Ethnomycological Knowledge of Indigenous and Quilombola Peoples of the Brazilian Savanna

Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna), in the central region of the country, is renowned for its biodiversity and is also a territory of significant cultural heritage, where traditional communities maintain ancestral knowledge. This presentation highlights findings from studies on the ethnomycological knowledge of Indigenous and Quilombola peoples in the Cerrado. The Karajá people of Bananal Island (Tocantins state) exhibit an indirect perception of fungi. Children and adolescents refer to mushrooms as hedoro(u), associating their shape with that of traditional thatched-roof dwellings. Although fungi are not part of the local diet, they are present in playful contexts, rituals, and occasionally in traditional medicine. The study indicates a gradual loss of this knowledge, influenced by external factors such as media, emphasizing the urgent need for environmental education initiatives to safeguard this cultural legacy. In parallel, research conducted with the Kalunga Quilombola community (Goiás state) revealed limited familiarity with fungi. While community members assign names based on morphological features and recognize their ecological importance, no dietary use was reported. This knowledge is transmitted orally and is often embedded in myths that contribute to a mycophobic perception—characterized by fear or avoidance of fungi. These findings represent the first ethnomycological records among Brazilian Quilombola communities. Both studies are pioneering within the Cerrado context and highlight the importance of preserving local ecological knowledge. Ethnomycology emerges as a vital tool for bridging traditional knowledge systems with biodiversity conservation and cultural resilience. This research was supported by Lab of Basic, Applied and Science Communication Mycology (FungiLab) and Graduate Program in Natural Resources of the Cerrado (RENAC) at the State University of Goiás (UEG). We thank UEG for logistics, the Research Support Foundation of the State of Goiás (FAPEG) for financial, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for the research productivity grant to SXS, and participants for contributions.