Rescue and dissemination of ancestral knowledge of the Montuvio people to produce traditional soap

The work deals with the recovery of ancestral knowledge in the Montuvio Manabita people as an extension proposal to the community, for which the main objective was to disseminate ancestral knowledge through the planting of the traditional soap tree to produce natural liquid soap that can be used to wash clothes by hand, in a washing machine and even as a shampoo. The project was located in the El Limón commune of the Picoazá rural parish of the Portoviejo canton, in the Manabí province of the zone4. We worked with an intentional sample of 20 families, the technique of focus groups; The method to be used contemplates two phases, the first of planting the soap on the edges of the farms, preferably on the banks of the irrigation canals or the river, and the second phase of training on the production of soap using soap seeds. The result was that the dissemination of ancestral knowledge in the communities constitutes a practical application that can contribute as a way of reactivating the local post-covid-19 economy, applying ancestral techniques for the elaboration of various products from the Manabí field.


Introduction
The Constitution of Ecuador, in its Title VII inherent to the regime of good living, section eight, establishes that the national system of science, technology and ancestral knowledge "within the framework of respect for the environment, nature, life, cultures and the sovereignty, will have the purpose of: … Recovering, strengthening and promoting ancestral knowledge", being the responsibility of the state "Guarantee freedom of creation and research within the framework of respect for ethics, nature, the environment, and the rescue of knowledge ancestral" (Constituent Assembly, 2008).
Being the competent body the Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (SENESCYT) that coordinates the National System of Science, Technology, Innovation and Ancestral Knowledge, which implies the recovery of traditional knowledge used as a preponderant factor to promote a social economy of knowledge that contributes to generate value and social wealth; In addition to being defined as the conglomerate of actors, participants, and beneficiaries, be they institutions, organizations, individuals, legislation, policies, regulations, a process that can generate science, technology, and innovation as participants in this social economy (National Assembly, 2016).
The SENESCYT promotes the protection of traditional knowledge, this entity has the function of allocating a budget for the management and protection of ancestral knowledge, advising in the negotiations of the communities and interested parties, issuing its favorable criteria at the end of the process (Reyes, 2017 ).
Likewise, the Organic Code of the social economy of knowledge, creativity and innovation (COESC), legislates, among others, the right of citizens to their traditional knowledge, established in article 513, which reads "the legitimate possessors are the communities, peoples, indigenous nationalities, the Afro-Ecuadorian people, the Montuvio people and the legally recognized communes that inhabit the national territory" (National Assembly, 2016).
For its part, the regulation of the organic code of the social economy of knowledge, creativity and innovation establishes that it is the Senescyt that determines the distribution of benefits and consent if the country has released the rights to the legal owners. (National Assembly, 2017).
The ancestral knowledge constitutes traditional knowledge of knowledge and practices preserved over time by the native peoples, configuring a particularity of their varied identity between different nationalities of indigenous peoples and that have been transmitted by generations for centuries, determining a harmonious link with the Pacha Mama. considered as a central axis of ancestral knowledge (Villalba & e Inga, 2020).
They are also knowledge about various topics that constitute the cultural identity of the country's aboriginal communities and that are mostly related to culture, beliefs, values, respect and care for mother nature, music and dance, the art of painting recreated in beautiful landscapes, natural and ancestral medicine, traditional food (Núnez, 2018).
They are the possessions of traditional knowledge, the knowledge that has been kept by the wise men and elders of the rural, peasant, indigenous communities and that are passed from mouth to ear as a guide for the entire conglomerate, for the descendants, for all the community and for all the people to keep their ancestral roots alive, to learn to coexist harmoniously with all forms of life in this tiny place in the cosmos called Mother Earth "PACHAMAMA" (FLACSO Ecuador, 2015).
The ancestral, traditional and popular knowledge of Ecuador constitutes a foundation of knowledge management, which are conceived in the national plan for Good Living (Sumak Kawsay) 2013-2017, whose inspiration is the ancestral wisdom itself that includes good knowledge (Sumak Kawsay). Yachay) towards good living (Sumak Kawsay) (Crespo & and Vila, 2014).
In this same context, in 2017, from the ISTPEM academy, the Student Recognition Contest for creativity, knowledge and technological innovation was born, shortly called "CREA INGENIOS", with the purpose of awakening the research component in students of technological higher education. This scientific academic event was inspired by the author, in a national event promoted by the Secretary of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of Ecuador, 7 years ago, which was called National Awards  .
The CREA INGENIOS contest is an academic-scientific event that promotes knowledge, the rescue of ancestral knowledge, creativity and technical-technological innovation of students of higher technological education of the Paulo Emilio Macías Higher Technological Institute, Portoviejo city, Ecuador . This contest has been developed for 3 consecutive years by the aforementioned Institute, except for the year 2020 due to covid-19. The fourth edition has been carried out in the month of August of the year 2021.
In this institutional contest, several works were carried out regarding the rescue of ancestral knowledge of the Montuvio Manabita people for its subsequent dissemination in the community as a contribution to strengthening their family economy. Some of these works have been published in academic journals, have been exhibited at national and international academic events, several of them are compiled in a book published in December 2021 (Macías T., 2021).
One of the issues that are being addressed in terms of recovery of ancestral knowledge of the Manabita countryside is the cultivation of the ancestral soap tree(Sapindus saponaria L.),The fruits of this tree were widely used as soap to wash clothes in the river, due to the foam that it makes when rubbing its shell that contains natural saponin, a non-polluting detergent substance for water sources, however it is not suitable for human or animal consumption (Agriculturers, 2015). In addition, it was used by our ancestors for the daily bath as shampoo and liquid soap, rubbing it directly on the scalp and skin, especially in the estuaries, streams, ravines and waterfalls, where they used to bathe peacefully.
In this sense, the objective of this work is to disseminate the ancestral knowledge of the Montuvio people to the community by planting the traditional soap tree and its consequent production of liquid soap as a way of strengthening peasant family economies.
10.57030/23364890.cemj.31.2.28 244 | P a g e The study was carried out in the El Limón community, in the Picoazá parish of the Portoviejo canton, Manabí province, at the geographic coordinates 1º 04' south latitude and 80º 26' west longitude, as can be seen in figure 1.

Figure 1. Location of the commune El Limón
The community is made up of 190 families registered in the community house as community members, according to the current Legislation of communes. We will work with an intentional sample of 20 families, due to the willingness shown by the families and the accessibility to the homes, given the winter season that was going through at the time of data collection, which made access to homes difficult. , the technique used was focus groups, to work based on similar realities and tastes of the beneficiaries.
The method used contemplates two phases, the first of sowing soap on the edges of the farms, preferably on the banks of the irrigation canals or the river. And the second phase of training. Through the participatory methodology, the groups will work in training workshops on the production of soap using the seeds of soap.

Analysis and discussion of results
In the disclosure proposal, the following results were obtained in a first phase of sowing soap, 20 families were selected and each of them sowed 10 seeds, being able to reproduce between 5 and 6 trees, in six months these grew between 20 and 25 cm. Figure 2 shows the tree and its seeds. For the second phase, workshops were given to train in the process of making artisan soap based on the traditional soap, which is shown in figure 3.

Figure 3. Process of making handmade soap
Once the Saponaria fruit is collected, the nuts are dried and peeled, separating the shells. These peels contain the substance called "saponin" whose main characteristics are detergents. The saponin dissolves preferably with hot water and works like a natural soap that cleanses, producing a very light foam with a pleasant smell. (Chemical Engineering, 2020).
The production of natural liquid soap is very simple, the fruits are washed to remove dust and other impurities, 6 walnut shells are boiled in 1.5 L for 7 minutes, then left to cool, the product is a neutral liquid soap. If you want aroma you can add a few drops of essential oil of fruits or flowers. Figure 4 shows the cost of production, the sale price and the benefit-cost ratio of the production of artisanal liquid soap.

Figure 4. Cost benefit of liquid soap production
The production cost of 1 liter of neutral and natural soap without fragrance is relative since the raw material or direct materials have not cost, being reduced to the purchase of 200ml dispenser containers, whose unit cost is $0.50 wholesale, at which adds indirect materials such as essence for body wash with fragrance, whose approximate costs add up to $0.60.
If the product is sold for $2.00, a benefit-cost ratio of 3.33 can be obtained, which indicates that the production of artisanal liquid soap is feasible and produces socioeconomic benefits in the rural communities where it can be disseminated. generous traditional knowledge. Based on the results obtained, (Loachamín & y Rodríguez, 2022) in their research they determined a price of 1.42 for soap, taking into account the average price of artisan soaps in the market, which is $3.00, which would mean a difference of a little more than 100% of the final price, and which becomes a great attraction for the production of jaboncillo artisan soap, whose organoleptic properties are highly valued by consumers, particularly the female market.
Given the form of production of artisan soaps such as soap, in which the polishing and raw materials are organic, it is that this production alternative is an opportunity for the inhabitants of rural communities such as the present case, also given that the market of soaps for headdresses is varied and there is no fidelity to a certain brand, making it clear that the market is always open to new products, especially those that offer organic and natural characteristics in their composition, within which the presentation is very important, but it can be achieved with a simple marketing plan (Caisaguano, 2011).
All the ideas concerning the elaboration of handmade soaps from organic products have a close relationship with the environmental image of waste recovery in favor of the conservation of endemic and agroforestry ecosystems, which have become a very important element for the supply and marketing of this type of product in such a competitive market that demands more environmentally friendly products (Vences, Nuñez, Oliva, Pichilingue, & Ruiz, 2018).
Although, for artisanal production, some skills are required on the part of artisans or small producers, one of the operations that can be very important within the production process is packaging and labeling, since the image of the final product is very important. after the quality of the product itself, since it is what attracts the consumer's gaze and consequently determines in him the need to purchase that product (Garcia & y Rojas, 2018). In the experience of Echavarría and Galindo (2021), the production of artisan soaps requires very little investment, so its profitability is high, and the price for the final consumer is affordable: The use of handmade soaps, mostly made with natural ingredients, attracts the interest of the general public because it is long-lasting and performs unusual functions such as antioxidant activity, skin care and protection. familiarize the product and provide it with reliability and confidence. In the production of handmade soaps based on natural components, in addition to the use of recyclable and biodegradable containers, such as kraft paper or wooden paper, the aim is to gradually reduce and reduce polluting production. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the benefits of creating a product that allows ecological processes, thanks to the use of ingredients of mainly natural origin. (Echavarría and Galindo, 2021, p. 137).
The production of organic products currently has many benefits, among which is the guarantee of being a green product, and the safety it provides for people to use, especially when it is a cosmetic product such as soap. body, in which the use of its vegetable and natural components is so important, considering the worldwide trend of manufacturing products that, in addition to satisfying the needs of consumers, contribute to caring for the environment.
According to the criteria of Leida Morán, owner of the Bella Victoria brand, producer of various artisanal soaps in the province of Manabí, the small-scale production of soaps based on fruits such as soap, pine nut, aloe vera, honey and other organic elements, have become an opportunity for people from rural communities, which is closely related to popular knowledge, the knowledge of grandparents and the elders in families, who have been practicing this knowledge and have been able to pass them on from generation to generation, but above all they have tried and in some cases have succeeded in ensuring that knowledge continues to be practiced, and this is precisely what has happened with jaboncillo or piñón soaps, to name the most traditional (Morán , 2023).
Currently, in which the peasants and locals from various sectors of Manabitas, experience a very painful reality in agriculture due to the low prices of agricultural products, which demand so much effort, time and money, since the inputs are so expensive; the elaboration of these soaps based on soap and other fruits, becomes an alternative, and why is it?, because just as people need to feed ourselves, men and women, especially women of all ages are concerned about their body hygiene, and it has been proven that so many industrialized products do not have the adequate composition to guarantee the consumer that they are going to have an allergic reaction, that is the difference with organic soaps, and it is what makes the demand increase, and that can be marketed to all types of consumers (Morán, 2023).
The knowledge is present in every corner of the Manabi fields, from the valleys to the hills and large hills, from the rivers that are born in the mountains to the estuaries that overflow during the winter; in the vegetation and in the pampas; in the canoes and rafts used by the aboriginal ancestors, in each stone, in each path, in the walk of the grandparents, in the beasts, in the birds... In Mother Earth herself that calls sweetly in each new dawn, that cries out angrily at every dusk, who laughs in summer and who cries torrents in winter, in every field, in every city, in every place where one of his children turns his gaze to remember where he comes from, who he is and what he does, what he can do and build, for an entire community descended from an exemplary race. There is so much dormant wisdom in those who await the sublime call, but waiting to be awakened by some traveler, it is time to look for it, to return to the essence, to the fields that saw so many sons and daughters give birth, to recover what is an ancestral heritage It is up to each little manabita to continue sharing the terroir and heart.
The academy and its teachers must promote among the students the recovery of popular knowledge to generate science, to transfer knowledge that promotes the incorporation of technologies that facilitate the traditional processes involved in the production of these ancestral products, thereby, many peasant families can benefit both economically and socially, also promoting a promotion of the interculturality of the people of their roots.

Conclusion
The rescue of ancestral cultural knowledge is part of the identity of our Montuvio Manabita culture, therefore, the recovery of the ancestral knowledge of the Montuvio people for its consequent dissemination in the communities, constitutes a practical application that can contribute as a form of reactivation of the local economy, applying ancestral techniques for the elaboration of various products from the Manabita countryside, which have a captive market in local consumers but also national and even foreign tourists.