POETIC BLOSSOMS, RECORDS OF THE FLORA OF CARIRI IN CEARÁ IN THE WORKS OF THE POET PATATIVA DO ASSARÉ

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4215/rm2024.e23017

Keywords:

Etnobotânica, Nomes populares de plantas, Flora Nordestina, Patativa do Assaré, Cariri cearense

Abstract

Artistic expressions convey the perception, culture, and emotional dimensions of those who conceive, interact with, and transmit them. Patativa do Assaré, a popular poet, exemplifies this multifaceted grasp through his extensive work that portrays the landscape, culture, people, and history of the
northeastern backlands. His book, "Sing There That I Sing Here - Philosophy of a Northeastern Troubadour," is the focus of this study. The aim was to identify common plant names, analyse them, and assess whether the poet could still draw inspiration from these plants today. The verses contain 2,639 citations related to nature, with 597 terms, 64 of which directly refer to plants. Botanical names were inferred through verse analysis and comparison with herbarium specimens from the Cariri region of Ceará. Despite increasing anthropisation, much of the landscape and place could largely be retold. This research joins others in enhancing the value of biological and cultural conservation, contributing to the conservation status of
the imburana and pequi, as evoked by the artist in his work.

Keywords: Ethnobotany; Popular plant names; Northeastern Flora; Patativa do Assaré; Cariri Ceará.

Author Biographies

  • Rejan Rodrigues Guedes-Bruni, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil

    PhD in Ecology from the University of São Paulo (1998). Professor in the Department of Biology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), where she was department director from 2011-2019. She worked with the Postgraduate Programs in Botany s.s., at the National School of Tropical Botany, and in Geography, at PUC-RIO. She was a member of the CNPq research groups: Environmental History of the Atlantic Forest (PUC-Rio) and Science, nature and knowledge (http://www.ufrrj.br/cpda/cinais/ ) at CPDA-UFRRJ, where she was an associate researcher at the latter. She is a retired full researcher at the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute, where she was Research Director, Coordinator of the Atlantic Forest Program, PIBIC Coordinator and Editor of Rodriguesia Magazine. She has served on various working groups and committees as a scientific member on public policies of the Ministry of the Environment, and is also its representative in various environmental forums. She was also an area editor for Acta Botanica Brasilica and an ad hoc consultant for national and international scientific journals. She has experience in the areas of higher plant systematics and ecology, with an emphasis on community ecology, working on the following topics: floristics and conservation in the Atlantic forest system. She develops cross-cutting projects in the areas of urban ecology, ethnobotany, landscape history, biological collections, botanical gardens and the interface between science and public policies.

  • Maria Vitória DaMatta, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil

    Student in the Specialization Course in Special Education from an Inclusive Perspective at SENAC. Currently a mentor in the Access E2C program, a project funded by the United States Embassy, ​​and a teacher at the Canadian School of Niteroi. , where I also study sign language. In 2017, I was awarded an Honorable Mention by the Institutional Program for Scientific Initiation Scholarships-PIBIC/CNPq/PUC-RIO for my work: "Biodiversity in Brazilian poetry and popular music: Patativa do Assaré and the imagery of the Caatinga in the Cariri region of Ceará". My experience in botany includes working at the Botanical Garden of the University of California, Berkeley, and at the San Francisco Botanical Garden, where I collaborated in the curation of local and endangered plants. My interests include: Botany, Ethnobiology, Economic Botany, Conservation, and Landscaping. My experience in the area of ​​Ethnobotany fostered my interest in extension activities that I carried out at the Secretariat of Environment, Water Resources and Sustainability of Niterói (SMARHS), in addition to having participated in environmental awareness initiatives at Camp Westmont, at an international level.

  • Mariana Reis de Brito, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil

    PhD (2015) in Biological Sciences (Botany) from the Postgraduate Program of the National Museum/UFRJ. She has experience in the area of ​​Botany, with emphasis on Ethnobotany, Historical Ethnobotany and History of Botany. She is currently a professor in the Biological Sciences course at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro,  Brazil..

  • Gabriel Paes da Silva Sales, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil

    Professor in the Biology Department at PUC-Rio, he is a postdoctoral fellow at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), where he also participates as a researcher at the History and Nature Laboratory (LabHeN/UFRJ). Between 2018 and 2024, he held one of the chairs on the Advisory Board of the Serra da Estrela State Wildlife Refuge (REVISEST), representing PUC-Rio. In addition, in 2023, he served as "Consultant I - Academic and Technological Support" at the Tecgraf Institute. He has experience and interest in studies that fall within the perspective of Environmental History, Historical Ecology, History of Forests, Brazilian Biomes, especially the Atlantic Forest, Urban Ecology, Biodiversity Conservation and, in general, the multiple relationships between societies and nature over time.

  • Ariane Luna Peixoto, Institute of Rio de Janeiro Botical Garden, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil

    PhD in Plant Biology from the State University of Campinas (1987). She is a retired full professor at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, where she taught in the Department of Botany and was Dean of Research and Postgraduate Studies. At the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute (JBRJ), she was coordinator of postgraduate studies, vice-director and director of the National School of Tropical Botany. She is currently an associate researcher at JBRJ. Her research interests include Plant Morphology and Systematics, focusing mainly on the following topics: taxonomy of phanerogams and flora of Brazil, especially the Monimiaceae family, floristic inventories, conservation and ethnobotany. She was awarded the Order of Scientific Merit, in the class of Commander, and eight species of Brazilian flora were named in her honor.

     

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Published

2024-09-16

Issue

Vol. 23 (2024)

Section

Artigos

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