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            Lessons from our elders: Plants and fruits for medicinal use


            (Oranjestad)—Though       western                                       Arrowroot                           to find in supermarkets around the
            medicine  is  now  widely  used  for                                    Arrowroot is native to tropical Amer-  world  and  can  be  grown  all  year
            common illnesses and to keep our                                        ica and can be sold as a powder  round on the island. Related to pota-
            bodies healthy and happy, it is still                                   or whole. It is said that you can take  to and tomato, eggplants are good
            very common in every household                                          arrowroot powder and make a “sha-   to calm nerves. It can also be used to
            in Aruba (and around the world) to                                      lup” (porridge) for stomach pain or  lower blood pressure, by steeping its
            have staple home remedies that is                                       when you’re feeling weak. You can  leaves in boiled water and drinking
            passed on through generations. Here                                     make it with milk too, but it is advised  it. You can also make eggplant juice
            are some tips that our elders have                                      to best use just water. You can also  to help purify your blood. However,
            passed on to us over the years.                                         add prunes for a bit of sweetness.  do make sure to drink slowly; let it
                                                                                    Arrowroot shalup is also good to treat  mix with your spit and then swallow.
            Pineapple                           this can be used to stimulate men-  an unhealthy gut or for diarrhea.
            Pineapple  has  more  uses  than  struation  flow  in  women.  This  also                                   Eggplant kataplan* can also be used
            topping it on your Christmas ham.  stimulates the passing kidney stones.  To make arrowroot shalup, boil a bit  to treat skin tumors, abscesses and
            According  to  elders,  the  skin  of  a  When ripe, the fruit can be used for  of water and add one tablespoon  hemorrhoids.  Eggplant  kataplan
            pineapple is great to use to refresh  poisoning in the gut and can help  of arrowroot powder and stir con-  can also be used externally to treat

            your body. Clean the skin thoroughly  treat rheumatic diseases, like arthritis.  tinuously  until  you  reach  porridge  arthritis..q
            and make tea or warapa* with it. It is                                  consistency. If you make a shalup
            said that this tea can also be drank  However,  breastfeeding  women  with milk, add a pinch of salt. Raw  *warapa:  term  referring  to  a  wa-
            after an operation on the ovaries or  who cannot produce much milk are  arrowroot powder can be used to  ter and sugar solution, a.k.a simple
            uterus. This gets rid of irritation and  advised not to consume too pine-  powder babies.                   syrup.
            inflammation.                       apple, and people with acid reflux                                      *kataplan: porridge-like mixture used
                                                are recommended to not consume  Eggplant/Aubergine                      externally for wounds or parts of the
            When the fruit is unripe and green,  any pineapple at all.              Eggplants, or aubergines, are easy  body that are painful or swollen.


            Episode 137 - New Year!  Dande “Ay Nobe”!



            Aruba`s  traditional  New  Year was welcomed, the mu-
            Year’s  celebration.  We  do  sical group passed house to
            not know exactly when the  house singing to the rhythm
            rhythm  of  Dande  arose  in  of giving and with the song
            Aruba, it is estimated that it  spreading  good  wishes  to
            was around the year of 1880  the  inhabitants.  The  musi-
            that it really start to be heard  cal  group  consisted  of  a
            all over the island          drummer, a Wiri player, and
                                         a singer. Over the years, in-
            From  the  stories  that  have  struments such as the “cu-
            been passed down through  arta”, guitar, the mandolin,
            generations  we  know  that  accordion and even the vio-
            there  is  a  supposition  that  lin were incorporated. Many
            the Dande was influenced  times,  others  on  the  back
            by  Arubans  returning  from  of  a  donkeys,  went  to  visit
            Cuba  and  coinciding  with  relatives first, infecting each
            the times when the Aruban  home  with  joy  and  good
            people traveled to the island  wishes for the year that has
            to work in the fields. The truth  just begun, then continued
            is that this particular rhythm  through the houses of friends
            does not exist anywhere else  and acquaintances.
            in the world.                As  musicians  were  given
            The word Dande derives from  great  respect,  the  musical
            “dandare” which means to  group would play at the lim-
            go  from  one  place  to  an-  its of the houses they visited,  house  gave  his  approval  ly to the children even the   which the Catholic Church
            other. As for the expression  just at the entrance, or in the  for the group to enter, the  youngest.               celebrates the feast of the
            “Ay nobe” it would be the  front yard. Now if the own-    singer, as a sign of respect  We must emphasize that the   “Dia di Tres Rey “(Three Wise
            result  of  the:  Año  Nuevo  ers of any particular house  for the house and the family,  Dande rhythm, despite be-  Men of the East).
            (New  Year)  of  the  Spanish  invited them to come in, they  would take off his hat. In this  ing written in six eight just like
            language since there is no  will continue playing inside  time there is a belief that the  the tomb rhythm, has its origi-  We propose you one social
            word that in our Papiamento  each home. If the owner of  purpose of removing the hat  nal rhythm that is given by its   encounter & give you more
            language has a relationship  the house did not want to  was to receive money which  own instruments, as in these    reasons to love Aruba! This
            with this expression.        receive them, they did not  is completely wrong.          times the bass that gives it   unforgettable  adventure
                                         insist and went to the next  The  custom  indicates  that  its  original  touch.  The  visits   gets you into a real Aruba’s
            The  custom  indicates  that  house.                      the singer begins to sing to  of the Dande group began    home where you can cap-
            immediately after the clocks                              the owner of the house, then  with the New Year and lasted   ture your destination in both
            struck 12:00 pm and the New  When  the  owner  of  the  to the lady and successive-    until  January  6,  the  day  in   a memorable and immersive
                                                                                                                                way.  Visit  us,  mention  this
                                                      Article by: Etnia Nativa                                                  column and take home a
                                                                                                                                native gift! Appointment is
                                                      Whatsapp us +297 592 2702 and book                                        required:  etnianativa03@
                                                                                                                                gmail.com or WhatsApp at
                                                              your Aruban exprerience                                           297 592 2702 for an exclusive
                                                        Etnia Nativa is close to the high rise hotels                           and insiders’ experience.q
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