The Ethnobotany of an Afro-Brazilian Community at Sertão do Valongo, Santa Catarina, Brazil

This paper aims to study the ethnobotany of a rural Afro-Brazilian group at Porto Belo (Santa Catarina State, Brazil) regarding the local plants (both native and exotic) that are recognized as a resource by this community. We also analyze how this knowledge is distributed within gender and age in this group. The community is located 12.5 miles far from the coast line, in a peripheral rural area in relation to the areas colonized by Portuguese, German, Italian and Polish immigrants. In spite of their Afrodescendant origin, they currently identify themselves as Protestants rather than Afrodescendants, since they represent one of the oldest groups of Seventh Day Adventists in Santa Catarina State. We conducted 22 interviews (44% of the target population) regarding their ethnobotany knowledge, which resulted in 132 botanical species known and used for medicine, food, construction, fodder and ornamental. The knowledge is heterogeneously distributed among gender and three generations analyzed, varying according to the use category. Native plants are poorly known when compared to exotic ones, however, plant knowledge is still important for their identity as a rural community. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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