Indigenous spirituality surrounding Serianthes trees in Micronesia: Traditional practice, conservation, and resistance

Abstract

Spiritual connections to the natural world are fundamental to Micronesian worldviews. Structured interviews gathered ethnoecological information about Serianthes. The kosmos-corpus-praxis conceptual framework analyzed spirituality surrounding this leguminous tree and its connection with Indigenous cosmology, traditional knowledge, and practices. We can summarize the results as follows: (a) interspecies relationships expressed through rituals and oral history guide ethnobotanical practices in Belau (Palau) and Wa’ab (Yap); (b) the tree is critically endangered on Guåhan (Guam) and Luta (Rota). In Luta, the tree is celebrated as a flagship species for endangered plant recovery, while the last Guåhan tree has become a rallying point for spiritual resistance when its habitat became threatened by military plans to construct a firing range; (c) spirituality is a fundamental value for island communities; and (d) traditional knowledge holders and scholars strive to work together toward a co-production of knowledge, using spirituality as a fundamental principle toward respectful and sustainable biocultural conservation.

Phylogenomic assessment prompts recognition of the Serianthes clade and confirms the monophyly of Serianthes and its relationship with Falcataria and Wallaceodendron in the wider ingoid clade (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae)

“…As traditional uses and endemic languages are intrinsically connected to these endemic species, the islands’ biocultural diversity is also vulnerable to extinction. Indigenous island communities traditionally use Serianthes trees for building canoes, boats and meeting houses, as ethnomedicines, in agriculture and in handicrafts ( Demeulenaere et al 2021 ).…”

“…As traditional uses and endemic languages are intrinsically connected to these endemic species, the islands' biocultural diversity is also vulnerable to extinction. Indigenous island communities traditionally use Serianthes trees for building canoes, boats and meeting houses, as ethnomedicines, in agriculture and in handicrafts (Demeulenaere et al 2021). Nielsen et al (1983Nielsen et al ( , 1984aNielsen et al ( , 1984b discussed the generic limits of Serianthes and the other Malesian, Australian and Pacific Ingeae, based on comparative morphology.…”

Guam's last håyun lågu tree (Serianthes nelsonii) in peril

“…The spiritual value of the håyun lågu and the sacred lands of Litekyan and Tailalo’ were not part of the EIS. While fruit bats pollinate Serianthes in Palau and Yap, it is the Fanihi (Mariana fruit bat) that has been observed feeding on Serianthes in the Mariana Islands (Demeulenaere et al, 2021). Fanihi is listed as threatened under the ESA and sightings of Fanihi on Guåhan are noted along the Northern plateau, including Tailalo’ (Department of Navy, DoD, 2015b).…”

“…In effect, military expansion projects were prioritized over the recovery of an endangered species. Losing this tree would further disrupt the environmental and cultural connections with the sacred lands of Tailalo’ (Demeulenaere et al, 2021). For Indigenous peoples, place‐specific relationships between the land, plants and people are at the heart of sustainability (Perez, 2015).…”

Abordagem dos sistemas socioecológicos como lente teórica para pesquisas em Ciência Ambiental

“…As abordagens bioculturais se inserem em estudos sobre sistemas socioecológicos para integrar os aspectos culturais e biofísicos (e.g.,RAYNE et al, 2019; BOCK et al, 2021;DEMEULENAERE et al, 2021), com o objetivo de amenizar as perdas culturais e de biodiversidade, bem como garantir os direitos humanos das populações tradicionais(GAVIN et al, 2015) Gavin et al (2015). propõem oito princípios para a conservação biocultural, dos quais destacam-se: adaptar as intervenções conservacionistas ao contexto socioecológico; conceber e utilizar estruturas institucionais diversas e aninhadas; incorporar os direitos e responsabilidades distintos de todas as partes; e respeitar e incorporar diferentes visões de mundo e sistemas de conhecimento no planejamento da conservação biocultural.…”