Ethnobotanical Legacies of the African Diaspora in Cuba

Abstract

Analysis of archival, visual, and popular culture sources to challenge the official narrative that enslaved Africans and their descendants in Cuba were passive agents in the transmission of natural botanical practices and knowledge. Studies have focused primarily on African influence in terms of plants used in religious practices. Atlantic slavery historiography has devoted little attention, however, to the ethnobotanical legacies of the approximately one million African captives brought to the West Indian island over three and a half centuries. This obscures the contribution of the African diaspora within Cuban society today. Enslaved people must be placed at the center of environmental histories that highlight how they managed the environment and natural resources, and that explore their participation in the development of new crops that enriched Cuba’s agro-botanical heritage. The aim is to rescues the slave roots of some plants, fruits, and popular foods cultivated by enslaved people on their plots, called conucos, even while their slave past was erased from the Cuban collective memory. It also highlight the importance of enslaved people’s botanical knowledge prior to their forced arrival and discusses how some legal proceedings, access to certain professions, and issues surrounding the supply of fruits and vegetables to urban markets were key to shaping colonial society.