Rainy Season Food Behavior of Selected East Nicaraguan Miskito Indians

Abstract

The availability, distribution, and consumption of food by a group of Miskito Indians during Nicaragua's rainy season were studied. Field research was conducted in July and August of 1976 in the small, east coast village of Kakabila. Field study methods included observation, participant observation, and key informant interviewing. A week each was spent with four families in home observation. The family plantation (farm) was the source of the largest percentage of total servings of food for each family observed (mean = 39%). Other frequently served foods were obtained from village grocery stores, fishing, village fruit trees, and loans, gifts, and purchases of food from other vil lagers. Cassava was identified as the core food in the diet of participating families. Other important foods in the diet were fish, green bananas, breadfruit, coconut milk, coconut water, and mangoes. The Nicaragua rainy season is made up of both rainy and non‐rainy days. Because Kakabila villagers often travelled a great distance from their home to procure food each day, it was hypothe sized that the seasonal rains (rainy days) of Nicaragua's rainy season would alter the core foods consumed by the villagers by interfering with food procurement. However, the villagers adapted to seasonal shortages of food through a food sharing system. Thus, this hypothesis was not confirmed.