Page 10 - HOH

Thursday 21 sepTember 2023 locAl
A10

Episode 54: Bats; Valuable Pollinators and associated superstitious beliefs

Bats provide humans with uncal-
culal benefits at the cost of some
threats. Bats are great pollinaters
and feeds basicly from night-
blooming columnar cactus flow-
ers and fruits and agave flowers
and many indangerd plants and
trees of the island. Bat dung has
been mined as guano from caves
and used as fertilizer. A healthy bat
population is crucial for a healthy
ecosystem. In Aruba approximate-
ly eight different bat species have
been identified: insect eating bats,
fruit and nectar eating bats. Both
insectivores and frugivores spe-
cies are masters when it comes to
preserving a balance in our islands
fragil biodiversity.

Insectivorous bats banquet on in-
sects from sundown and darker
hours, saving the islands annually
budged millions of Aruban florins
of imported toxics pesticides. There
are fewer insects when bats are
around that hunts insects and there where more than 1.5 million bats the paintings and drawing of older
are less insect pests that causes roost during the summer months. times. Bat figures are also found in
damage to vegetables and gar- More than 100,000 tourists come to prehistoric artwork and stone work
den plants. If open air agriculture this area annually. like pendants or pottery.
is to become a next call, farmers
don’t have to invest as much in Bats are associated with different The Mayans had a bat god called
pesticides and will build bat roost- cultures and mean different things Camazote, who was said to have
ing boxes in order to welcome to different people: tested human souls with a large
them to stay and propagate while In many cultures, bats are popu- sword. This is slightly negative, since
collecting their fertilizing guano. larly associated with darkness, evil, the bat is associated with violence.
One bat eats equally up to three witchcraft and death. In Biblical tradition, bats were be-
times their weight on an average lieved to be messengers of Satan.
night! To the Amerindian tribes of the The Puritans believed that if a bat
our national park, long-nose and northwestern United States, bats flew close to someone, somebody
Several species of bats of Aruba long-tongue bats are perfectly are symbols of diligence; while in was trying to bewitch them. The
eat nectar. As mentioned, many adapted to pollinate these plants, the Great Plains, they imparted Chinese, however, view the bat
types of our endemic plants of our and they provide extensive value wisdom on their people. In the as a symbol of happiness. They are
ecosystem rely on bats for pollina- to the biosphere. So next time you southwest and Mexico, they are amazing creatures. Bats often rep-
tion and seed dispersal, such as see our agave in bloom say thank representative of death and re- resent death in the sense of letting
the quebedexi and huliba tree. you to the bats. birth, because they go under- go of the old, and bringing in the
The agave species, the candela- ground in the early morning, and new. They are symbols of transition,
bra cacti’s such as the cadushi, People are often fascinated with then appear again each night in of initiation, and the start of a new
the cadushi plushi and the breba bats. In fact, one of the largest a noisy hoard. So they are reborn beginning.
etc. All around the island and in tourist attractions in Austin Texas is every night, flooding out from their
caves. Nevertheless, bats were very im-
portant to the early settlers of Aru-
The mythology of the Mesoameri- ba, the recurrence of incorporat-
cans have the bat as a shadow of ing these flying mammals in to their
darkness that looms over them. It is artistic expressions stands as testi-
a symbol of the land of the dead mony in our Native Art Living Gal-
and part of the underworld. When lery at Westpunt 37A, Noord.
a person would see one it could
mean that death or destruction To immerse in what Aruba is all
was sure to happen in their near about. Its people, its origins, its ani-
future. mals and culture, we highly recom-
mend you to book your visit for our
The pre-Columbian culture dis- renowned cultural encounter ses-
played the bat as one of their leg- sion which has been entertaining
endary gods. They are often part of curious, scientist and bohemians
for decades. Mail us at etniana-
Article by: Etnia Nativa tiva03@gmail.com to confirm your
participation. Our facilities and ac-
tivities take place close to high rise
Whatsapp us +297 592 2702 and book hotels.
your Aruban exprerience
Etnia Nativa is close to the high rise hotels Source; Etnia Nativa