L’abeille mellifère (Apis mellifera unicolor) à Mayotte
The relationship between the Mahorans and the honey bee is not fully documented. Honey is a product that is sought after worldwide due to its benefits and medicinal properties. According to the Muslim religion, which has a large majority in Mayotte, honey is viewed as a healing substance of differen...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Laboratoire Éco-anthropologie et Ethnobiologie
2024-06-01
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| Series: | Revue d'ethnoécologie |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ethnoecologie/10544 |
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| Summary: | The relationship between the Mahorans and the honey bee is not fully documented. Honey is a product that is sought after worldwide due to its benefits and medicinal properties. According to the Muslim religion, which has a large majority in Mayotte, honey is viewed as a healing substance of different colors (Sura 16, An-Nahl, v. 69). The place of this insect in social and religious representations and social practices is being questioned due to the archipelago’s multicultural identity and recent evolution of society. Semi-structured interviews (35) have revealed the high value placed on bees in Mayotte for the services they provide to humans. However, the use of honey in the home is clearly declining, as everyone agrees. The increasing difficulty of obtaining authentic honey and changes in local representations and practices are both responsible for this. The reason why collecting honey in the forest remains a marker of identity in Mahoran culture is undoubtedly because of this. Surprisingly, another product was mentioned during the interviews: open brood. Unlike honey, there is a significant divide in opinion that goes beyond generations. Eating bee larvae and pupae is seen by some as a disgusting or wasteful experience, as it prevents the colony from having future workers. According to other respondents, open brood is an exceptional food product that is no longer accessible. Until recently, catching a swarm in your field and keeping bee colonies for as long as possible was an easy way to prevent honey hunting in the forest. A. m. unicolor owners had to be cautious about removing brood and collecting honey sparingly due to the bee’s tendency to leave rural tree cavities. Due to Mayotte’s perception of the honeybee as a wild animal, there is an incredulous and even suspicious attitude regarding the recent development of modern beekeeping on the archipelago. Some respondents expressed concern about beekeeping’s impact on insect behavior, while others doubted the quality of honey produced in mobile-frame hives. |
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| ISSN: | 2267-2419 |