FOOD, MEDICINE, INCOME: KNOWLEDGE AND USES OF THE COMMON OPOSSUM (DIDELPHIS MARSUPIALIS) BY RIVERINE COMMUNITIES OF THE AMAZON FLOODPLAIN

Abstract

This work presents results of a research developed in a riverine community located in the Amazon floodplain, in the region of the islands of Abaete­tuba, Pará, Brazil. Adopting an ethnoecologic approach, the study sought to understand the relationship between the riverine inhabitants and the imme­diate environment, from which they adquire the natural resources necessary for their biological and sociocultural reproduction. The research focused on the common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) as a food resource, its medicinal use, and market product. Some elements of sustainability integrated with this extractive activity were also observed. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews were the main methods used. Observations indicate that these riverine communities have a rich and complex knowledge on the different types of the opossum and their habits. Diversely from other amazo­nian communities, which maintain a hostile relationship to the opossum, in this case study the animal has a clear cultural value. In this context, the notion of ethnobiodiversity is of paramount importance to be considered in Brazil, and particularly in the Amazon, which possesses one of the largest reserves of biological diversity in the world. Keywords: Ethnoecology, riverine communities, ethnobiodiversity, common opossum, Amazonia.