History of Acai Berry

Most of you reading this article must have already read about the acai berry, heard about it, and probably seen numerous advertisements in newspapers, television and the internet. There is a very interesting story behind the discovery of the acai berry. It is part of tribal folklore in the Amazon rainforests. Read along to find out fascinating details of this super fruit that is currently a rage in the western world.
The history of the acai berry is entwined with the history of the Amazon. The Amazon River basin is home to about thirty percent of animal and plant species on the planet. It has twenty percent of the earth’s freshwater. There are many indigenous tribes inhabiting the rainforests in the Amazon River basin. The Shuar and Kayapo are examples of such Indian tribes.
There were certain people among the tribes who were well versed with the medicinal properties of the plants and animals found in the rainforests. The Shuar tribe called these medicine men as uwishin.
According to tribal folklore there was one such tribe in the Amazon centuries ago. It was headed by a chieftain named Itaki. He had a daughter named Iaca. The tribe was prospering and lived happily. But prosperity created new problems. The population of the tribe was increasing steeply and food was becoming difficult to procure to feed all of them.
The tribesmen were concerned about the alarming situation and approached chief Itaki for a solution. The chief pondered over the problem and issued an order that all newborn babies be killed.
As fate would have it Iaca gave birth to a baby girl and as per the chief’s order the newborn was put to death. Iaca, like any mother, was heartbroken and plunged into depression. One night as Iaca was sleeping in her hut she heard the cries of her baby girl.
She ran out of the hut in search of her baby and stopped near a tree. She felt that the cry of the baby was coming from atop the tree and hugged the tree looking towards the top. The next day the tribesmen found her dead.
As Iaca died looking at the top of the tree tribesmen plucked the fruit of the tree and ate it. It satiated their hunger and made them feel more energetic. The chief was taken aback at the development and revoked his order. Acai berry is Iaca spelled backwards.