A Review Of The Ethnomycology Of Indigenous People In Brazil

Revista Mexicana de Micología 17: 11-16, 2001-2003

A REVIEW OF THE ETHNOMYCOLOGY OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN BRAZIL AND ITS RELEVANCE TO ETHNOMYCOLOGYCAL INVESTIGATION IN LATÍN AMERICA

ARISTÓTELES GÓES NETO & FÁBIO PEDRO BANDEIRA
Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Estadual de Feira de Santana (UEFS), Km 3, BR 116 (norte), Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil, 44031-460. E-mail:agoesnt@uefs.br or faban@servidor.unam.mx RESUMEN REVISIÓN DE LA ETNOMICOLOGÍA DE PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS DE BRASIL Y SU RELEVANCIA RESPECTO A LAS INVESTIGACIONES ETNOMICOLOGICAS EN AMÉRICA LATINA. Rev. Mex. Mic. 17: 11-16 (2001-2003). El objetivo de este trabajo fue realizar una revisión de los estudios etnomicológicos en Brasil desde el siglo XV11 hasta la actualidad. Las informaciones sobre las especies,nombres indígenas, uso y referencia bibliográfica fueron sistematizadas y clasificadas de acuerdo a un criterio etnobiológico contemporáneo (utilitario o cognitivo). Se identificaron dos grandes períodos que corresponden a la propia evolución de la disciplina. El Período Utilitario de estudios eventuales, descriptivos y anecdóticos, y el Período Cognitivo de estudios sistemáticos descriptivos. Larevisión demuestra que la mayoría de los grupos indígenas de Brasil estudiados son no-micofílicos, corroborando que la no-micofília puede ser un patrón generalizado en las tierras bajas tropicales de Latinoamérica. Los grupos indígenas brasileños parecen reconocer a los hongos como un grupo de organismos distinto, lo cuál sugiere que hay una denominación de los hongos como un taxon de nivelessuperiores en estas sociedades tradicionales. Palabras clave: Etnomicología, Brasil, micofilía, no-micofilía. ABSTRACT The goal of this work was to carry out a revisión of the ethnomycological studies in Brazil, dating from the 17th century until the present. We systematized information about species, indigenous glosses, uses and bibliographic references according to contemporary ethnobiologicalcriteria (utilitarian or cognitive). In broad lines, there are two distinct periods, which correspond to the proper development of the discipline: the Utilitarian Period with scarce, descriptive and anécdota! works and the Cognitive Period with more systematically descriptive studies. The revisión demónstrales that most indigenous groups studied in Brazil are non-mycophilic, corroborating thatnon-mycophilia may be a generalized pattern in tropical lowlands of Latin America. Brazilian Indian groups seem to recognized fungi as a distinct group of organisms, which suggests that fungi are named as higher rank taxon in these traditional societies. Key words: Ethnomycology, Brazil. mycophilia, non-mycophilia, indigenous people.

Introduction
Ethnobiology studies the complex series of relationsbetween human societies (especially the traditional ones) and the organisms, which constitute their past and present natural environment (Berlín, 1992). The term Ethnomycology appeared in order to desígnate the study of relations between societies and a particular set of organisms, fungi, of which, macrofungi represent the main group of ethnic interest (Wasson & Wasson, 1957; Wasson et al., 1980).Mycophilic people are those, which demónstrate special interest towards fungi. Fungi are present in their diet, medicine and/or cultural activities

(religious ceremonies and curative practices). Mycophilia occurs in distinct human societies in different periods and world regions in an anachronistic and generalized fashion. This kind of positive interaction contrasts with a typically negativerelationship between other people and the fungi in their environment. These people are named nonmycophilic when they do not present any special interest towards fungi and mycophobic when they demónstrate aversión towards them. The cultural phenomena and terms that explain these concepts were fírst named and defined by Wasson and Wasson (1957), two of the most important ethnomycologists in the recent...