Ethnobotany Manual of the Yoreme Mayo People

For the Cahita peoples, native to the Sonoran Desert, Juyya ania (the world of the monte) is a foundational concept of origin—a space where plants, animals, fungi, and humans coexist. Ritual practices like the deer dance, pajkola and coyote dances, traditional sones, and other ceremonies are dedicated to honoring the beings that make up the Sonoran Desert.

Unfortunately, cultural segregation today is manifesting through social and environmental challenges such as the loss of native language, declining knowledge of natural resources, and habitat degradation. To help prevent the continued disappearance of traditional environmental knowledge, this project will create a book titled “Yoreme-Mayo Botanical Knowledge: Ethnobotanical Resources.” The book will focus on three main domains of botanical knowledge: medicinal plants, ritual plants, and culinary plants.

This project aims to disseminate ancestral knowledge of human–nature relationships, revive traditional medical and culinary practices, and promote respect for Yoreme-Mayo ritual traditions. It will also encourage dialogue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, emphasizing the care and conservation of native botanical resources.

To develop the content, discussion tables will be held with traditional cooks, healers, artisans, and botanists to identify native plant species and their uses within Yoreme culture.