The XIII Ethnography and Folklore Campus of ULPGC, as part of the Villa de Ingenio Festival, dedicated a day to university work on seaweed collectors, traditional crafts, and the dichetes of the municipality.
The intangible heritage of the Canary Islands found a voice at the XIII Ethnography and Folklore Campus of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), held within the XXXI International Folklore Festival Villa de Ingenio. The fourth day, led by geographer and professor Lidia Esther Romero, brought together three research projects from ULPGC students focusing on lesser-known aspects of Canarian popular culture, from seaweed collectors to the dichetes of Ingenio.
The Seaweed Collectors: Women of the Sea Rescued from Oblivion
Historian and archaeologist Javier Adonay Cruz Viera presented his Master's Thesis titled 'Tides of Women: Tracing the Footsteps of the Seaweed Collectors'. The research recovers the memory of the women who for generations collected and utilised seaweed along the Canarian coast, an activity that has nearly disappeared in the second half of the 20th century and has been scarcely studied until now.
Through documents, testimonies, and fieldwork, Cruz Viera reconstructed a universe of which few references remained: the old seaweed beds, the tools they used, and the knowledge passed down from mothers to daughters. "Far from being limited to food, seaweed served as a natural fertiliser for crops, feed for livestock whose goats, according to some testimonies, produced milk with a slight salty taste," explained the researcher. They were also used as a preservative for fish, a remedy to relieve wounds or toothaches, and even featured in ancient popular beliefs related to protection against the evil eye.
The researcher recalled that many of these practices disappeared with the advent of domestic refrigeration and the transformation of fishing and consumption systems. "We live surrounded by the sea, but many times we only remember it when we want to go to the beach or when it's hot," he reflected. His work advocates for the need to continue researching "those small stories" that help to better understand the close relationship of Canarian communities with the sea.
Traditional Crafts Returning to the Classroom
The second research project, led by María de las Nieves Rodríguez Hernández, a graduate in education, proposed incorporating endangered traditional crafts into school learning. Her Bachelor's Thesis (TFG) suggests resources close to students, such as videos, news articles, brochures, or advertising campaigns, to introduce students to fishing, pottery, or basketry.
The proposal combines research activities with practical workshops developed alongside artisans. "The teaching that leaves a mark is not the one that goes from head to head, but from heart to heart," summarised Rodríguez Hernández. The aim is to awaken the curiosity of schoolchildren and help them understand that these crafts are part of their cultural identity before they disappear completely. For the residents of Ingenio, this initiative could provide a boost to local craftsmanship, still alive in the municipality.
The Dichetes of Ingenio, a Sign of Identity in Danger
The day concluded with a journey into the intangible heritage of Ingenio led by philologist Juan José Rivero Caballero, who focused his TFG on the dichetes, those characteristic family nicknames of the municipality that are passed down from generation to generation. His research began from an old proclamation made in 1974 and has allowed the collection of more than sixty dichetes still present in the collective memory of Ingenio.
Unlike individual nicknames, Rivero Caballero explained, "the dichete ends up identifying entire families and constitutes a true local sign of identity, although its use is beginning to fade among younger generations." For the inhabitants of Ingenio, these nicknames are much more than words: they are a form of belonging that is now at risk of fading away. The researcher emphasised the importance of documenting them before they disappear completely.
Beyond the specific results, the three presentations shared a common concern: the need to document and transmit those everyday knowledges that rarely appear in grand historical narratives but are an essential part of the cultural heritage of the Canary Islands. The XIII Ethnography and Folklore Campus once again built bridges between the university and society, demonstrating that research can also protect collective memory. The day concluded with the commented concert 'Atlantic, Fishing Out and Ñandutí Back. A Musical Story about Migration', led by Ingenio's own Carmelo Sánchez Cabrera.
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