Mozambican Languages and their Role in Indigenous Ecological Knowledge Preservation: The Case of Medicinal Plants in Anyungwe Community

Since language is accredited for the preservation and transference of indigenous ecological knowledge (IEK) across generations, this paper presents the findings about the correlation between languages and indigenous knowledge system of the Anyungwe community. Specifically, the paper presents the outcome of the investigation of medicinal plants used by the Anyungwe in Tete Province in Mozambique. The data comes from the Marara area in the Cinyungwe speaking village in Tete Province. Images of medicinal plants were photographed in Tete Province by a research assistant, and their uses were explained by three elders living in Kachembe. Our findings illustrate that IEK studies must consider the language factor because both language and IEK are culturally bound. The paper follows the hypothesis that, similar to what happens in other Bantu languages, the Anyungwe employs both linguistic resources and the physical and natural environment in assigning plant names. Plants like mulambe [Adansonia digitata], mulengera [Moringa oleifera], and musawu [Zizyphus mauritiana], for instance, have always been used as a cure for diseases like blood pressure, diabetes and anaemia.