a brief presentation of the book - unesdoc...

Mayangna

Knowledge of the

Interdependence

of People and

Nature: Fish

and TurtlesPaule M Gros and Nacilio Miguel FrithzAvailable in Spanish and Mayangna

A brief presentation of the book

We are an indigenous group livingalong the banks of the small rivers

that constitute the headwaters of thePrinzapolka, Coco and Wawa rivers.

We are a humble people yet, at thesame time, very proud. … Our culture

is very different from that of otherindigenous groups and that of themestizos. We conserve nature and

continue to live surrounded by livingbeings, both plants and animals.

Mayangna leaders and representatives

United NationsEducational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization

Indigenous lands and the

BOSAWAS Biosphere ReserveOne of the last extensive areas of Central American tropicalrainforest lies along the border between Nicaragua andHonduras. This transboundary area which includes the BOSAWASBiosphere Reserve in Nicaragua is known as the Heart of theMesoamerican Biological Corridor. The second-largest rainforestin the Americas after the Amazon, it is of utmost importance forthe conservation of Central American biodiversity.

For centuries, these lands have been the home of the indigenousMayangna and Miskito. Through their livelihoods based on slash andburn agriculture, fishing and hunting, they have both shaped the localecological system and sheltered it from destruction. Their knowledgeabout the local flora and fauna is extensive and in-depth.

Protecting the Heart of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor

Since May 2005, the Nicaraguan government has recognised land titlesfor 86 Mayangna and Miskito communities. This recognition providesrights over agricultural and hunting lands, as well as co-dominion withthe State over conservation areas located in the highlands of the IsabeliaMountain Range. Together, the indigenous territories and the co-management areas cover most of the core zone of the BOSAWAS Reserve.Many of these indigenous communities have participated in the

organised protection of their lands, thusconserving both the biological and cultural

diversities that constitute the Heart of theMesoamerican Biological Corridor. By marking and patrolling

their territorial boundaries they have successfully halted theadvance of the agricultural frontier that has converted much of

Central America’s tropical rainforests into fields and pastures.

The sustainable practices of the Mayangnaand their efforts to stop the advance of theagricultural frontier are confirmed bysatellite imagery. In the BOSAWAS Reserve, the Mayangna territories maintain a fargreater coverage of primary forest thanadjacent non-indigenous areas that arelargely denuded (Stocks et al. 2007). K

Marking the boundaries of the indigenous

territories of BOSAWAS. I

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LegendExtent of deforestationfrom high to low

Cerro Saslaya National Park

Indigenous territories

Core zone of the BOSAWASBiosphere Reserve

Mayangna brochure (f) 4:Layout 1 9/4/10 09:48

The UNESCO-LINKS Project:

Recording Mayangna knowledgeFollowing meetings with assemblies of Mayangna leaders andmembers of the Amak, Arangdak and Santo Tomas de Umracommunities, UNESCO’s Local and Indigenous KnowledgeSystems (LINKS) programme responded to the request ofindigenous leaders to record Mayangna knowledge andworldviews. The communities chose to focus the first phase ofwork on fishes and turtles, which are their primary source ofprotein and a vital part of the Mayangna way of life.

After several rounds of community-level interviews, discussionsand reviews, the project has resulted in a book of over 400pages on Mayangna knowledge and know-how. The book,Conocimientos del Pueblo Mayangna sobre la Convivencia del

Hombre y la Naturaleza: Peces y Tortugas, is divided into twovolumes and published in two language versions: Mayangnaand Spanish. It captures in meticulous detail the breadth anddepth of indigenous knowledge about the aquatic world. A wide range of information about the 30 fishes andsix turtles that frequent Mayangna waterways arepresented, weaving together empirical observationson behaviour, habitat, reproduction and migrationpatterns, with social commentaries on sharing,learning or harvesting, and cosmological reflections onhuman-animal relations and master spirits.

GoalsFor the Mayangna and UNESCO, thebook has two goals: 1) It contributes to the transmission of

indigenous knowledge of the naturalworld to subsequent generations ofMayangna.

2) It demonstrates to the scientificcommunity, and the general public,the unique nature of local knowledgeand the key role that the Mayangnaplay in sustainable resource use andbiodiversity management of theBOSAWAS Biosphere Reserve.

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Synergies between indigenous

and scientific knowledgeWhile some scientific research has been done on the fishes andturtles of the BOSAWAS Biosphere Reserve, no systematic surveyhas ever been conducted. For this reason, scientific understandingof these animals and their environment remains disparate andapproximate, and often based upon extrapolations from researchconducted elsewhere in Central America or even farther afield.Mayangna knowledge, on the other hand, is in-depth and locally-relevant. It offers information and interpretations that fill gaps incurrent scientific data and transform our understanding of thehuman ecological dynamics of the territory.

Naming and identifying the fish and turtles of the BOSAWAS

Biosphere Reserve

The Mayanagna name and identify 30 types of fish and 6 types ofturtles, not all of which correspond with scientific species. A specificchapter is dedicated to each fish and turtle type, beginning with theirnames in Mayangna, Miskito, and local and international Spanish, andthe scientific name. As certain types of fish and turtles resemble eachother closely, the Mayangna underline those morpohological andbehavioural features that distinguish one type from another.

Mûpih, the common snook, and mûsiwa, also a

Centropomus sp., are associated together due to their

close resemblance. This drawing by a Mayangna artist

highlights their distinctive features. L

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For mûsiwa the snout is rather short, whereasfor the common snook, the lower part of thesnout is longer and thinner. In other words theface of the common snook is more pointed and elongated than the face of mûsiwa.

Adult man from Arangdak


A woman fishing with hook and line. J

A freshly caught mûlalahor guapote. L

Mûlalah, the guapote,showing the yellow colourof local populations. J

Susum, the guatemalanchulin, during their wintermigration upstream. K

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In-depth and locally-relevant knowledge

Both the Mayangna and biologists have accumulated their ownunderstandings about the fish and turtles of the BOSAWASBiosphere Reserve. Sometimes these observations echo each other,other times they clash, but in many instances, science remains silentdue to a paucity of scientific data on the BOSAWAS environment.

� The Mayangna give accounts of massive upstream migrations inwinter of susum, the guatemalan chulín (Rhamdia guatemalensis). Atcertain well-known places along this migration route, susum can becaptured easily and in large quantities. No record of such aphenomenon appears in the scientific literature.

� The Mayangna describe river habitats located far inland, where they fishfor anghangh, the burro grunt (Pomadasys crocro). According to scientificliterature, this species is primarily associated with coastal habitats.

� Mayangna descriptions of mulalah, the guapote(Parachromis dovii), reveal that thefemales of local populations areoften yellow in colour. Whilecommonplace in BOSAWAS, thiscolouration is of rare occurrenceelsewhere.

Phot

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-Did

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The introduction and spread of kisaris, tilapia, alongthe Coco River. I

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Indicators of seasonal and

exceptional eventsDue to their reliance on the natural environment, Mayangna areclose observers of environmental events and changes. Certaintypes of fish and turtles serve as indicators of changing seasonsor exceptional events.

� When musiwa, a snook fish (Centropomus sp.), is seen close to thesurface and jumping out of the water, this is a sure sign of winterapproaching.

� The Mayangna know that ahsa, the black woodturtle (right) (Rhinoclemmys funerea), isnot strong enough to resist strongcurrents. When they see black woodturtles adrift, one after another, thiswarns them that a flood is imminent.

Histories of ecological events

Mayangna knowledge of ecologically-significant events has been passed down through generations. Theseecological histories are important for contemporary resourcemanagement. One example relates to human introduction of newfishes to river systems. Pahwa, the blackbelt cichlid (Vieja maculicauda),is not native to the Waspuk River. Some generations ago, largequantities of this important food fish were transported by theMayangna from the Wawa River to the Waspuk River. The introductionwas a success and today pahwa are abundant and fished in largenumbers. The current name for the fish in Mayangna, pahwa, relates tothis event as it derives from the term ‘pah Wawa‘ meaning ‘from Wawa’.

‘Musiwa’, the snook fish, is often seen close to the watersurface as winter approaches. L

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When I see that the river carries ahsa(Rhinoclemmys funerea) adrift and this is seena second time, it is certain that there will be amajor flood.

Elder man from Nazareth

Many people say that it (kisaris) came fromthe headwaters of the Coco River, from theApanas lagoon dam in Jinotega. They saythat this fish lived there and when the dambroke, the fish began to spread down theCoco River. Here in the Walakwas River, it(kisaris) began to turn up little by little. This iswhat I have been told.



7

Mayangnaknowledge andscience: side byside

In the book, Mayangna knowledgeis presented in the words of theknowledge holders themselves,using direct citations accompaniedby the speaker’s age, gender andvillage. Current scientific data arepresented alongside the words ofthe Mayangna, but set aside incoloured boxed texts. Science-based texts do not passjudgement on what theMayangna say. Nor do Mayangnapass judgement on science. Tofacilitate mutual understandingand dialogue betweenMayangna and scientificknowledge holders, the two setsof knowledge are juxtaposed sothat readers can take stock oftheir convergence ordivergence.

Scientific information is presentedin colored boxes.

Complementary information fromMayangna knowledge-holders.

Mayangna also have knowledge of another more recent introduction.This relates to the invasive fish, tilapia (Oreochromis sp.), which isgenerally referred to by its Miskito name of krahna. During the bookproject, the Mayangna coined their own name for this fish: kisaris.Kisaris is said to have escaped from fish farms located either in theApanas reservoir or along the upper course of the Coco River. Itinvaded the Coco River system during floods caused by HurricaneJuana in 1988. Year after year, the Mayangna have observed thisspecies spreading downstream along the Coco River, occupying onetributary after another. They have documented this invasion, which hasbeen accompanied by declines in native fish species due tocompetition from and predation by kisaris.

In Bocay … the whole river has beeninvaded. In the past, there was no krahna.But in 1988, there was hurricane Juan. Threeyears after the hurricane, we returned fromRosita to our place and we found it strangethat the fish krahna was here.

Elder man from Amak

Citations from Mayangnaknowledge-holders.

Illustrations by Mayangnaartists.


Sustainable use of biological

diversityThrough their unique philosophies, understandings and practicalknow-how, the Mayangna ensure the sustainable use of resourcesfrom their territories. Resource management is based upon socialnorms and rules about access and appropriate use. These arefurther reinforced by master spirits who, in the Mayangnaworldview, oversee the interactions of human and non-humanentities, and intervene when certain limits are transgressed.

8

Fishing pahwa with line. L Capturing crabs to use as fish bait. L

Cleaning the fish catch. I Phot

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Lîwa pihni is the ‘mermaid’. It exists in a maleform. Lîwa al phini, that attacks women whofish too much, and in a female form, lîwa yal

pihni, that attacks men who fish a lot.

Adult man from Sikilta


Aquatic resources and waterways are the domain of the master spirit,lîwa, to whom people must show respect through the appropriatetreatment of fish and turtles. Lîwa controls access. She determineswhether individuals go home empty-handed or with abundantcatches. The group that the Mayangna classify as ‘white fishes’ areparticularly close to lîwa and under her influence. This group includesmûpih (sabalete), mûsiwa (robalo) and tirisu (palometa), along with theturtle kuah, the Mesoamerican pond slider (Trachemys venusta). To those who harvest carelessly and take too much, lîwa sends illness,either to them or to their families. She may also kill transgressors or imprison them in her water underworld.

9

Girl poling a canoe atdawn. L

The master spirit lîwa and

her fishes. L

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A man who went fishing explained how aheavy thing weighed down his nylon line...out came lîwa holding onto his line. Lîwa saidto him “You have killed many fish therefore Iam going to take you away” and this is whathappened.

Adult man from Sikilta

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Transmitting Mayangna

ecological knowledge through

storiesBy seeing and doing, Mayangna children acquire ecologicalknowledge from parents and relatives. From their earliest years,they follow adults on the river, first watching and then activelyfishing.

Stories are also an important vehicle for passing on knowledge.Through the story of kuah, the Mesoamerican slider, and ahsa, theblack wood turtle, parents pass on knowledge about these two turtles,which are important sources of food. Children learn about the specifichabitat of each animal, and that sliders live with crocodiles and blackturtles with water tigers.

Women net fishing with help from their children. L

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When I was ten years old, I began to hunt andfish alone. My father started teaching mewhen I was still small, when I was five,because I was the eldest son. Everyday, I wasout with him. Because of that, I knew how tofish with a harpoon and with bow and arrowfrom a very young age. As for fishing withhook and line, I started even younger.


Fishing with bowand arrow. J

Learning by seeingand doing. K

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The slider and

the black turtleIn earlier times, so the Mayangnastory goes, the slider and blackturtle lived together in thedepths of a large river pool. Yapu,the American crocodile(Crocodylus acutus), also lived inthe pool. Yapu devoured manyturtles, but he showed a clearpreference for black turtles. Theblack turtle decided that in orderto survive it would have to flee. Itescaped to the headwaters of theriver where no crocodiles reside.That is why, today, the slider livesin the lower reaches of the river,alongside the crocodile, whereasthe black turtle frequents thestreams of the headwaters, whereit has befriended was nawahni,the water tiger, with whom itshares caves along the banks ofthe streams.

Kuah, the Mesoamerican slider. L

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The story of kuah and ahsa weaves Mayangna ecologicalunderstanding with the unique Mayangna worldview. It spells outdifferences in the distribution and preferred habitats of two turtles, aswell as their ecological relationship with key predators or ‘partners’ withwhom they co-exist: the crocodile and the water tiger. The lattercreature is a mysterious being, unknown to science. It may originate incosmologies shared widely among Amerindian cultures in which theterrestrial world is mirrored by a watery underworld populated byaquatic counterparts such as the water tiger (jaguar).

Mayangna brochure (f) 4:Layout 1 31/3/10 12:27 Page 15

The Way ForwardPublication of these two volumes on Mayangna Knowledge of theInterdependence of People and Nature marks the culmination of along and intensive phase of work. It is also the beginning of newand equally challenging endeavors. Acknowledging the knowledgeand experience of indigenous peoples, in this case the Mayangna,has important implications for both education and conservation.

The book creates new opportunities for safeguarding andreinforcing the transmission of indigenous knowledge in bothcommunities and classrooms. It also provides a foundation forenhancing biodiversity management by bringing indigenousknowledge on board alongside science, and by reinforcingrecognition of indigenous peoples as resource managers in theirown right. The book provides a springboard for addressing theseimportant additional challenges.

Conocimientos del Pueblo Mayangna sobre

la Convivencia del Hombre y la Naturaleza:

Peces y TortugasBy Paule Gros and Nacilio Miguel FrithzAvailable in Spanish and Mayangna

Volume 1: 284 pages including chapters on 30 types of fish and onMayangna worldviews.

Volume 2: 168 pages including chapters on 6 types of turtles, fishingtechniques and uses.

More than 340 photos; 84 original illustrations by Mayangna artists; 20 maps,diagrams and tables.

KNOWLEDGES OF NATURE SERIES No. 3Published in 2010 by UNESCO’s Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems(LINKS) programmewww.unesco.org/links

With the financial support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Nicaragua, the Spanish Agency for International Development and the Central AmericanCommission for Environment and Development.

The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do notimply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legalstatus of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delineation of itsfrontiers or boundaries. The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of thefacts contained in this text and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarilythose of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.

Compiled and edited by: Douglas Nakashima and Claudia BenavidesArt and design: Baseline Arts Ltd, Oxford and J. CheftelDrawings: Cristobal Thamy LópezImages: Paule Gros and Menuka Scetbon-didi

© UNESCO 2010

For more information, please contact:Douglas Nakashima, Chief, Small Islands and Indigenous Knowledge SectionUNESCO SC/PSD/SII - 1, rue Miollis, 75732 Paris, [email protected]

SC–2009/WS/30 REV.

http://www.unesco.org/links

mailto:[email protected]

a brief presentation of the book - unesdoc...

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