Ethnobotany of Mag-Anchi Aeta and Mag-Indi Aeta from two barangays in Porac, Pampanga.

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the ethnobotany of Mag-Anchi and Mag-Indi Aeta of Porac, Pampanga. There were a total of 36 participants from Barangay Inararo and 25 participants from Barangay Villa Maria. Semi-structured interviews with participants revealed that there are 278 plants used by the Aeta which are classified to 59 families. The majority of plants (201 species) were used as medicine. There were 97 plants used as food, 64 plants for material culture and 21 plants with spiritual and religious applications. The ethnobotanical survey among participants from the Mag-Anchi Aeta community of Barangay Inararo showed that they were using 221 plants in which 159 of these were used as treatment for various ailments, 80 were food plants including cash crops, 56 were used for material culture while fourteen 14 were used in their spiritual and religious practices. On the other hand, there were a total of 167 plants mentioned by the participants from the Mag-Indi Aeta community of Barangay Villa Maria in which 109 of these plants were medically important, 57 were food plants, 28 plants were used for material culture and 12 plants were used in their spiritual and religious practices. There were more plants mentioned by the Aeta of Barangay Inararo than the Aeta of Barangay Villa Maria which implies that the former has higher degree of ethnobotanical knowledge than the latter. Musa x paradisiaca had the highest importance value (UVs) and the most frequently mentioned plant species. Despite the influence of the non-Aeta, Mag-Anchi Aeta of Barangay Inararo and Mag-Indi Aeta of Barangay Villa Maria retained their intimate relationship with plants. The researchers showed that the botanical knowledge of the Aeta is part of their culture and these plants will continue to serve them for the next generations.