Mẽmõrtũmre te ampo kur xà kôt harẽn xà

Foodways of the Mẽmõrtũmre (Canela) people

Abstract

This article presents the results of the author’s community-based research project. The study addresses the foodways of the Mẽmõrtũmre (Canela) people. The topic was announced to the community on December 9, 2022, in the village plaza, before the community authorities and other members who are part of the village’s social organization. I chose this topic because it is very important to record and document how the Mẽmõrtũmre people live in their territory, through the production and consumption of their food, whether in households, in the fields, in the courtyard, at cultural festivals, along the village’s circular street, or among family members who share food in everyday life. It is important to maintain this relationship and to value our traditional foods as taught by the wisest among us, such as elders, who are our living libraries and must be consulted about the past and present of the foods we consume daily. Some foods may be consumed only by the elders of the household during cultural festivals; for example, during the ritual of the seclusion festival (Ikrere, Pepjê, and Pepcahàc), younger people or adolescents are not allowed to eat heavy foods throughout the ritual period. This was recorded for the future, and I wrote about traditional foods from the gardens that are present in the households along the village’s circular street. The testimonies and writings focus on traditional foods used in ritual celebrations.