Rainforest camp teaches traditional healing
Before he died in 1996 Don Elijio Panti, Belize’s most renowned traditional healer asked Dr. Rosita Arvigo, the head of Ixchel Farms, a research center in the Cayo District, to pass on what she learned from him to future generations. In keeping with her promise, Dr. Arvigo invites children to Ixchel Farm every summer to live in the rainforest. News Five was there for the first camp last year and when the invitation was extended again, we headed west to see what’s new in this unique program that shares ancient secrets.
The children who are mostly from the Cayo district spent their time in the rainforest identifying the medicinal plants and learning how they are used to cure various illnesses. The camp, now in its second year, is designed for primary school students. This year’s participants were very enthusiastic.
Tomas Serrut, 12 Years Old
“I came because I wanted to learn more about the different medicinal plants and what they can be used for and also if whatever happen to my family then we would know instead of going off and buying some expensive medicine that there are some plants
just nearby waiting to be used.”
Joseph Coleman, 13 Years old
“Learn about the different bushes, the different uses of the bush, learn the different types of plants, how to plant them and take care of them.”
Jeanah Roberson, 13 Years Old
“You know cause I want to be a bush doctor I really like.”
Q: “That is interesting. Why do you want to be a bush doctor?”
Jeanah Roberson
“I just like the feeling when people say, oh, thank you, you help me with my rash; you help me with my chewing problem, toothache or something.”
Patti Gildea Long, Director, Camp
“I think what is great is when kids come here to visit they have to be rushed through. They see the medicine trail, they pick up a little bit. But when you get to stay here and live with the plants and see them and interact with them in a fun way, in a slow way I think they really develop an interest. When the Forestry came here and gave them a program and asked them how many kids want to have a career taking care of the plants of Belize all the little hands shot up.”
Jacqueline Woods
“One of the activities this year includes the children transplanting seedlings that were rescued from parts of the forest that are being cut down.”
Thara Gamero, Coordinator, Camp
“There is sort of a problem, we have a lot of areas where people have put up pastures, cow pastures, sheep pastures and these areas are cleared and when the river such as the Macal River rises very quickly, it sort of erodes the river banks and it starts eating away the banks.”
The plants were rescued last year and put in a nursery to recover. This week the boys and girls planted them in protected areas along the camp’s medicine trail. They didn’t seem to mind getting their hands a little dirty. There were twelve different medicinal plants to relocate. The children were divided up into groups and given two plants to put in the ground.
Tomas Serrut
“It’s a mahogany and its bark can be used to cure an early stage of skin cancer. But other plants if you boil the leaves you can drink a tea but with this, you can’t do it because it is poisonous; like the leaves you can’t put it into your body.”
Rafael Gamero, 10 Years Old
“The China Root is good because it is good for your blood. Because it is red, it is good for rheumatism, arthritis.”
Elishabath Leidy-Briggs, 12 Years Old
“They gave us a plant and we have to learn up on it and do research and we have to, me and Jeanah, have to do the Gumbo Limbo tree and it is good for poison wood, rashes and stuff like that.”
After the seedlings were transplanted, the children had to do one more thing to make sure the plants would grow to maturity. They called on God to protect the forest.
Kids praying
“Help all other plants of the trees. Help people to realize that the forest is important to us because of the oxygen it gives. Help these plants that they may grow high into the sky. Show the people of the world that this plant is important to each and everyone of us.”
While the children did learn about the methods of traditional medicine, most admitted they had never tasted the stuff.
Q: “Have you ever taken bush medicine before?”
Jeanah Roberson
“No.”
Q: “Your parents?”
Jeanah Roberson
“No.”
Elishabath Leidy-Briggs
“I will try to see if I can use it when I go back home but it is definitely not like this where I come from so I don’t know. If I ever come back of course I will use it.”
Tomas Serrut
“Well I knew about the rose that you can eat a petal a day to give you energy. I have used that before but other than that I don’t think so.”
But whether or not the next generation’s bush doctors and plant conservationists ever sample the plants they love, they are sure to protect and lovingly care for them from now on.
The nine day camp ends this Sunday.
