Socioeconomic Factors and Cultural Changes Explain the Knowledge and Use of Ouricuri Palm (Syagrus coronata) by the Fulni–ô Indigenous People of Northeast Brazil

Socioeconomic Factors and Cultural Changes Explain the Knowledge and Use of Ouricuri Palm ( Syagrus coronata ) by the Fulni–ô Indigenous People of Northeast Brazil. The contact of indigenous people with non–indigenous societies has provoked socioeconomic and cultural change. One of the main consequences of these changes is the deviation of cultural traits, which may be related to a decrease in traditional knowledge of natural resources. We collected data on the knowledge and usage of the Ouricuri palm ( Syagrus coronata ), cultural change variables, and socioeconomic profiles of artisans of the Fulni–ô indigenous community of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. We found that diversity of resources for craft production and higher levels of education were related to a higher knowledge of Ouricuri palms. The practice of collecting Ouricuri leaves is maintained by younger artisans, those who diversify the resources for craft production, and those who diversify their income-generating activities. However, Fulni–ô who used leaves from such species had lower levels of education compared with those who did not use them, demonstrating that higher educational levels contribute to the maintenance of Ouricuri knowledge, but not to the Ouricuri leaf usage.