Mercadão 2000 represents the main popular market in the city of Santarém, in western Pará,
where an impressive variety and quantity of medicinal products are sold, among others, and
especially food. Based on a bibliographic survey about what naturalist navigators showed
when they passed through Santarém (PA) and conversations with sellers of plants, such as
fruits, vegetables, roots, leaves and flowers at Mercadão 2000, I investigated what is meant by
the category “plants of the past” and if these are still used in the present, and if the category of
the term PANCs (Non-Conventional Food Plants) fits for this case study in the Amazon. The
sellers hold a rich repertoire of knowledge related to the collection, preparation, use,
consumption and sale of “plants of the past”. The women expressed the observed and
utilitarian importance of the “plants of the past” in the daily life and rituals of their families
and the population of Santa Catarina. For them, the continuity of knowledge and use of
“plants of the past” is a crucial point, where women act as the main holders and messengers of
the phytocultural domain that is transmitted from ancient generations. The saleswomen
learned to take care of the plants since they were children with their great-grandmothers,
grandmothers and mothers. In view of this, it debates the role of women in transmitting
knowledge related to the use, care, and preparation of the “plants of the past”, whether in
family and personal uses, such as in negotiation and sales relationships between consumers
and, also, how the PANCs did not fit into my case study, not being included in the
non-conventional category, as they are plants used daily. Therefore, the relationship between
women and plants makes a great contribution to my research, and can be seen through the
transfer of knowledge.
|
