By Nandkumar M Kamat
A scientific herbarium preserves plant species in the dry state for taxonomic and biological studies. A living herbarium showcases plant species for parataxonomic and cultural purposes. In ancient times it was difficult for people to get knowledge of useful and useless plants without venturing in the wild. The living indigenous herbarium, locally known as ‘matoli’ was born, from very primitive shamanistic practices.
This folk herbarium constituting leaves, fruits, flowers, rhizomes, tubers, corms, seeds and nuts, on display during the Ganesh festival, is educative. The first level of education is in the selection of items for the matoli. This is imparted expertly by people who collect and market the plant species from wild.
The matoli market of Banastarim is famous for a wide range of matoli items. A buyer gets instant education while enquiring about the components of the indigenous herbarium display. Normally, Indians hate to either display or touch poisonous plant species. But an exception is made for matoli display. During Ganesh Chaturthi an interesting display of plants is found above the Ganesh idol. This sacred plant display has no decorative or votive purpose. It can also be interpreted as a tribute to the local seasonal biodiversity. Beyond symbolism, it also tells us the story of evolution of agrarian communities in the Konkan and the transition of shamanistic tribal or semi nomadic system to settled farming villages.
Over the last few years the efforts of the Art and Culture Department of Goa has made matoli a cultural icon of Goa. Although very few people participate in the state level competition those who do strive hard to display as many items as possible.
The number of species used in the annual matoli competition has now exceeded hundred and twenty. Rupesh Poinguinkar of Poinguinim, Canacona had once displayed a record four hundred and fifty three items while Rama Ozrekar from Bambatwada-Maloli, Sattari had once displayed three hundred and eleven items. Both have an excellent knowledge of Goa’s seasonal biodiversity because the talukas of Sattari and Canacona still sport pristine plant habitats and interesting wild species.
On an average fifteen to twenty-five plant species can easily be found in matoli displays in rural areas. The figure is lower in urban areas. The fear is that the tradition may die as people in towns find it very difficult and cumbersome to source wild plant species. However, such giant displays of seasonal plants, in the small domestic space, is not seen anywhere in India. We can also consider the matoli to be a cultural fossil of food gathering stage of prehistoric human cultural evolution on the west coast.
The origin of matoli lies in the interaction of humans with wild plants. Bhushan Bhave along with Satarkar has documented an illustrated trilingual monograph on the matoli tradition of Goa.
The matoli tradition cannot be permitted to die. Exotic fruits and vegetables can’t replace traditional ethnic items. Habitat fragmentation and forest loss has caused a lot of damage to natural habitats of a large number of wild plant species, which are now being imported from Maharashtra and Karnataka. People seem to forget that each and every plant included in this herbarium has a story to tell.
Edible wild plant species provided food security to the first settlers. Medicinal wild plant species ensured that people could cure themselves with simple herbal remedies. Poisonous plant species helped warn people to stay safe from their exploitation or accidental use. Having spent a considerable amount of time in food gathering in pre agricultural stage, our ancestors had become knowledgeable about the plant diversity in familiar habitat. Then a way was found to gather these plants from the wild and display them in places visited by others during a festival. Knowledge about plant diversity and their uses was thus informally exchanged by local communities. So the matoli tradition also served the purpose of grassroots level informal ethno botanical education at the community level.
Matoli can educate a family in a short time provided the one who displays it is familiar about all species. With urbanisation and globalisation, the knowledge aspect of the matoli is being forgotten and only the religious and ritualistic sides are being promoted. There is a danger of ready to display synthetic matoli kits entering Goan markets. That would defeat the legacy, essence and spirit of matoli as an age old living plant herbarium of indigenous wild plant species of Goa.
Matoli is well integrated in the eco theological dimension of Lord Ganesha worship. The sacred idol represents the whole biosphere and the floral chandelier represents the magic of earth’s fertility and biodiversity. Respecting the matoli and conserving these traditions would be good for Goa.