PLANTAS E RELIGIOSIDADES NA REGIÃO INSULAR DE BELÉM, PARÁ

Vegetables in healing contexts can express beliefs, consecrate rites and are celebrated when they reestablish man’s organic and spiritual health. The present study was guided by the look of three riverside women who have the knowledge of traditional medicine - local specialists - and by the interfaces of botany, anthropology and religious sciences. The scenery of the Combu and Murutucum islands is home to the experts and where the research was anchored, a lowland forest ecosystem located near the city of Belem, Para. The research aimed to analyze the use of plants in healing contexts, interpreting their roles of sacredness in the treatment of diseases, as well as the social role exercised by specialists. For about two years, incursions were made to the sites and, with the help of field notebooks, photographic records and recordings, data were collected through non participant observation with three specialists. Other methods of investigation were also applied, such as interviews, guided tour and free list, in addition to the analysis of the Cultural Salience Index (ISC) and Value of Importance (IVs), in order to identify the most frequent and important plants in healing practices. 45 plant species were reported, with emphasis on the rue, the mulatto and the pulluri. It was found that although the natural environment of the islands is quite anthropized, the plants are strongly present in the memory of the three ladies, who gradually revealed their botanical knowledge and individual and collective beliefs in health care. Through their narratives, some homemade medicines such as teas and bottles, gain prominence in the region and express hope and symbols in the success of the cure.