Firewood, Forests, and P'urhepecha Knowledge

What is K’ueramu? Xunhanda?

K’ueramu is the P’urhepecha word for ocote. Ocote is commonly known throughout so called Latin America as a great fire-starting wood, usually harvested from pines. K’ueramu helps us in everyday tasks to start fires for cooking, bathing, warmth, and festivities/ceremonies.

What makes k’ueramu so great is the xunhanda immersed throughout the pine’s bark. Xunhanda is the P’urhepecha word for resina (Spanish) or resin (English). Xunhanda or resin is a fluid made by some plants (mostly trees) which is composed from various chemical compounds, usually essential oils and hydrocarbons [1]. There are different types of resin, each with its own chemical formula and properties.

This post is an introduction to k’ueramu’s cultural and scientific properties that make this wood so valuable to my community in Uricho and many others like it. To do so, allow me to take you across our P’urhepecha forests, surrounded by dozens of plant and animal species. Amongst those species, you see a dead pine tree. It has its signature pine needle leaves, smell, and brown crisp pinecones.

But is it a pine tree with k’ueramu?

The pine tree you have in front of you belongs to Pinaceae tree family, which has more than 200 pine species and even more subspecies all over turtle island [2]. The Pinaceae family is amongst a couple few other plant families that make xunhanda or resin. Pine trees can grow up to 40 meters [3]. Some examples of pine species that are more likely to produce k’ueramu are the pinus ponderosa species from Arizona and the pinus oocarpa native throughout Mexico and Central America [3].

To answer our question about our pine tree and k’ueramu, we will carefully look for signs of xunhanda on our bark. Xunhanda should not be confused with sap. Sap is a sugary and watery fluid while xunhanda/resin is a super thick sticky fluid-like substance [1]. The tree we found earlier has some yellowish sticky fluid seeping between its cracking bark aka xunhanda!

What is the relationship between xunhanda and k’ueramu?

We got lucky to find some xunhanda on this laying tree but that doesn’t mean this tree is k’ueramu. Xunhanda is stored within a pine tree's cell ducts and moves throughout the tree [1]. If xunhanda is exposed to the air outside, it hardens into the sticky thick yellow fluid. Sometimes only the outer bark of the tree has xunhanda, so we don’t consider it k’ueramu. But when the inside of the tree also has xunhanda, then we can happily dance and call it k’ueramu.

Why is xunhanda so special?

It’s special in two ways: one for humans and the other for trees. For my family, bringing home k’ueramu means easy fires for us to cook, bathe, and stay warm. If the harvest is plentiful, we can even sell or trade with it for other goods in our community.

For the pine trees, xunhanda means care and protection. Xunhanda functions as a physical barrier from pests and diseases. Pest will get caught and trapped within xunhanda’s super sticky self. Xunhanda also has antibacterial and antifungal properties that protect the tree from possible infections [4]. This means xunhanda acts as a band-aid for when the tree is cut/hurt by increasing production to quickly seal and treat the wound. It has also been shown that xunhanda has high antiseptic properities which prevent decay [4]. Moreover, since xunhanda does not dissolve in water, pine trees can retain more water or prevent water loss in its tissues [4].

Why does xunhanda burn so easily?

To answer this question, we will add to our definition of xunhanda. Xunhanda or resin is made of a mix of chemical compounds that are mostly long chains of hydrocarbons [5] Hydrocarbons are organic compounds that are made of hydrogen and carbon atoms that are covalently bonded to each other. Covalent bonds store lots of energy so when they break, they produce lots of energy. We know this energy as fire!

When a hydrocarbon is exposed to fire, the hydrocarbons combust with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, water, heat, and light [6]. In other words, we get to see, feel, and smell the fire created from this combustion reaction. Xunhanda is made of hundreds of covalently bonded hydrocarbons which make it burn so easily. When xunhanda is well integrated into the tree, we get k’ueramu, our amazing natural fuel starter.

Chemical equation: A hydrocarbon combusts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, water, and fire

So, was our dead tree k’ueramu afterall?

Not sure. We cannot access the inside of our tree because we forgot our ax! We can’t say yet. But this gets us thinking about sustainably harvesting pine trees for k’ueramu, the fishy logging businesses in the Michoacan sierras displacing people and forests, and the deforestation and health of the forest, lake, and people.

I don’t have answers to these thoughts yet. Partly because accessing this information is risky. It’s not public information and its politics are sketchy. My aunt told me that there are some laws prohibiting the deforestation of pines and other trees in the sierras. However, I am unsure about its enforcement and whether it’s an integrative solution for forest conservation and Indigenous communities.

There are other industries that pose a threat to P’urhepecha forests like the avocado industry, which wipe out acres of trees for the harvest of avocados. On my runs and walks through the forest, I pass by miles of avocado camps. Not to mention the water politics required to upkeep the avocado industry which contributes to the scarcity of water in many municipalities around Michoacan. Although the effects of the growing avocado industry (thanks to white capitalist demands) are still unknown, it's clear that sustainable practices must be in place to ensure that k’ueramu continues to be part of the P'urhepecha tradition of starting fires.