Ethnoecology

Dr. Hugh Brody (29th October, 2013) - The other side of Eden. The Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness Salon, The Institute of Ecotechnics, October Gallery, Bloomsbury, London. (Host)

For tens of thousands of years, over 90% of our life as humans, we lived as hunter-gatherers. Since the rise of agriculture and city-dwelling, this way of life has been devastated and marginalized. As our own way of life faces mounting challenges, studying foraging cultures provides precious perspective - and further highlights the importance of helping living foragers reclaim and defend their land and culture. Tonight, renowned anthropologist and filmmaker Hugh Brody will discuss his 40-year career studying, living with, and fighting for hunter-gatherer peoples, and how these cultures raise huge issues relevant to us all.

Se hace un análisis epistemológico de los conocimientos y saberes locales; se aborda la perspectiva etnoecológica y sus relaciones ínter y trnasdisciplinarias; se discute la estrategia metodológica de la etnoecología; se reflexiona sobre la importancia política de los conocimientos y saberes locales y muchos otros temas.

Mobile livestock herders have long been seen as the main culprits of over-stocking and rangeland degradation. In recent years, however, anthropolo-gists and ecologists have argued that African pastoralists have developed sustainable modes of pasture management based on a ...

Forced by ongoing government persecution to leave their homeland in Burma, Karen refugees residing in Georgia (U.S.A.) continue each day the process of remembering and reaffirming their cultural traditions while seeking meaning and belonging in their new environment. Through engaging in interviews and gardening practices with Karen friends turned research consultants, this project examines the anthropological phenomenon of the “landscape of the interior”, particularly as experienced from a transnational perspective. Recognizing the value of preserving plant genetic biodiversity alongside culturally situated knowledge, it aims to record—through the process of memory banking—ethnobotanical traditions of Karen communities and their cultural relationship to the natural environment. One important product of this research is a compendium of plant species grown by Karen gardeners in Georgia. This compendium includes plant characteristics, methods of cultivation, uses, religious/cultural significance and photo documentation. Additionally, this project explores the role of "interior landscapes" in shaping relationships with a newly inhabited environment. This investigation seeks to benefit Karen people and the community at large by encouraging the continuation of traditions—creating senses of rootedness and preserving ethnobotanical knowledge and biodiversity. This research is approached with the belief that practices of remembrance and resilience are often the strongest means of combating forces of hegemony and oppression.

In this work, we will approach a woody usage that is a cultural symbol: bonfires in honor of Catholic Saints (John the Baptist, Anthony and Peter). We aimed to investigate the contribution of the bonfire tradition to woody resource use in an area of the Atlantic Forest in the Três Ladeiras community, NE Brazil. We sought to verify the extent to which this tradition can impact forest resources, as well as to register the local population’s impressions about such traditions. This study was carried out in June celebrations (festas juninas) of 2007 and 2008 (except for the Saint Anthony celebration in 2007), when we performed semi-structured interviews, photographic recordings and measurements of all the community bonfires. We registered a total volume of 146.26 m3 of piled wood in the bonfires. Resource acquisition for bonfires in recent years was classified as being difficult by 90% of the respondents, mainly due to the local context of prohibition against forest resource use. These f...

In a context of stark opposition between supporters and opponents to the wolf, the extent to which this particular predator is dangerous for humans is still an open question.
What lies beneath the negative perception of the wolf?
What should be the historian's contribution, based on historical sources and historical methods?
Thanks to a database of 4,700 cases of wolf attacks on human having occurred in France between 1580 and 1880, it is now possible to grasp the chronological evolution and spatial evolution of wolf related risks.
Undeniably real, though mostly belonging to a remote past, and statistically rare, though anthropologically intolerable, these attacks point to two opposite groups, predatory wolves occasionally preying on humans on one hand, rabid wolves striking indiscriminately a whole population on the other.
The attacks of the first kind occurred regularly in an unsafe environment, and gave rise to tales of "Ferocious Beasts" in times of dramatic crisis (1594-1600, 1691-1694, 1746-1750, 1764-1767, 1814-1819).
The second kind was spatially and chronologically less widespread, but sowed the seeds of mass hysteria, all the more persistent since the underlying sickness it forebode remained without a cure before the last third of the 20th century.
The conclusion between these two different realities gave Canis Lupus its negative aura, significantly dimmed recently however since it has entirely lost its material basis, at least in France.

Se analiza el universo de ideologías, prácticas y representaciones cosmológicas asociadas por los chané del noroeste argentino con el ámbito del monte. Se describen etnográficamente fenómenos como la división conceptual del espacio; la relación de la categorización espacial con la división sexual del trabajo y las relaciones de género; el protocolo ritualizado de conducta para con los seres del monte y los dueños tutelares de las cosas; la ambigüedad simbólica del ámbito del monte; el juego de analogías y paralelismos entre las representaciones montaraces y la estructura social (redes de parentesco, alianza, reciprocidad y redistribución, ideologías del liderazgo y la propiedad, etc.). Se discute la discriminación analítica de matices exegéticos en diversos contextos simbólicos, semánticos y experienciales en los cuales las acciones y los enunciados de los chané adquieren cotidianamente su sentido y su inteligibilidad. Se demuestra, finalmente, que el conocimiento del monte no conforma un registro abstracto de datos espaciales, biológicos o geográficos sino una auténtica percepción cultural de la realidad.

I was Research Fellow and International Conservation Liaison for developing national parks in the Central Mountains of Formosa with the Bunun tribe, whose sacred homeland is Yushan National Park and well beyond the park’s borders. After witnessing, reporting and publishing the desecration of a Bunun tribal cemetery by Taiwanese hotel developers in the Bunun hot springs village of Tungpu (Eisenberg 2015), I was invited to serve as Research Fellow and Professor at Yushan Tribal College with the First Peoples of Formosa (Figure 1). It was a great privilege and an honor to live and work with Formosan Native Peoples who are proactively engaged in practicing and invigorating their cultural heritage. They deeply enriched my life and our world with their creativity, wisdom, grace, kindness and generosity. The First Peoples of Formosa are linguistically Austronesian and today they are approximately 2.3 percent of the population of the island, Formosa, which is largely Chinese. I asked my students to consult with their elders and write from the heart.

Calculates common quantitative ethnobotany indices to assess the cultural significance of plant species based on informant consensus. The package closely follows two papers, one on cultural importance indices (Tardio and Pardo-de-Santayana 2008) and another on agrobiodiversity valuation (Whitney, Bahati, and Gebauer 2018). The goal is to provide an easy-to-use platform for ethnobotanists to calculate quantitative ethnobotany indices.

Mexico stands out for its cuisine worldwide. Although Mexican biocultural diversity is one of the richest in the world, there is still little research on the relationship between local edible resources and the nutrition of the rural and indigenous communities of this country. We conducted a multidisciplinary study on food plants that are traditionally cultivated or harvested from the forest and sold in two markets of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico. The fieldwork was done from July 2017 to June 2018 with the collaboration of 66 peasant merchants (92% were women) and occasionally, plant peddlers and buyers. The ethnographic techniques used were semi-structured interviews (n=189), participant observation, observational walks (n=72) and interviews with natural groups (n= 18). In the weekly street markets of Zaachila and Zimatlan 22 species of traditional food plants belonging to 10 botanical families are traded, mainly Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae (n= 5, 4 and 3). These species have one to four popular names (n= 14, 5, 3 and 1). The most commonly parts used are the leaves, flowers and stems (n = 19, 18 and 12). They are eaten in eleven ways. Species Food Availability ranges from very high to high, medium, low and scarce (n= 3, 6, 4 and 5). The sellers in the Zimatlan and Zaachila markets come from 9 and 5 places respectively. The peasants (mainly women) produce or obtain 21 and 15 edible species in their home gardens and cornfields. Farmers cultivate, tolerate and foment 19, 7 and 10 species. In conclusion, the diversity and nutritional content of the plants available in traditional markets create a rich local gastronomic variety that ensures a proper diet.

Four stars in the night sky have been formally recognised by their Australian Aboriginal names. The names include three from the Wardaman people of the Northern Territory and one from the Boorong people of western Victoria. The Wardaman star names are Larawag, Wurren and Ginan in the Western constellations Scorpius, Phoenix and Crux (the Southern Cross). The Boorong star name is Unurgunite in Canis Majoris (the Great Dog). They are among 86 new star names drawn from Chinese, Coptic, Hindu, Mayan, Polynesian, South African, and Aboriginal Australian cultures.

With Entheogenic Intent (Burn the Witch) 4 5 W e live in the multilayered dimension of technomaya. Digital technology has given power to the media that is directly acting on the mind, so that the spell of the media-sphere has wrapped itself around the psychosphere. Technomaya captures the flows that proceed from the activity of the mind, and returns them to mental receptors as a mirror would, in the form of a template for future forms of life. In the digital sphere, people are spending more and more time with electronic ghosts. However the techno-media spell (technomaya) is sometimes broken down when barred windows are all of a sudden opened by the winds of joy, or by the stoms of despair. letting the dazzling light of uncanny dimensions burst onto the scene of the social imagination, and allowing forgotten fragments of the unconscious to surface. What I would like to describe here are the ways in which the spell of semiocapitalism (financial abstraction, specters of the mediascape) captures the social body and delivers it over to the economic code, where experience is subjected to the power of simulation and standardization. But I also wish to search for and to imagine possible lines of escape. T hese can only be found in those places of the unconscious where the multilayered spell of semiocapital is ripped apart in order for a creative unconscious to resurface.

Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan is gifted with tremendous natural resources. Plant resources have long been used to cure different human as well as livestock ailments in this part like others in the world. This study was conducted to document the indigenous and traditional uses of medicinal plants, the status of traditional knowledge with the advancement of technology and modern healthcare facilities to find out the mode, part and way of usage and more importantly to know the threats for the plant resources to provide a baseline survey for conservation and management of medicinal plants. Field visits were conducted to collect the plant species in June and July, 2012. The information on local names and uses were collected from the local communities and herbalist through direct interview, questioners and showing photographs. The identification and nomenclature of the plant species was made by consulting different taxonomists and available literature especially following the flora of Pakistan. The data was analyzed using Excel spreadsheets and preference ranking, paired comparison test and direct matrix ranking. A total of 34 species belonging to 18 were used as medicine. Males above 40 years were found to be more knowledgeable regarding uses of medicinal plants than women and youngsters. The leaves are the most common part of plants used as medicine. Medicinal plants are in severe under pressure of over grazing, cutting and climate change impacts. Conservation of medicinal plants, awareness among the local inhabitants and promotion of indigenous knowledge by promotion of research activities are required.

______________________________________________________________________ RESUMEN: Una mirada analítica que considere las lógicas nativas vinculadas a las prácticas de manejo o relación que las sociedades mantienen con las comunidades vegetales en los Andes, conduce a destacar el lugar que ocupan las prácticas de crianza mutua como metapratron relacional entre humanos y no humanos. El estudio de las mismas nos lleva a considerar una nueva óptica para abordar procesos de domesticación y manejo de poblaciones vegetales, donde el análisis de la espacialidad de estas prácticas resulta esencial. En este trabajo veremos cómo el ejercicio de la crianza redefine los espacios domésticos más allá de la "casa" en sentido restringido, habilitando el carácter doméstico -aunque no siempre domesticado-de ciertas poblaciones vegetales a nivel local, impactando en las trayectorias evolutivas particulares de los taxa involucrados. La crianza de las plantas nos llevará también a considerar distintos ámbitos esenciales en la reproducción de esta red de sociabilidad ampliada, analizando no solo los espacios de cultivo sino también los almacenes y su rol en la crianza de semillas.

Ethnopharmacological relevance
Recent studies have shown that groups sharing the same or very similar environments, but with diverse cultural backgrounds (e.g. different ethnos and/or religion) have considerably different knowledge of folk (medicinal) plant uses. Yet, it is not clear to what extent various factors (such as culture, economy, isolation, and especially social and political situations) contribute to such differences in the utilization of the same natural resources.

Aim of the study
This paper addresses the effect of border created in 1940 and subsequent separation of a single ethnic group on changes in their folk use of medicinal and wild food plants. The Hutsuls of Bukovina had been homogenous for centuries, but were separated in 1940 as a result of the formation of state borders between Romania and the former Soviet Union (now Ukraine). The aim of the study is to analyse if the belonging to this different states for 75 years have induced different changes in local plant use within communities that share a common historical legacy and environment.

Materials and methods
In depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 42 people in May 2015. Collected data were analysed, and comparisons were made between the data gathered on the two sides of the border for different use categories: medicinal, wild food and veterinary plants, as well as other remedies. Recently collected data were also compared with historical data obtained for the region, medicinal plant folk uses in Romania and medicinal plant uses of The State Pharmacopeia of the Soviet Union.

Results
Divergences in current medicinal plant use are much greater than in the use of wild food plants. The majority of the wild food taxa, including those used for making recreational teas, are also used for medicinal purposes and hence contribute to the food-medicine continuum, representing emergency foods in the past and serving as memory markers for possible future food shortages. Compared with the historical data, considerable changes have occurred within specific medicinal applications and less in the taxa used. The influence of the Soviet State Pharmacopeia on present ethnomedicine on the Ukrainian side is minimal.

Conclusions
Hutsul herbal ethnomedicine on the Ukrainian side of the border has continued to evolve (the abandonment of some uses and the adoption of others), whereas on the Romanian side it has undergone significant erosion with a proportionally smaller adoption of new uses and the leaving behind of possibly more “traditional” uses than on the Ukrainian side. In sum, current ethnomedicinal practices of Hutsuls living on both sides of the border are more extensive than those reported in historical sources. Yet the unknown sampling method employed to collect the historical data and possible skipping of “ordinary” uses by folklorists and ethnographers does not allow for definitive conclusions to be drawn. Cross-cultural and cross-border ethnobotany represents one of the most powerful means for addressing the issue of change and variability of medicinal plant uses and heritage, and further studies in other areas of Eastern Europe and beyond need to address the trajectory proposed by the present study.

This article considers traditional ideas of the hidden world (kayyp düynö) related to the phenomenon of pilgrimage to holy places (mazars) from an exstential point of view. Author supposes that these ideas originate in the natural pre-subjective interpretation of a human being as being-in-the-world.

"This study addresses the life of indigenous people in a village community on Sumba, an island of Eastern Indonesia that is particularly prone to natural disasters. Over the past two decades the people of Sumba have experienced problems such as locust pest/Locusta Migratoria Manilensis  (1998-2005),  Tai  Kabala  grass/Chromolina odorata (2006), whirlwind (2007), earthquakes (2007 and 2009), famine (2007), and barrenness or drought (every year). Wunga  village,  deemed  to  be  the  place  the  Sumbanese  ancestors  arrived  at  when  they  first  came  to Sumba, was also affected by the disasters mentioned, and was hit especially hard.

By using an ethno-ecology approach, the  present  research  found  that Wunga  people, of whom 85,4% follow Marapu  (the  local  religion  in Sumba), have created their own meanings (based on emic view) for natural disasters that differ from the views of scholars and from the Indonesian government’s policy as the global perspective. This difference stems from the creation by the Wunga people of their own taxonomies and perspectives on their ecology.

This paper aims to answer questions about how the Marapu followers in Wunga village view their own vulnerable ecology, what meanings and behavioral responses the Marapu followers in Wunga village ascribe to natural disasters, and the factors that contribute to the formation of these meanings and behaviors. We will see how local identity among Marapu followers gives rise to a discourse of natural disaster that is distinct from constructions of the globalization. In addition, issues of politics of environment and market power will also be used as a framework of interpretation to see the problem of poverty in Wunga as a risk factor of disasters that could happen in the future.

Keywords: Marapu, ethnoecology, natural disaster, meaning, and response.
"

The theme of this essay is the universe as it is perceived and explained by today’s Chontales. Through the oral tradition of these people, the authors give testimony of the indigenous Chontal conception of the world: territory, nature, mankind, the infra-world, the deities and other supernatural creatures, all this in relation with the social order and the processes that affect individual and collective life. This way, the authors offer a wide report of the diverse notions and entities that integrate the highly populated religious universe of the Chontales, and that condition their existence and behavior towards nature, other persons and the supernatural world. The article contains references to other Mexican ethnic contexts, in order to point out the common characteristics and to determine particularities. It outlines the description of the characteristics and attributes of the spirits, deities and elves that populated the Chontales’ supernatural world, deeply rooted in the prehispanic tradition.

This course introduces students to a number of research disciplines and areas ranging from foundational archeological and anthropological texts on the origins and diverse conceptions of “agriculture” to more recent historical and geographical research on the history of food and agriculture.

As such, the core reading material that we will cover in this course will provide the students with a critical
review and an interdisciplinary perspective on the past and possible future developments of the present
global food system.

In the hope of deriving lessons and innovative solutions to address the complex contemporary food system challenges faced locally and globally, the main objectives of this course are therefore to:

- Uncover the many ways food has been used and cultivated throughout history.

- Problematize and expand the concept of agriculture to make it more inclusive and less (non-)
Eurocentric.

- Examine and learn from “other” past (and persisting) sustainable agriculture and food system
heritages found in local, traditional, peasants and indigenous knowledge, practices and cultures
throughout the world.

Of the approximately 700 species of the genus Ficus, family Moraceae, only the fig tree (Ficus carica) is deciduous and grows as native to the Mediterranean. Like all Ficus, it contains a white latex that flows easily from cuts in the leaves or from the unripe fruit. In Spain, nu- merous species of the same genus are grown as houseplants and as outdoor ornamentals in warm areas. The fig tree is a distinctive tree with smooth gray bark. In winter, we can recognize it by its tortuous branches with thick endings.  Large lobed leaves with small deciduous stipules sprout in the springtime, while one or two inflo- rescences appear in the axil of each leaf.

O fenômeno recorrente dos conflitos socioambientais envolvendo garimpeiros no entorno de unidades de conservação está sendo enfrentado tanto por aqueles que garimpam como pelos que executam políticas ambientais, os quais atendem a legislações e fiscalizadores diversos no país. A regularização dos garimpos de acordo com a legislação pertinente, a minimização dos impactos ambientais desta atividade e a necessidade de recuperação das áreas degradadas são pontos fulcrais para a superação do conflito. Além disso, ressalta-se a necessária valorização da cultura associada à garimpagem, agente fundamental na conformação de grande parte das atualmente consideradas cidades históricas brasileiras. O ciclo mais recente da economia garimpeira na Chapada Diamantina é o das dragas, que conta com um dos três garimpos de diamantes regularizado no país, o Santa Rita, no município de Andaraí, Bahia, distando cerca de 10 km do Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina (PNCD). É um empreendimento da Cooperativa de Garimpeiros de Andaraí (Coogan) que possui Plano de Recuperação de Área Degradada (Prad) e vem lutando para reativar de forma sustentável o garimpo nesta região. Objetivou-se, neste contexto, analisar as relações socioambientais do garimpo de dragas na Chapada Diamantina numa perspectiva histórica ambiental, realizando uma descrição etnoecológica do garimpo de dragas, abordando o conflito socioambiental que o envolve e fazendo uma discussão sobre as modificações ambientais decorrentes e sobre a possível recuperação ambiental, em especial na área do Garimpo Santa Rita. Executou-se: pesquisa bibliográfica, levantamento de documentos e imagens fotográficas e orbitais históricas; mapas participativos de passado, presente e futuro, entrevistas não-estruturadas e semiestruturadas com os garimpeiros e outros sujeitos sociais integrados no fenômeno; observações diretas e participantes do cotidiano de vida, trabalho e organização dos garimpeiros, e da área garimpada com turnês guiadas, registros fotográficos e georreferenciamento de pontos. Os dados coletados foram analisados qualitativamente. Foi realizada uma descrição etnoecológica, apresentado um panorama histórico ambiental e de ecologia política das relações socioambientais envolvendo o garimpo de draga e analisadas as mudanças ambientais em âmbito local e socioambientais em âmbito regional. Constatou-se que o garimpo de draga apresentou mudanças socioambientais relevantes no contexto das relações conflitivas. A perspectiva de contribuição social com a presente proposta é a geração de subsídios para a superação do conflito e para a sustentabilidade ambiental da garimpagem na Chapada Diamantina, atividade esta que pode vir a ser uma das mais pertinentes á convivência com a seca na região.

Everyone knows to what extent language depends on norms agreed upon by men in a given linguistic community. It is also recognised that languages are highly influenced by exchange between different linguistic communities. But language also depends on its ability to translate into words life-sustaining information it receives from its natural environment. To find out how this happens, this paper takes an “ethnoecological” look at glossopoiesis in ancient Ireland. It focuses in particular on Poetic “nature study” arguing that this specialised ecological knowledge had the effect of synchronising the Gaelic tongue to the rhythms of the land the gaelophone community lived upon. But the influence of Poetic wisdom on ordinary language wasn’t direct. It operated via a special, extra-lexical speech (bérla fortchuide na filidh). This paper explores the ways this speech influenced and even constitutes the Gaelic language.

Los chontales son un grupo de filiación maya que habita en tierras inundables y cálidas del Estado de Tabasco, en el sureste de México. Este artículo describe y analiza el conocimiento chontal acerca de la dispersión de las semillas del chile (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum) por el pistoqué (Pitangus sulphuratus, Tyrannidae). Así, los chontales y el ave, en una especie de protocooperación, aprovechan el chile.

En el último siglo, el pueblo aymara ha experienciado procesos socio-demográficos que han modificado su relación con la naturaleza. Estos procesos afectarían la transmisión del conocimiento ecológico tradicional, en tanto las nuevas generaciones viven contextos socio-ambientales distintos a sus antepasados. Habiéndose propuesto anteriormente al cóndor como una especie bioculturalmente clave para los pueblos andinos, estudiamos la pertinencia de tal aseveración en base al conocimiento y sabiduría aymara contemporáneas en la Comuna de Putre. Durante cuatro meses (2016-2017) realizamos una etnografía (observación participativa, entrevistas semi-escructuradas y encuestas) en la precordillera y altiplano. Los resultados hablan de una relación emocionalmente estrecha, ya sea desde la chilenidad o identidad indígena, pero una leve interacción cotidiana y leve preocupación por su conservación. Identificamos a la migración campo-ciudad/cordillera-costa, la chilenización y la irrupción de religiones evangélicas como procesos determinantes en las relaciones contemporáneas cóndor-aymara. Proponemos lineamientos para una conservación simbiótica y localmente sensible de esta especie en base a la cultura aymara, entendiendo que cultura y naturaleza se encuentran íntimamente entrelazadas y son dinámicas. Se concluye la necesidad de promover un diálogo de saberes que incluyan la difusión de información científica y promoción de un diálogo intergeneracional endógeno en torno al valor biocultural del cóndor. Palabras clave Etnoornitología, diversidad biocultural, especie biocultural clave, Vultur gryphus, pueblos andinos.

El estudio que aquí se presenta se ha recogido durante los años —cursos escolares— comprendidos entre 2011 - 2016 en el I.E.S. Las Lomas, situado en la Zona Norte de Alicante; y, concretamente, junto a los barrios de Juan XXIII y Colonia Requena. Por su carácter personal, y partiendo de cuestiones previas que nos situaban en el porqué un 90% del alumnado de dicho centro no supera la secundaria y en cómo podíamos —junto a la comunidad educativa— ofrecer una vía de actuación que generase una transformación educativa y social, el trabajo se ha dividido en tres capítulos.
Primero, un repaso a la fundamentación teórica que nos ha ayudado a situarnos científicamente en la actualidad y también en el recorrido histórico habido hasta llegar a ésta y la exposición de la planificación previa a la investigación en lo referente a la metodología a emplear junto a las diferentes técnicas e instrumentos encontrados por parte de la Antropología, concretamente la Antropología de la Educación, así como las demás ciencias sociales aplicadas en ámbitos educativos y contextos marginados. Segundo, la parte etnográfica, que nos ha servido de análisis de la realidad actual de la zona y la sociedad que en ella ‘convive’; estos son, los barrios adyacentes, el alumnado (representado desde la ‘cultura juvenil’), el centro educativo, el profesorado, las familias y el resto de población, colectivos y entidades. Por último, en la parte tercera, encontramos la Investigación-acción participativa generada a través de la experiencia previa y los resultados conseguidos a través de un modelo de actuación conjunta, en comunión, donde se ha dado espacio y voz a los cuerpos y discursos hasta ahora silenciados. De ésta última experiencia, donde ha primado una investigación aplicada e implicada, que parte también de la experiencia como parte del alumnado, como vecino y activista de la zona, surge lo que presentamos como resultado (vía hacia la utopía) de transformación: un modelo de actuación educativa al que hemos llamado Modelo Educativo Discursivo.

Mangrove are highly productive ecosystems and, therefore, they are utilized by many traditional populations that survive on shellfish’s catching and artisanal fishery, like those who live in Acupe District, located in Santo Amaro, in the west coast of the Todos os Santos Bay (Bahia State, Northeast Brazil). Many resources are exploited locally, such as a crustacean group named “siris” (swimming crabs). The objective of this work was to study the swimming crab fishery under the Marques’ comprehensive ethnoecological approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fishermen in order to know thinkings (knowledges and beliefs) and behaviors involved in this exploitation modality. Direct observation of the informants’ daily working activities was also accomplished. The results were analyzed with a combined etic-emic approach by comparing folk and scientific knowledge. The observed traditional behaviors were correlated to possible environmental implications. It was observed that the exploitation is locally adapted to this scenario and it has, possibly, ethnoconservationist implications. The fishermen showed to have a signifcant knowledge about classifcation, trophic ecology, morphology, physiology, phenology, as well about mangrove ecosystem dynamics. In some case, this knowledge was compatible to those accepted by academic ones.
Os manguezais são ecossistemas altamente produtivos e por esta razão bastante utilizados por populações humanas que tradicionalmente vivem da mariscagem e da pesca artesanal, como é o caso da que habita o Distrito de Acupe em Santo Amaro-BA, situado na margem oeste da Baía de Todos os Santos (BTS). Entre os vários recursos utilizados, encontra-se um conjunto de crustáceos, localmente categorizados como “siris”. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo abordar a pesca desses crustáceos à luz da etnoecologia abrangente de Marques. Foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas com pescadores especialistas na sua captura, bem como com pescadores especializados em outras artes de pesca, buscando-se conhecer os pensamentos (conhecimentos e crenças) e comportamentos envolvidos na modalidade específica da pesca dos “siris”. Também foi utilizada a técnica da observação direta, acompanhando-se pescadores em suas atividades rotineiras de pesca marítima. Os resultados foram analisados sob uma ótica emicista-eticista, inclusive comparando-se os conhecimentos locais com aqueles disponíveis na literatura científica e correlacionando-se os comportamentos observados com suas possíveis implicações ambientais. Os dados obtidos evidenciaram uma forma de exploração localmente adaptada que, possivelmente, tem consequências etnoconservacionistas. Revelaram também que os conhecimentos possuídos pelos pescadores sobre morfologia, taxonomia, fisiologia, ecologia trófica e fenologia dos siris e sobre a dinâmica do manguezal são detalhados e, pelo menos parcialmente, compatíveis com os conhecimentos da comunidade científica.

This work aims to present an overview on ethnoichtiology, seen as the study of the relationships between people and fishes. Historic, theoretical and conceptual aspects constitute a focus and interdisciplinary or transdisciplinaries aspects and possibilities are also explored. A deep and accurate knowledge possessed by traditional fishermen is demonstrated by means of scientist's statements and by examples taken from the author's experience and previous works. He also proposes the existence of a patterned ethnotaxonomy among traditional fishermen. Some practical aspects such as the use of medicinal fishes are also showed.

The Mundaú-Manguaba Lagunar-Estuarine Complex is located on the medium littoral in the State of Alagoas, Brazil. It is a multi-stressed ecocomplex secularly occupied by fishing communities and presently it suffers an increasing environmental degradation. A study was conducted (1985-1990) intending to detect the fishermen cognition, mainly in respect to the knowledge they have concerning with fish ecology. Their behavior as patch environment modifiers was also investigated. Some hipothesis were elaborated and one of them (related to the trophic ecology of the catfish Arius herzbergii was tested. Three cognitive aspects were specially investigated: ethnotaxonomy, space/time dimensions and trophic ecology. Three case studies were conducted: taxonomic/etfnotaxonomic aspects of the family Mugilidae (locally known as the "navel family"), patchy modification caused by the fishery gear/technology called as "caiçara" and the role of the trophic link between the mayflies locally known as "mariposas" and the catfish locally known as "bagre marruá" (A. herzbergii). Data were collected in interviews and questionnaires as well as by direct observations and tours conducted by fishermen. The classical taxonomic techniques (measurement and counts) and the usual stomach content analyses (numerical and occurence frequencies) were utilized to Mugilidae and Ariidae, respectively. Perceived ethnoecological models were obtained and they were compared to the ecological models in the scientific tradition. The concordance between one and another, although being not absolute, was impressive and this was strongly demonstrated in the case of the Ephemeroptera/Ariidae trophic link. The conclusions are: (a) the fishermen categorize the fish universe of their environment through multiple classificatory systems, including that based on taxonomic principles and ecological realities; (b) the correspondence between popular names/scientific names that scientific community proposes is questioned by the categorization they uo about the Mugilidae; (c) the fishermen share a sophisticated model concerning the spatial configuration and the temporal organization of their environment and behave in accordance with, such as by increasing local productivity; (d) the fishermen possess trophic models that include fish in a detailed and patterned manner which are coherent to the trophic models described in the pertinent literature; (e) one of these models (that related to the link ephemerids/catfishes), tested in laboratory, permits to consider Ephemeroptera being a circumstantially important item in the diet of Ariidae in tropical estuaries.

Ecogony II: Alternative visions of the biosphere in Indigenous America, an utopian or vital notion?

Abstract: This essay is the second in a trilogy published in Etnoecológica in a sequential way. The first essay (July 16-2014, 10:6) offered a diachronic review of the notions of nature applied at different times in the tradition of Western thought. Polysemy of the definitions and connotations of the nature concept throughout different periods and the hegemony of an objectified conception of nature from a Western perspective is evident. This second essay explores, without being exhaustive, some aspects with which Amerindian groups, especially Amazonian ones, have defined their living environment that in an analogical way can be considered nature. This text provides five diacritics that are part of the character of many Amazonian groups and which help us to understand their vision of the biosphere or sphere of life: lack of a lexeme to translate nature, absence of comparable notions of culture or society, personhood or intersubjective condition of the entities of the cosmos beyond man, state of permanent transformation of beings and inexistence of a notion of pristine environments in favor of the themes of change, impermanence and continuity of spaces transformations. A series of nine significant examples of Amazon Indian ethos substantiating their status as creative agents in the composition, structure and dynamics of forests which indigenous people have occupied for centuries are provided here: soil types and formations, which are often the result of human intervention (terra preta do indio); anthropogenic forests; the dominance of various species in the Bolivian, Brazilian, Ecuadorian, and Venezuelan Amazon (Mauritia flexuosa L.f., Astrocaryum vulgare Mart., Elaeis oleifera (Kunth) Cortés, Attalea speciosa Mart., Guadua glomerata Munro, Bertholletia excelsa Bonpl., Platonia insignis Mart, Caryocar villosum (Aubl.) Pers., among other species); the effects of successional management on the structure and composition of forests (among runa, piaroa, jotï); landscapes and floristic zones through which emerge areas of vegetation and ecotones (mounds and raised fields among ancient indigenous groups and interventions attributed to contempoirary groups like siriono and piaroa); domestication or semi-domestication of fruit trees since the beginning of Holocene; dynamism and facilitation of forest succession (among ka'apor); knowledge of climate, annual seasons and wildlife associated to forest vegetation (kayapó); the positive impact of horticultural activities and prey populations (garden hunting among the piaroa). The Eogony concept is proposed to describe, understand and explain the ideological origin of the system of interrelationships in the biospheres of human groups. Finally, the reader is invited to examine critically the use of the ecogonic approach among the jotï, an indigenous people of the Venezuelan Amazon. This casewill be developed in the last essay of this trilogy.

Keywords: Biocultural Ethics, Amerindian, Amazon, Anthropogenic forests, Environmental management.

Resumen - Los huertos familiares de la Península de Yucatán han sido los más estudiados en el continente americano; el acervo científico generado representa una oportunidad para integrar un cuerpo de conocimiento que pueda servir de referencia tanto para investigaciones en otras regiones como para la formulación de políticas y toma de decisiones. Tomando como base alrededor de un centenar de documentos–trabajos publicados desde 1980 hasta 2017 y que incluyen cuatro libros coordinados con recopilaciones de estudios de casosobre huertos familiares en los tres estados que componen la Península de Yucatán (Campeche, Quintana Roo y Yucatán), y siguiendo la propuesta de Lope-Alzina y Howard (2012), en este documentose aborda a los huertos a partir de tres dimensiones -composición, estructura y funciones- como punto de partida para entender su complejidad. A la fecha, se ha generado un importante avance en el tema, desde trabajos meramente descriptivos hasta enfoques más analíticos que abordan aspectos múltiples del huerto; estos últimos han ido en aumento y representan un avance para ir comprendiendo la complejidad del huerto y su intrínseca relación con el grupo doméstico y el grupo social (comunidad). Los estudiosos de los huertos familiares en la Península de Yucatán, hemos dejado por sentado el valor de este sistema tradicional y la necesidad de preservarlo como espacio de producción, que genera tanto beneficios tangibles como intangibles; es prioritario transferir este conocimiento a la agenda nacional para la adecuada formulación de políticas y toma de decisiones en el tema.
Palabras clave: Agroecosistemas Tradicionales; Composición, Estructura y Funciones del Huerto Familiar; SocioEcosistemas; Solar Maya; Traspatios.
Quatro décadas de estudos em hortas familiares de Maya-Yucateco: caminhando para compreender sua
variação e complexidade Resumo - As hortas familiares da península de Yucatán foram as mais estudadas no continente americano; O patrimônio científico gerado representa uma oportunidade para integrar um conjunto de conhecimentos que podem servir de referência tanto para pesquisas em outras regiões quanto para formulação de políticas e tomada de decisões. Com base em cerca de uma centena de documentos - trabalhos publicados de 1980 a 2017 e incluindo quatro livros coordenados com compilações de estudos de caso em hortas familiares nos três estados que compõem a Península de Yucatán (Campeche, Quintana Roo e Yucatán) e seguindo a proposta de Lope-Alzina e Howard (2012), neste artigo, os pomares são abordados a partir de três dimensões - composição, estrutura e funções - como ponto de partida para entender sua complexidade. Até o momento, um progresso importante foi gerado no assunto, desde trabalhos meramente descritivos até abordagens mais analíticas que focam em múltiplos aspectos do pomar; estes últimos têm aumentado e representam um avanço para entender a complexidade do jardim e sua relação intrínseca com o grupo doméstico e o grupo social (comunidade). Pesquisadores de hortas familiares na Península de Yucatán têm certeza do valor deste sistema tradicional e a necessidade de preserválo como espaço de produção, o que gera benefícios tangíveis e intangíveis; É uma prioridade transferir esse conhecimento para a agenda nacional para a formulação adequada de políticas e tomada de decisão sobre o assunto.
Palavras-Chave: Agroecossistemas Tradicionais; Composição, Estrutura e Funções das Hortas Familiares; Socioecossistemas; Solar Maya; Quintais.
Four decades of study on Maya-Yucatec homegardens: a way to understanding their variation and complexity
Abstract - The homegardens in the Yucatan Peninsula have been the most studied ones in the American continent. The scientific heritage resulted from these studies represents an opportunity to integrate a body of knowledge that can serve as a reference source both for research in other regions and for policy formulation and decision making. Based on a review of about one hundred studies – works published from 1980 to 2017, including four coordinated books with compilations of case studies in home gardens in the three states of the Yucatan Peninsula (Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatan) – and following the proposal of Lope-Alzina and Howard (2012), this article deals with three dimensions (composition, structure and functions) of homegardens/ orchards as a starting point to understand their complexity. Until now, significant progress has been made on this subject, both including descriptive studies and further analytical approaches which focus on multiple aspects of the orchards. Such approaches have been performed more frequently and represent an advance in the understanding of the complexity of homegardens and their intrinsic relationship with the domestic group and social group (community). Researchers of homegardens in the Yucatan Peninsula are sure of the importance of this traditional system and the need to keep it as a production space, generating tangible and intangible benefits. It is a priority to transfer this knowledge to the Mexican national agenda for the appropriate formulation of policies and decision-making on the subject.
Keywords: Traditional Agroecosystems; Composition, Structure and Functions of Homegardens; Socio-Ecosystems; Mayan Solar; Backyard

Este trabajo se basa en la experiencia de las mujeres productoras de aves de traspatio en los Valles Centrales, Oaxaca: el conocimiento tradicional, el uso y manejo que dan a las aves, estableciendo las características de la alimentación, las instalaciones, la sanidad, la selección inducida y la producción de huevo. Se determinaron los nombres de las partes anatómicas, tanto externas como internas. Se encontró un 63% de gallinas criollas en las parvadas. En promedio, 69% de las mujeres cría sus propios reemplazos, algunas con auxilio de guajolotas encargadas de la incubación. Existe un uso ceremonial de las gallinas criollas en la medicina tradicional, en especial las de color negro. El riesgo de dilución genética de las aves criollas es considerable, por lo que su estudio, conservación y fomento se vuelven prioritarios.

From an ethnic and ecological perspective, this essay describes the habitat and main features of the Chontal people’s culture. These people live in the Centro municipality of Tabasco, in the villages of Tamulté de las Sabanas, Buenavista 1st Section, Buenavista 2nd Section, Tocoal, and in the settlements of Estancia, Alambrado, Aniceto, Rovirosa, La Manga, Miramar, La Ceiba, Lomita and Jolochero. The author recounts the most significant historical facts of the region and of the Chontales, emphasizing on the worldview, the social-political organization and the inter-ethnic relations of the Chontales. He emphasizes particularly on the way the Chontal people have adapted to the natural resources and to the environmental properties of the State of Tabasco’s wild, tropical and swampy ecological system, as well as to the existence in that habitat of the other human beings, in this case, the mestizos of Tabasco.

Increasingly, it is recognized by ethnoecologists, anthropologists and conservation biologists that Indigenous Peoples of the Northwest Coast and neighbouring regions have been astute stewards and managers—not just harvesters and consumers—of the resources and ecosystems on which they have relied. Over thousands of years of residence along the coast, these peoples have developed diverse approaches and protocols that have not only sustained, but enhanced, resource species both in quantity and in quality. These are based on long-term observation and experience, and are embedded in belief systems, ceremonies, dances, art, and in narratives. Here we provide an overview of marine and coastal resource management systems that have been documented to date, and then cite three case examples in more detail: clam gardens, salmon production, and estuarine root gardens. These different production systems do not function alone but are components of an entire system of land and resource management extending across the marine and terrestrial landscapes, “from ocean bottom to mountaintop.” These traditional management systems have been seriously disrupted since the arrival of European newcomers and the resulting impacts on key habitats from settlement, and land encroachment, to industrial scale exploitation. Today, efforts are underway in many cases to recognize and restore these critically important Indigenous production systems and associated practices as a means of ethnoecological restoration, habitat enhancement, and food system revitalization.

Vásquez-Dávila, M.A. y D.G. Lope-Alzina. 2012. Manejo y conservación de la agrobiodiversidad y biodiversidad en huertos familiares indígenas de Oaxaca, México: Un enfoque biocultural. In: Flores Guido, S. (Ed): Los huertos familiares en Mesoamérica. Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán. Mérida, México. p. 280-308. ISBN 9786070060151

A survey was conducted to collect information regarding medicinal and traditional uses of the plant resources from northern areas of Pakistan. Plant species were collected from Gahkuch area, District Ghizer, Gilgit-Baltistan province, Pakistan. A total of 35 plant species belonging to 27 families were found to be commonly used for various medicinal purposes. Among these, 10, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1 and 1 species belonged to families Asteraceae, Cupressaceae, Lamiaceae, Solanaceae, Papilionaceae, Rosaceae and Leguminosae, respectively. Most of the people in the area still depend on herbal medicines for treating different diseases, including asthma, cough, tonic, abdominal pain, jaundice, diarrhea, cancer, headache, diabetes, muscle pain, fever, skin infections, worms, wounds, broken bones, blood pressure, tuberculosis, swellings, anemia, joint pains, inflammation, dyspepsia, arthritis and rheumatism etc. Majority of the medicines prepared by the medicinal plants were taken in direct form, paste form and/or powder form. In some cases, the whole medicinal plants are used while in some other cases, either fruit or leaves/stem or flowers are used as medicine. Besides the use of plants to treat different human diseases, many livestock such as sheep, buffalo, goat and horse were also being treated with herbal medicines. Other than medical use, medicinal plants were also found to be used as fuel, fodder and vegetable/food by local peoples. The people aged 60-80 were found to be the most knowledgeable regarding use of medicinal plants as compared to the younger ones. The major threats to the medicinal palnts of the area were overgrazing, cutting, natural disater and exploitation.

The thesis studied the traditional representation of the Belarusians as the world-view system of ethocsience. The author studied the representation through ethnographic field observations, interviews, through the method of cognitive maps. Analysis of sets of representations has shown that the system of the traditional worldview of Belarusians consists of representations of the environment subsystems, man, relationship, traditional economy. Author in environmental studies analyzed Belarus traditional ethoastronomical, ethnometeorological, ethnobiological, ethoecological knowledge. The traditional representation of landscape and ritual practices of natural sacred places affect the management of natural resources. The authors are particularly studied transcendental representation of the person and the substance of the body. In the study of representations of the author it was first discovered by the full composition of the Belarusian network concepts kinship system and describes the specifics of the Belarusian kinship and heritage. The author has shown the relationship between the representations, beliefs and ritual specificity of the national traditional rural farming.
The obtained evidences, conclusions, methods and materials of the dissertation will be useful in the study of Belarusian, Ukrainian and, in general, European social representations, protection of intangible and tangible Cultural Heritage.
У дисертації комплексно досліджено традиційні уявлення білорусів як  світоглядну систему.  Уявлення виявлялися через проведення автором польових етнографічних спостережень, опитувань, метод карт уявлень. На підставі їх аналізу виявлено, що система традиційного світогляду білорусів кінця XX — початку ХХІ ст. складається з підсистем уявлень про: довкілля, людину, спорідненість, господарство. Автором при дослідженні навколишнього середовища аналізувалися білоруські традиційні етноастрономічні, етнометеорологічні, етнобіологічні етноекологичні знання.
Показані вплив традиційних уявлень про ландшафт та ритуальних практик на природно-антропогенних сакральних місцях на природокористування. При дослідженні уявлень про людину було звернуто значну увагу на дослідження трансцендентних уявлень про людину і субстанції організму. При дослідженні уявлень автором вперше був виявлений повний склад мережі концептів білоруського системи спорідненістю і описана специфіка білоруського спорідненості і спадщини. Автор розкрив взаємозв'язок між уявленнями і ритуальної специфікою національного традиційного сільського господарювання.
Отримані основі доказі, висновки, методі та матеріали дисертації будуть корисними при дослідження білоруських, українськім та й загалом європейських соціальних уявлень, охорони нематеріальної і матеріальної культурної спадщини.
У дысертацыі комплексна даследаваныя традыцыйныя ўяўленні беларусаў вывучаюцца як светапоглядная сістэма. Уяўленні выяўляліся праз правядзенне аўтарам  палявых этнаграфічных назіранняў, апытанняў, метад карт уяўленняў. На падставе іх аналізу выяўлена, што сістэма традыцыйны светапогляду беларусаў у канцы XX - пачатку XXI ст. Складаецца з падсістэм уяўленняў пра навакольнае асяроддзе, чалавека, сваяцтва, гаспадарку. Аўтарам пры даследаванні навакольнага асяроддзя аналізаваліся беларускія традыцыйныя  этнаастранамічныя, этнаметэрэалогічныя, этнабіялогічныя, этнаэкалагічныя веды. Паказаны ўплыў традыцыйных уяўленняў пра ландшафт и рытуальных практык на прыродна-антрапагенных сакральных месцах  на прыродакарыстанне. Пры даследаванні уяўленняў пра чалавека была звернута значная увага на даследаванне трансцэндэнтных уяўленняў пра чалавека і  субстанцыі арганізма. Пры даследаванні уяўленняў аўтарам упершыню быў выяўлены поўны склад сеткі канцэптаў беларускай сістэмы сваяцтвам і апісаная спецыфіка беларускага сваяцтва і спадчыны. Аўтар паказаў узаемасувязь паміж уяўленнямі і рытуальнай спецыфікай нацыянальнага традыцыйнага сельскага гаспадарання.
Атрыманыя доказы, высновы, метады і матэрыялы дысертацыі будуць карысныя пры вывучэнні беларускай, украінскай і агулам еўрапейскіх сацыяльных уяўленняў, аховы нематэрыяльнай і матэрыяльнай спадчыны.

La idea de lo “biocultural” se ha convertido en muy breve tiempo en un nuevo campo de la investigación científica, de la discusión intelectual y de las novedades periodísticas. Un campo novedoso, prometedor, trascendente, controversial y apasionante. Sus orígenes, de apenas un par de décadas, proceden de la confluencia de dos corrientes de exploración: la diversidad biológica y la diversidad cultural, cada una realizada por investigadores de disciplinas completamente diferentes. La bioculturalidad -en un país como México- es algo que se vive y convive en la cotidianidad. La presencia de pueblos originarios y otras etnias fuertemente vinculadas a su entorno natural, lo perfilan como un espacio en donde las culturas y las naturalezas se recrean mutuamente. Una recreación que ha sido además un largo proceso de decenas, cientos e incluso miles de años. Ahí están como ejemplos vivos los paisajes desérticos donde habitan pueblos como los otomíes, kikapúes, pápagos y pimas; las zonas lacustres, espacio vital de purépechas y matlatzincas; las regiones costeras donde los mayos, seris, nahuas michoacanos y huaves encuentran su sustento; los pantanos, refugio ancestral de los chontales de Tabasco; las regiones motañosas, hábitat de los tarahumaras, tepehuanes, coras, huicholes, mazatecos, tzotziles y tsetzales; las selvas, ecosistema que usufructúan los mayas, totonacos, nahuats, chinantecos, zoques y lacandones; y, las culturas del altiplano mexicano, región que sustenta a los pueblos mazahua y zapoteco.
Ante esta expresión que expresa lo cultural y lo (eco-)biólógico, se debe asumir una responsabilidad y un interés que no solo visibilice la importancia de este complejo, sino que también contribuya a su protección y a su rescate. Como se verá en el transcurso de los diferentes temas abordados en la presente publicación, México y en general diferentes países del mundo, poseen esta riqueza y además dependen de ella para su existencia. Además de ello, es indudable que por sí misma, la bioculturalidad nacional es algo que debe valorarse y sobretodo protegerse, pues se encuentra severamente amenazada. Representa la memoria viva sobre el cómo los pueblos originarios han subsistido a través de cientos de años bajo principios que ahora hemos etiquetado como “sustentables”.
Con una profusa publicación de obras que documentan estudios de caso, revisiones de campos de estudio, estados del arte y antologías diversas, la Red Sobre el Patrimonio Biocultural del CONACyT, con el apoyo de un programa PAPIME de la UNAM, decidió esta vez reunir un conjunto de ensayos que examinan diferentes tópicos de lo biocultural. Para ello ha reproducido artículos ya publicados o inéditos, que son originales contribuciones al campo. Esta compilación de ensayos sobre lo biocultural va especialmente dirigida a las diferentes universidades interculturales e indígenas del país, así como a las universidades públicas y privadas en cuyos programas curriculares y planes de estudio se incluyen temas directa o indirectamente relacionados con la bioculturalidad. Igualmente, la publicación tendrá como lectores a los miembros de los círculos académicos relacionados con el tema. Los editores y autores esperamos que la obra sea de la mayor utilidad, tanto para estudiantes y maestros como para el público en general.