“fruit of Pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes)

Of all planetary beings, humans have exploited palms to the highest degree, ranking with grasses and legumes as one of the most nutritionally-rich plant groups on the planet. Particularly for indigenous cultures of Costa Rica, native palms (specifically, the Pejibaye) are a major caloric intake on a regular and renewable basis. Furthermore, the traditional Indian family lives in a house where the floors and walls are made from palm trunk, the thatch roof from the palm leaves, cook the palm fruits, drink fermented beverages from palm fruits, make weapons from hard palm trunk to hunt wild animals (who also feed on the palm fruits). Furthermore, palms provide materials for making toys, household utensils, ornaments, jewelry, musical instruments, and more. Indians of the Americas can be accurately termed to as a palm culture; palms provide for nearly all their material necessity, as well as enriching their spiritual lives, as revealed in myth, religion, and origins of the world.

In the last half century, scientific study of the native palm has boomed. Science is beginning to recognize what indigenous cultures have known since ancient times, the vital role palms play in the tropical ecosystem.