The Traditional Ecological Knowledge of the Solega A Linguistic Perspective

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region where hill slopes meet fl at land ( orre ga:ḍu ). Certain conditions need to be
fulfi lled, however, for this bee to nest in a particular location: according to the
Solega, a place needs to be open, i.e. not densely wooded ( bailu ), and cool ( shi:ta ),
for kaḍḍi je:nu to take up residence there. In locales where such conditions exist,
this bee will be found on bushes, on clumps of mistletoe ( uppilu ) growing on bejja
trees, and even on bamboo canes.
The name kaḍḍi je: nu recalls the fact that this species’ comb completely encloses
part of the small twig, or kaḍḍi , to which it is attached. Nests of the dwarf honeybee
also contain a clearly demarcated honey -storage section, namely the uppermost sec-
tion of the comb. The part of the comb below the support branch is used for brood.

7.5.1.4 Nesari je: nu

One species of stingless bee is known to the Solega. Nesari je: nu ( Trigona iridipennis )
is a tiny black bee, which is frequently found in tree hollows. There was some disagree-
ment regarding its preferred habitat, with some Solega claiming that it occurred in all
forest types, and others stating that it was more common in the dryer, lowland forests,
especially at the hill slope-fl at land interface, and in less densely wooded areas.
Nesari je: nu can be found on bejja and ka:rasa trees in dry, open country ( begga:ḍu ),
as well as on asuvara ( Commiphora caudata ). It is possible to fi nd several (5–10) colo-
nies on a single tree. The nesari honey , to which powerful disease- combating proper-
ties are ascribed, starts to be available from the time that the te:ku (teak; Tectona
grandis ) and beṇḍe trees are in fl ower (usually November–December):

Je:nu ma:tra aidu a:ḷa tinna:ku, adu tindale, ella...mansarige e:na ka:yali irtadella,
mugiya oṇṭoitade.
You need to eat fi ve a:la of pure honey , if you eat that, all...the diseases that affl ict a person,
they go away.
The nests of this stingless bee are diffi cult to observe directly, because of their small
size, and their location within tree hollows and rock cavities. However, the Solega
maintain that the brood area is separate from the honey and pollen storage areas.

Excursus 7.3: Types of Honey

Although Aristotle noted that bees collect honey from plants like thyme, and

in fact, “[from] every fl ower that is furnished with a calyx or cup, and from all

other fl owers that are sweet-tasted”, he was convinced that honey is an atmo-

spheric substance deposited on fl owers at certain times of the year, and cited

as evidence, a lack of temporal correlation between the blooming of fl owers

and the production of honey:

... honey is distilled from dew, and is deposited chiefl y at the risings of the constel-

lations or when a rainbow is in the sky: and as a general rule there is no honey before

7.5 Solega Knowledge of Bee Natural History