medicinal plants recognized and used by the Kalunga people.