Food and Medicinal Plants Managed by the Jê Indigenous Peoples: A Systematic Review of the Literature from 1865 to 2021

The diversity of plant species managed by Indigenous peoples is directly related to cultural and linguistic factors. Many species were domesticated to varying degrees in the lowlands of South America. However, there is still a need to better understand the process of species and landscape domestication, especially the management practices of the indigenous populations of inland Brazil, such as the speakers of the Jê language family. With this in mind, we undertook a systematic review of the literature on the plant species used by these peoples for food and medicinal purposes. We examined 126 publications, covering 126 years. A richness of 609 botanical species was identified. Some plants, such as maize, manioc, sweet potatoes, and yams, are managed by peoples across the northern, central, and southern regions, while others are managed exclusively by peoples from within the same linguistic branch or geographical area. The results reveal that the Jê maintain a high level of species diversity with varying degrees of domestication in their food production systems and that the biodiversity generated and managed by these indigenous populations is a key factor for agricultural resilience in a scenario of climatic extremes.

Keywords:
Brazil, Ethnobotany; Jê Language Family; Systematic Review; Traditional Ecological Knowledge