Differentiated Content: An Expose on Ceiba Pentandra and Ficus Thonningii Species as Perceived in the Haitian Beliefs

Abstract

Among the woody species found in Haiti, two are of primary importance: Ceiba pentandra, known in the region as mapou, and its counterpart, Ficus thonningii (or Figuier maudit). Both species are renowned in various places worldwide for their medicinal and pharmaceutical attributes. However, in Haiti, they are primarily associated with entrenched meanings related to the cultural beliefs and practices of native Haitians, who staunchly maintain the supernatural potentialities of these flora. Several researchers attest to their numerous healing benefits for the symptoms of many illnesses, but medical data have not been sufficiently compelling despite this pervasive belief system. Longitudinal inquiries could uncover a cultural motive for this fixation on unproven facts, at the risk of underestimating many other valuable attributes of the trees. In this study, general system theory was applied to analyze aspects of Haitian culture relative to individual beliefs about those species. The rationale of this phenomenon could be a case of communicative autopoiesis, whereby a system of operations creates a structure, thus establishing a network that continuously reproduces more operations within the system. Those traditional perceptions are trapped and buried, without the possibility of refinement or factual examination. The rigidity of those norms is so questionable that the presumption of a principle was essential. In the present study, it was assumed that those traditions derive from a series of linguistic operations that create a network wherein the process of autopoiesis occurs repeatedly in the system (L.O.A.S), as this network continues to replicate. The claim is that there is a method of communication that exists and maintains those trends. The assertion here is to cultivate an alternative to deep-rooted cultural views as much as to enlighten the locals with valuable knowledge and benefits regarding the flora under consideration.