Ethnobotany is the study of the cultural interactions between plants and humans, a relationship which began at the dawn of our history and took on progressively more sophisticated forms as human societies evolved into civilisations. It was agriculture that made this evolution possible, providing the steady supply of food that was indispensable for stability and social cohesion.
Yet the relationship between plants and humans was not limited to agriculture. These living beings also provided raw materials that facilitated daily activities, in addition to their appearance in myths, traditional narratives and as symbolic elements. Until the mid-20th century, Portuguese society was mostly rural and all activities were centred around plants and their annual cycles. Observing and analysing plants allowed our ancestors to accumulate a vast knowledge of their properties and potential uses.
Portuguese material culture included numerous objects linked to cultural activities or necessities which have since profoundly changed or disappeared. Some have survived and are now symbols of regional history or values. Safeguarding this heritage is possible by giving it a new status, not necessarily linked to its functional use but to its cultural significance, which evolves and adapts, acting as an factor of identity and social cohesion. This philatelic issue evokes objects that continue to be produced with raw materials of plant origin following ancestral techniques, and others that are more recent, because tradition can also have contemporary genesis.
In Forjães, the reeds that grow in soils flooded by brackish waters or in river estuaries influenced by the tides are harvested to make their well- known baskets. With a uniform texture and easy to work, alder wood is ideal for the masks of Lazarim, which enliven the Carnival festivities and evoke the old rural performances. The toothpicks of Lorvão, whose history is linked to the monastery of the same name where they were used to decorate cakes and sweets, are carved in willow wood, a common tree on the banks of the watercourses that run through the region. In Glória do Ribatejo, the tradition of embroidery with cotton thread is still linked to the cultural identity of this Ribatejo community, giving distinction to clothing and textiles decorating the domestic space. Raffia is the fibre used to make dolls that evoke the once famous "Witch of Arruda", known in the provincial areas outside Lisbon for her diagnoses and treatments, as well as for her "blessings to repel an evil eye" with drops of olive oil dropped over water. In the Algarve, we find the Mediterranean fan palm, the only palm tree native to Portugal, whose leaves are used in palm crafts, one of the most well-known traditional activities in the region from which everyday objects are made. In Madeira, the famous inlay objects are still manufactured using local woods, such as the Macaronesian holly, an endemic species of the lush Madeiran forest. Using the inner layers of the young branches of the fig tree, skilful hands from Faial create pieces in fig wood which are the most ethereal of all the Portuguese ethnobotanicalheritage.
This issue is also a tribute to all the Portuguese who keep these traditions alive, recognising their value as guardians of a heritage that is important to protect, enjoy and bequeath to future generations.
Luís Mendonça de Carvalho
UNESCO Chair in Ethnobotany
Director of the Botanical
Museum of IPBeja
