RÉSUMÉ
RESUMEN Uno de los desafíos más complejos que enfrenta la escuela es la articulación de los saberes culturales con los currículos escolares. De esta manera, la presente investigación tuvo como objetivo reconocer la flora útil, las categorías etnobotánicas y de estimar si existe una diferencia entre las especies utilizadas, según su origen (silvestre o cultivado), en estudiantes de Grado 5° de la Escuela Rural Mixta El Colorado, del Resguardo Indígena de Cohetando, municipio de Páez, Cauca. El proceso metodológico se realizó bajo un enfoque mixto; lo cualitativo, desde el método etnográfico, haciendo uso de técnicas, como la observación participante, recorridos etnobotánicos y entrevista semiestructuradas; lo cuantitativo, se llevó a cabo a partir de un análisis multivariado, utilizando el índice de Jaccard, para estimar la similitud entre las categorías etnobotánicas; asimismo, se realizó un análisis de varianza (ANOVA), para estimar si existe diferencias significativas entre el origen de las especies. A partir de lo anterior, los estudiantes reportaron 81 especies de plantas útiles, agrupadas en seis categorías etnobotánicas, siendo ornamentación y medicinal y alimenticia, las más relevantes, por número de especies. En cuanto al origen, se encontró una diferencia significativa, en cuanto al mayor número de usos para las especies cultivadas, respecto a las silvestres. Finalmente, se evidencia el alto grado de conocimiento que tienen los estudiantes sobre la flora, así como la importancia para su Resguardo Indígena, como un símbolo de resistencia, que permite salvaguardar la memoria histórica.
ABSTRACT One of the most complex challenges faced in the school is the articulation of cultural knowledge with school curricula. Thus, this research aimed to recognize the useful flora, the ethnobotanical categories, and to estimate if there is a difference between species according to their origin (wild and/or cultivated) according to the knowledge constructed by the 5th grade students of the Mixed Rural School El Colorado, of the Indigenous Resguardo of Cohetando, municipality of Páez, Cauca. The methodological process was carried out under a mixed approach, the qualitative from the ethnographic method, making use of techniques such as participant observation, ethnobotanical tours and semi-structured interviews. The quantitative part was carried out from a multivariate analysis, using Jaccard's index to estimate the similarity between the ethnobotanical categories; likewise, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to estimate if there are significant differences between the origin of the species and the origin of the species. From the above, students reported 81 useful plants grouped into six ethnobotanical categories, being ornamentation, and medicinal and food the most relevant by number of species. In terms of origin, a significant difference was found for the cultivated category with respect to the wild category. Finally, the high degree of knowledge that the students have about the useful flora is evident, as well as the importance for their Indigenous Reservation as a symbol of resistance that allows safeguarding the historical memory.
RÉSUMÉ
BACKGROUND: In Colombia, ethnobotanical studies regarding plant cultural significance (CS) in tropical dry forests are scarce and mainly focused on the Caribbean region. Different authors have indicated that the plants with the most uses are those of greater cultural importance. Additionally, gender differences in knowledge and interest in natural resources has been widely recorded. This study evaluated the cultural significance of plants in the Doche community, in the Department of Huila. Furthermore, it evaluates the richness of plant knowledge among local inhabitants, looking for testing the hypothesis that the CS of plants positively correlates to the number of uses people inform about, and that there are significant differences on the richness of ethnobotanical knowledge between men and women in this community. METHODS: The ethnobotanical categories: "food," "condiment," "economy," "fodder," "firewood," "timber", "medicine," and "others" were established to carry out semi-structured interviews, social cartography, and ethnobotanical walks. The frequency of mention was calculated as a measure of CS. The richness of knowledge of each collaborator was obtained. Non-parametric tests were performed to determine whether differences between the numbers of mentioned species existed between genders and ethnobotanical categories. Finally, Pearson correlation tests determined the relationship between CS and the number of ethnobotanical categories. RESULTS: A hundred useful species were registered in crops and forests. The most abundant categories were medicinal (45 species), firewood (30), and fodder (28). The most culturally significant species according to frequency of mention were Pseudosamanea guachapele, Guazuma ulmifolia, Manihot esculenta, and Musa balbisiana. The species with the most registered uses (five) were Guazuma ulmifolia and Gliricidia sepium. We found a correlation between CS and the number of uses per ethnobotanical category, but no significant difference between genders regarding ethnobotanical knowledge. CONCLUSION: Frequency of mention provides relevant information about the CS of species. Furthermore, it aids to establish sustainable use of tropical dry forests without loss of resources parting from strategies designed from within the Doche community and based on their ethnobotanical knowledge. We found that the number of uses of a plant is correlated with its degree of cultural importance. On the other hand, no significant differences were found between genders regarding ethnobotanical knowledge; that is, both men and women have similar roles in the community, which allows them to recognize the same uses per species.
