Manuel Incra Mamani (? – 1871) was a Bolivian ''cascarillero'' (bark and seed hunter) from

Coroico Coroico is a town in Nor Yungas Province, in the La Paz Department of western Bolivia. History Coroico Viejo (Old Coroico) was founded above the river Quri Wayq'u ( Quechua ''quri'' gold, ''wayq'u'' valley, hispanicized spellings ''Coriguayco'' ...

. He may have been of either Quechua and/or Aymara descent. Mamani found a

cinchona ''Cinchona'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae containing at least 23 species of trees and shrubs. All are native to the Tropical Andes, tropical Andean forests of western South America. A few species are ...

tree species (''Cinchona ledgeriana'' syn. '' C. calisaya'') that had a higher proportion of

quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg ...

than most others. This species went into Dutch commercial cultivation, providing most of the world's quinine well into the 20th century.

Life and work

Mamani was an experienced bark and seed collector, and had worked for Charles Ledger since 1843. He was able to identify at least 29 different sorts of cinchona trees. Ledger had noted Mamani's knowledge in a letter where he recorded asking him for his opinion on finding good quality cinchona trees in the area they were staying. Mamani responded "No Señor, the trees here about do not see the snow-capped mountains". Mamani waited through four years of unsuitable weather (frosts destroyed the seeds from the high-quinine plants), and gave offerings to mountain spirits, in order to obtain a sample of seed from the high-quinine cinchona in 1865. The seeds that Mamani provided were sent to Ledger's brother, George, who then sold them to the Dutch government, who then cultivated plants in

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

. Local people disapproved of Mamani helping Ledger. The plant from which Mamani collected seed was later named ''Cinchona'' ''ledgeriana'' (syn '' C. calisaya'') after Charles Ledger. Mamani is noted only as a "native" in some accounts of its finding and cultivation. One researcher has suggested that 'Incra Mamani', as spelled by Charles Ledger in his letters, may be an Anglicization of 'Icamanahí'.

Death

In 1871, whilst on a seed-collecting trip, Mamani was arrested, imprisoned and beaten. Some have suggested that this was likely because of his providing seeds to foreigners. Others suggest it was because he refused to identify his employer. He subsequently died of his injuries.

References

{{reflist 19th-century Bolivian people 1871 deaths Plant collectors