Marjan de Vries - Vonk a participé
au cours HOVO sur la nature et la
culture du Surinam et de la Guyane
française en préparation au voyage
des donateurs 2008. |
Course Surinam and French GuianaMarjan Vonk
As early as spring 2007 I have entered myself for a journey to Surinam and French Guiana in February 2008. The journey is offered by the Hovo in Utrecht. The program makes my mouth water. We will see many different landscapes, the rainforest and meet people who represent another culture and another history.
The journey is preceded by a four day course. Therein three important aspects of nature and culture of Surinam and French Guiana will be illustrated. Curious what to await I travel to Utrecht for the first time. The course will be given in a room at the tropical greenhouse on the Uithof in Utrecht. A great location for one of the subjects. Here grow the various plant species where we will talk about in the classes. The course gives a great deal of information, with all sorts of details. For this article a small selection has been made.
Biodiversity and the tropical rainforest
Vijko Lukkien starts with a past far away. Over 160 million years ago the continents of today formed one primaeval continent, Pangea. The primaeval continent breaks and the parts flow apart. Because of this much more coastal area occurs and as a consequence of that there is much more interaction between seas and land. The newly formed continents slide somewhat to the earth poles. Through this different climate zones came into being. Both processes have great consequences for the development of plant life. Different adaptations to the new situation come into existence. The 'continental drift' is herewith one of the causes of biodiversity.
In the rainforest the biodiversity is the highest. That is connected with the temperature and with the amount of rainfall. Then again the rainforest in South America is for her part the richest in species. In the area 'Tresor' grow more than 165 different sorts of trees per hectare! The remarkable of the rainforest in Surinam and French Guiana is, that it lies exactly on one of the few places on earth where the original rock of the primaeval continent Pangea is still present and close to the surface. Vijko talks enthusiastically. Questions are asked, the group is captivated. I am surprised to hear how little there is known about that rainforest. The existing plants and animals must partly still be inventoried. A number of relationships is known, others are only assumed.
It is very nice to also learn something about the own, boreal nature. An important difference between boreal and tropical plants and trees is that the seeds of the first keep their germinative power for a long time, sometimes for centuries: waiting for a suitable time. This in contrast with tropical seeds, who only have a short period of germinative power. Tropical seeds almost always land in a warm, moist environment. They do not need to wait for favourable circumstances.
Pollination and spread
The success of flower plants is thanks to the pollination and to the spread of seeds. For both actions plants often have developed complicated organisms, in which insects and mammals play an important part. Some flowers choose for a simple solution: the stamen are ripe earlier than the stamp of the same flower, furthermore the wind does all the work. Other plants have developed ingenious insect traps. The pollen of one flower irrevocably lands on the back of the animal, which in turn delivers it to the next flower. And the flowers will do anything to lure insects: sweet nectar and beautiful shapes and colours. The pollination by bats is fascinating. The flowers hang freely, or else the animal cannot find them in the dark. With that the colour is not important. The bat flies on its radar and its scent, not on a magnificent display of colours. It looks like it that nature only puts energy into those things that are necessary to survive.
History and population
Sugar cane, besides honey, was the only source of sugar until the middle of the 19th century. It was an expensive, but favoured product and the refining was profitable. Amsterdam was an important transit port. Via Portugal raw sugar was imported from Brazil and refined here. At the beginning of the 80-year war Spain prohibited the trade with Portugal. The Netherlands then went to look for themselves for areas where sugar cane could be cultivated. It was clear from the beginning that African slaves would do the work. Wim Hoogbergen, cultural anthropologist, talks about the history of Surinam and in particular about the period from 1667 when the Zeelanders conquered the country, until the independence.
Slave life on the plantation was hard. No wonder there were flight plans. Slaves who had strength and nerve enough fled into the forest. These runaway slaves are called Marrons. It was not simple to stay alive in the forest. So Marrons made a raid on plantations regularly, stole tools, women and food. The history of Surinam is for a large part about groups of fleeing slaves, about the tracking down of the raiders and the prevention of new raids. These stories are not in the Dutch history books, but to our fellow countrymen and women in those days it was day-to-day reality. When it did not work to stop the raids, the choice is made to make a deal with the Marrons. They promise not to make any more raids. As something in exchange they regularly get tools and other necessities. The Marrons nowadays, who for some part still live in villages upstream at the river, are the descendants of these slaves that fled. Wim talks with the ease of someone who is very familiar with the subject matter. His story is supported by a powerpoint presentation.
Another, much larger group of Surinam people are the Creole. They are also descendants of slaves, but of those who have been bought free, or have been released with the abolition of slavery in 1863. Creoles often have a paler skin. They are descendants of white planters who had a black mistress.
After the abolition of slavery there still was a need for plantation workers. Initially Hindustani from India were contracted, later on Javanese were recruited for this work. In the mean time the plantations were not doing well financially and less and less workers were needed. Nowadays not a single plantation is still in operation.
In the Surinam of today we find Javanese in small-scaled farming. Also the Hindustani have obtained a good position. The original population, the natives, related to the indians from South America, have the least possibilities. Their culture is threatened by all western temptations in Paramaribo.
The course on the rainforest and the history of Surinam is highly recommended. Students receive in a pleasant and somewhat informal way a great deal of information about a country that has been connected to the Netherlands for a very long time, and also learn more about that fascinating tropical rainforest, a subject that currently receives a lot of attention.
Secrets from the medicine chest of Trésor
Tinde van Andel
Coutoubea ramose var. racemosa, frequently used
by the local population, but scientifically still obscure. | | Photo Hendrik Rypkema |
The tropical rainforest of the Trésor Reserve contains a very diverse flora. Although research into the medicinal plants that grow in the reserve has not yet been done, the botanical inventory by Renske Ek and colleagues offers a fair view on the contents of the medicine treasury of Trésor. The woods and savannahs of the reserve contain a large number of plants whose medicinal effects have been scientifically proven. There are also numerous plants which are being used by the local population in French Guiana , but whose pharmaceutical effects have never been researched. The area around Trésor is not densely populated. Apart from tourists, researchers and some hunters and poachers there is hardly any human influence. Do the hunters now and then also take some medicinal herbs home from their trips? Does the status of nature reserve offer sufficient protection to rare medicinal plants?
Unfortunately, we do not yet know the answer to these questions, but what we can do is take a look in the 'medicine chest' of Trésor and discuss a number of well-known medicinal plants. I will also afford you a glance behind the scenes of so far unknown uses of the flora in Trésor.
Geissospermum sericeum, known in French Guiana as 'Maria congo' and as 'bergi bita' in Suriname, is a tree from the primal rainforest with an abundant amount of white milky sap and an extremely bitter tasting bark which is cooked or brewed in alcohol and drunk to prevent or cure malaria. French researchers discovered that the leaves and bark of this tree, belonging to the Apocynaceae family, were actually effective against the malaria parasite.
Alcoholic herbal bitters are very popular in the Guaianas, especially among the Creole population. They are composed of a great variety of ingredients and the recipes differ per region. The main ingredients however, are always bitter tasting tree bark, pieces of wood, burnt kernels of maize and the fruits of the Xylopia tree (which is also found in Trésor). This is often mixed with aniseeds to cover up the bitter taste to some extent. Especially men are fond of these bitters ('amères' in French), because they are said to increase the potency and to work as e preventative against malaria and skin ulcers. A large variety of herbal bitters is sold on the markets in Saint Laurent du Maroni and Cayenne for one euro per shot glass. Very good for your health, according to the vendors. Their popularity is also due to the fact that in this way the first glass of alcohol can be taken very early in the morning under the pretence of ''beneficial to your health'.
Bitter herbal drinks for sale on the beach of
Saint Laurent du Maroni. |
Ritual dance for the winti-spirits in Suriname. The person in
white is possessed by a Kromanti spirit. Costus plants are
spread In front of the musicians' feet. The name of the band
(Sangrafu) also means Costus. | | Photo: Tinde van Andel | Photo Hendrik Rypkema |
Coutoubea ramose var. racemosa is a herbal plant found in Trésor that belongs to the Gentianaceae family. It is known as 'centauree rouge de Cayenne', whereas the Surinamese people call it 'lokosi bita'. In French Guiana, Brazil and in Surinam it is used for malaria, stomach ache, intestinal worms and menstrual complaints. Although they did find a few active substances in Coutoubea, the exact effect is still a great mystery.
There are also plants in Trésor that are of great value for the local people, but it remains to be seen whether the western world will ever understand their effects. The several species of the Costus genus (five of them grow in Trésor) are regarded as sacred in Suriname and French Guiana. The marrons, descendants of runaway slaves who live mainly in the interior of Suriname, regard Costus to be a sacred shrub. The origin of this belief probably lies in West-Africa, where (other) Costus species are also used for animistic rituals. The local name, 'canne Congo' indicates that the spiral-shaped stem was already known in Africa before the slaves were transported to South-America.
According to a traditional healer on the Marowijne river all forest spirits are fond of Costus. The ginger scented leaves are often used in ritual herbal baths: to put the gods in a good mood, to calm down people and to solve ancestral problems. Costusplants are placed around altars and spread on the floor during cultural dances. In some traditional Marron communities even the deaths are buried with a white Costusflower in their hands, as they believe that the spirits will then accompany the deceased on his journey to the great beyond. Pharmaceutical companies looking for new medicines from the rainforest are not interested in these customs. However, they are of vital importance for the preservation of the unique culture of the forest dwellers in the Guianas.
In Surinam and Cayenne the trade in medicinal plants is big business. Especially the herbs with a magical effect are very popular. Some are already becoming rare because of commercial harvesting. The Trésor reserve can offer protection to rare medicinal plants and at the same time serve as a 'live school' where people can learn and discuss the role of these kinds of plants in their culture.
Tinde van Andel is an ethnobotanist and a post-graduate at the University of Utrecht. She does research for the National Herbarium Netherlands into the use of Surinamese herbal plants, both in Suriname and in the Netherlands.
The content of this article is largely based on recently published work:
Andel, T.R. van, Behari-Ramdas, J., Havinga, R.M. and S. Groenendijk.The Medicinal Plant Trade in Suriname. 2007. Ethnobotany Research and Applications 5:351-373.
Andel, T.R. van and C.I.E.A. van 't Klooster. 2007. Medicinal plant use by Surinamese immigrants in Amsterdam, the Netherlands: results of a pilot market survey. In: A. Pieroni and I. Vandebroek (eds.), Travelling cultures and plants. The ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacy of Human Migrations. Berghahn Publishers, New York, pp. 207-237.
Groenendijk, S. 2007. Winti practices in Bigiston, Suriname. MSc Thesis, University of Utrecht.
For more information: http://osodresie.wikispaces.com.
|
Pipasi Jeurissen: Pipasi Jeurissen: "Trésor really means
something to society in French Guyana." | Photo: Eric Augusteijn
|
A green-lined 'people's person'
Interview by Aart de Lang
We are talking about Pipasi Jeurissen, wife to Vijko Lukkien, for a long time a shining example of wisdom 'Behind every successful man, there is... a woman!' From the very first trip with contributors she has been accompanying Vijko on his trips and working visits to French Guyana. Where Vijko is the one to draw the large picture, taking important initiatives and being the drive behind many Trésor activities and projects, Pipasi prefers to remain invisible behind the scenes working up reports, organizing, applying band aids, but also straightening things out and playing a very special part with her charming personality, helpfulness and friendliness. Allow her to operate in the background, she avoids the spotlight. But without her unbridled effort, already for so many years, our beautiful Trésor project would never have become what it is now.
Quitting her job
Not many people know Pipasi just quit her job at the time and subsequently became involved as a full time volunteer for Trésor. And it does not matter whether this concerns the administration of and contacts with the contributors, the production of gift certificates (in Dutch, English and French!), the keeping up to date of our voluminous archive, the logistics of the production of Trésor Nieuws, contacts with the translators (volunteers as well!) who all year round translate texts from French into Dutch and English and vice versa, the organisation of contributors' days and the yearly trip for contributors including all the related work, the preparation of working visits and the working up of the agreements made during these visits, together with Vijko contacts with the World Wildlife Fund and the administrative follow-up of agreements, the preparation and dispatching of the incredible mass of documents for the board meetings of contacts with our people in French Guyana: anything you can think of, Pipasi will be involved. Up until the moment she found herself being busy with Trésor seven days a week. This was getting out of hand. So now she 'only' works two of three days a week for Trésor. After all there are other things which require her attention.
Other activities
Thus on request of the University, together with Vijko, she is developing educational projects, for instance to promote children between four and eighteen getting acquainted with nature outside of the four walls of their classroom.
Pipasi is the mother of three children and recently has also become a grandmother. She is now attending a course in terminal care, applying herself to voluntary care at home for the terminally ill and working as a volunteer in a hospice and a nursing home. Each of these activities demands a great deal from someone, both physically, mentally and emotionally. But Pipasi is a people's person and does everything with love and compassion. The same love and compassion which drives her work for Trésor. Yes, in her life people are her number one priority. Love and care for nature are her second. So, a green-lined people's person.
Mayouri
Pipasi is one of the very few people witnessing the results of our Trésor project as far as human involvement and collaboration concerns at close range. Having recently returned from the contributors' trip 2008 and the following working visit Pipasi enthusiastically talks about the phenomenon 'Mayouri': small projects initiated and executed by volunteers. Trésor in French Guyana exists thanks to this kind of collaboration uniting volunteers from various disciplines and nature protection groups in a challenge to get things done. In turn Trésor offers preconditions and facilitates these nature lovers and scientists to do their work.
Pipasi: "Thus we have participated in a bird study in Trésor. We joined a lot of people whom we had never met before. They all came voluntary in a mayouri to weigh and ring birds for in inventory of their habitat and migration. But a similar mayouri was organized to remove some trees affected by the fire on the building site of the new carbet. Of course one may hire a company with equipment. That would be the easiest way. But is costs a lot of money. So our people have organized a mayouri locally. People are simply being asked "Come and help us!" And then from everywhere people come to help. Some ten to twelve people have done the job. This is really inspiring, phantastic. They can draw on some 60-100 volunteers. With a population of 150,000 this seems to me quite an impressive number. They are all idealists. It fascinates me a great deal to witness the dynamics of this group. And when I hear Charlotte (our second warden) telling enthusiastically she has given a lecture for all teachers from the region and how motivated these teachers are and how eager to be shown around with their classes, but, damn, they fail to organise transport, I think: " Why does nobody arrange a bus allowing these children to be shown around our reserve?' Because they are keen, these schools!"
Proud of our contributors
"We do really mean something for local society. All these groups of nature lovers over there, whether they are studying birds, bird spiders, bats or plants, none of them has areas or a suitable place to stay overnight in the forest. Trésor can offer them this kind of facilities. An area to research nature in carefully and respectfully. A carbet soon to be realized for lodgings from which flat roof one can even look up into the tree canopies.
Seeing what we mean to nature and the local people I think contributors are not sufficiently aware of the importance of what they are doing and that their donations really reaches its goal. For example. Since gold mining has been prohibited in the area the World Wildlife Fund now wants to draw up a declaration of intent for Trésor to initiate a proposal to recommend making the entire Kaw region, including Trésor, a National Park. This would guarantee protection of the areas in the Kaw region (previously owned by gold mining company Cambior) which are not protected yet and to which French government could contribute financially too. Look, this is the kind of initiative, the kind of recognition Trésor now receives, also thanks to the support of our contributors!"
Colophone
Trésor nieuws
Trésor Nieuws est le bulletin d'information de la Fondation Trésor.
Trésor Nieuws paraît 3 fois par an.
La version imprimée (en néerlandais) est envoyée gratuitement aux donateurs de la Fondation Trésor.
Rédaction
Vijko P. A. Lukkien et Eric Augusteijn
Adresse de la rédaction
Vijko P.A. Lukkien
Boîte postale
Téléphone
Fax
Adresse électronique
N°. de compte en banque
|
80084, 3508 TB Utrecht, Hollande
+ 31 30 253 74 36
+ 31 30 251 83 66
Bio.Tresor@uu.nl
78.47.36.618 au nom de Fondation Trésor, Utrecht
IBAN: NL44 TRIO 0784736618
BIC: TRIONL2U -Triodos Bank, Zeist NL
|
Si vous payez sur Internet, veuillez mentionner votre nom et adresse.
Sur l'adresse cité ci-dessus vous pouvez aussi demander des mètres carrés d'adoption et des certificats cadeaux.
En cas de déménagement, veuillez notifier le changement d'adresse à la même adresse.
Website
http://www.tresorrainforest.org
Webmaster:
Eric Augusteijn, eric.aug@bigfoot.com
K.v.K.
41187239
|
