|
Armed with only a digital camera and a passion for plants,
Betsy Isaac set out to share with the world the story of the Masewal medicinal garden and
park in Belize
and natural healer Heriberto Cocom (or Don Beto). Her
documentary, Leaves of Faith, takes
the audience on a virtual tour of the garden as Don Beto shares his knowledge
of the medicinal uses of the plants he has cultivated.
“I had wanted to do something to preserve the garden for the
world because it’s so accessible,” said Isaac. Unlike other medicinal forests,
she explained, the garden is not a remote location that only a few people can
reach by boat, and is therefore more prone to heavy foot traffic from modern
civilization. Isaac also had been afraid that Don Beto’s secrets would die with him
because he did not have an apprentice and none of his children were interested in
herbal medicine.
The DVD follows Mary Wade (whom Isaac had met two days
before filming at a hotel) and Don Beto as they walk through the jungle garden and
examine several species of medicinal plants and discuss their uses. They also
visit an ancient Mayan altar and discuss the importance of paying reverence to
the spirits of the plants. Don Beto claims that there are 590 plants in the
garden and that he knows over 1,000 recipes for those plants. Among the plants
he lists in the DVD for their medicinal and therapeutic uses are cohune palm (Attalea cohune), Crown of Christ (Euphorbia milii), cabbage bark (Andira inermis), and fiddlewood tree (Citharexylum spinosum).
The land was given to Don Beto’s family during British rule
over Belize, which was formerly
known as British Honduras until 1981. During the
family’s control of the land, Don Beto struggled to maintain the 15 acres of
jungle garden and share it with visitors. He has relied on help from college
students studying in Belize
and other volunteers to make signs identifying the medicinal plants along the
path and to help with the garden.
Revenue from sales of this DVD will be used to maintain
garden projects and DVD sale profits have already been donated
to cover the costs of a Mayan hut replica that Don Beto can use while
treating patients.
The Cornerstone Foundation in Belize is
facilitating the sale of the DVD, which is currently for sale for a minimum donation of $25 (US). The DVD
can be ordered by contacting the Cornerstone Foundation at operations@cornerstonefoundationbelize.org or by calling Sheree Fukai at 011+501-678-9909.
—Cassandra Johnson
|