Ethnobotany in South America Research Papers (original) (raw)

According to Matsigenka mythology, the harpy eagle, Pakitsa, long ago walked the earth in human form and taught shamans its own hunting secrets: special toxic plants to sharpen vision, cleanse the body and purify the soul. To this day,... more

According to Matsigenka mythology, the harpy eagle, Pakitsa, long ago walked the earth in human form and taught shamans its own hunting secrets: special toxic plants to sharpen vision, cleanse the body and purify the soul. To this day, Matsigenka shamans ascend to the heavens in hallucinogenic trance [see "Return of the Secret Shaman"] to obtain novel varieties of sedge, manioc and other crops and medicines from the spirits.[1] The Matsigenka recognize four general kinds of hunting medicines: 1) aromatic sedges used to steady the hands and guide the arrow; 2) caustic eye drops to improve vision and heighten the senses; 3) purgatives and emetics to flush impurities from the body; 4) and hallucinogens and narcotics to transport the soul to other dimensions where the hunter communes with spirit beings. Cultivated sedges (Cyperus spp.) are probably the most important of all Matsigenka plant medicines, used for a spectacular diversity of ailments. Matsigenka men grow dozens of sedge varieties in their gardens as hunting remedies, each one prized for its ability to enhance skills for tracking and killing a specific game animal—spider monkey, woolly monkey, various game birds, certain types of fish. Other sedge varieties are rubbed on the hands while planting certain crops to make them more hardy. Women, too, have their own sedge varieties—to bathe babies, soothe fevers, staunch hemorrhages during childbirth, to treat infertility or, on the other hand, as a natural form of birth control. Other sedges are used to treat common health complaints such as headaches, fevers, cuts and diarrhea. Still others are used to treat snakebite, to ward off ghosts and vengeful spirits, to treat depression and nightmares[3], or to cure insanity. Some dangerously potent cultivars are believed to cause insanity. There are even sedge varieties to give one a beautiful singing voice, to become a better weaver, to calm a belligerent drunk, or to pass through military check points and park guard posts without hassles.

Past human societies have left persistent marks on forests worldwide. However, the degree to which pre-colonial Amerindian societies have affected forest structure is still not fully understood, especially in southern Brazil. This study... more

Past human societies have left persistent marks on forests worldwide. However, the degree
to which pre-colonial Amerindian societies have affected forest structure is still not fully
understood, especially in southern Brazil. This study investigated the influence of two distinct
Amerindian groups (Southern-Jê and Guarani) over tree composition of forest fragments
in the State of Santa Catarina. Vegetation data was obtained from the Santa Catarina
Forest and Floristic Inventory (SCFFI): a statewide systematic vegetation sampling project.
Archaeological data was collated from literature reviews as well as existing databases for
archaeological sites occupied by Guarani and Southern-Jê groups. Using these sites of
known Amerindian occupation, and corresponding environmental variables, ecological
niche models were developed for each Amerindian group, predicting potential archaeological
sites occupied by these groups across southern Brazil. Maps of these potential occupation
sites of pre-colonial Amerindian groups were compared with 417 corresponding floristic
inventory plots. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to identify floristic composition patterns
linked to areas with a high probability of Southern-Jê or Guarani presence. Southern-
Jê and Guarani pre-colonial occupations overlapped near main rivers; however, Southern-
Jê groups generally occupied elevated areas whereas Guarani occupied mostly coastal
areas. We observed differences in forest composition associated with the predicted occurrence
of these pre-colonial Amerindian groups. Based on these results, we argue there is a
relationship between tree species distribution and pre-colonial human occupation by these
two Amerindian groups.

Richness, ethnobotany and potential production were part of a two-year project carried out in the locality of Tumupasa (Dept. La Paz), NW Bolivia. Ethnobotanical interviews to the Tacana people were applied in order to register useful... more

Richness, ethnobotany and potential production were part of a two-year project carried out in the locality of Tumupasa (Dept. La Paz), NW Bolivia. Ethnobotanical interviews to the Tacana people were applied in order to register useful species. Between 2013-2014 twelve Gentry plots were established in order to analyze population structure of five selected useful palms: Iriartea deltoidea, Euterpe longivaginata, Geonoma deversa, Bactris gasipaes, and Phytelephas tenuicaulis. A total of 29 palm species (5 introduced and 24 native) were recorded, with 94% of arecoids and they are mostly related with forests that host the major part of this palm richness. Twenty three palms are used by local communities andwere included into eight uses categories: food (29%), construction materials (17%) and animal food (14%), among others. Keys to Geonoma and Bactris species were contributed. Selected palm species showed regenerative populations, but there is a need for follow-up programs in order to conserve these important natural resources.

Markets are public spaces in which many kinds of products are sold, as well as places of cultural information exchange. These spaces are distinctive for each given culture or society as they represent small-scale reproductions of that... more

Markets are public spaces in which many kinds of products are sold, as well as places of cultural information exchange. These spaces are distinctive for each given culture or society as they represent small-scale reproductions of that region's cultural and biological diversity. We carried out ethnobotanical studies in an important traditional market in the city of Recife (Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil) in two distinct years, 1995 and 2002. Our objectives were to compare the taxonomic richness of the plants being sold there in these different years, to investigate differences between the species' relative importance, and to present descriptions of their main uses. Considering the lack of ethnobotanical studies in these markets and the great methodological difficulties in gaining access to this type of information, we discuss the limitations of this kind of study and offer suggestions to deal with specific problems. Semi-structured interviews with the plant vendors were carried out in the market, along with other data-collection and analysis techniques common to ethnobotanical studies. A total of 136 species were recorded -an increase of 58 species between the two study periods -with significant differences among the proportions of families, genera, and species (p < 0.05). Despite differences in the relative importance of species found in both surveys, there was an underlying trend maintaining the same species of greatest importance. Our data suggest that markets conserve their basic repertoire while at the same time act as open and dynamic systems that is enriched by adding new plants and their respective use-indications.

and sharing with colleagues.

______________________________________________________________________ RESUMEN: Una mirada analítica que considere las lógicas nativas vinculadas a las prácticas de manejo o relación que las sociedades mantienen con las comunidades... more

______________________________________________________________________ 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.

El Inti Raymi, en quechua " fiesta del sol " , se realiza en homenaje y agradecimiento a la Madre Tierra por las cosechas recibidas, por el solsticio de invierno (estamos en el hemisferio sur). De todas las fiestas andinas, el Inti Raymi... more

El Inti Raymi, en quechua " fiesta del sol " , se realiza en homenaje y agradecimiento a la Madre Tierra por las cosechas recibidas, por el solsticio de invierno (estamos en el hemisferio sur). De todas las fiestas andinas, el Inti Raymi constituye uno de los monumentos culturales vigentes que ha logrado sobrevivir al periodo Colonial, la República, los regímenes dictatoriales y llegar hasta nuestros días. Al tratarse de una tradición inca, el Inti Raymi se mantiene como un rito para muchas comunidades indígenas de legado incaico o andino en Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, norte argentino y Bolivia.

Described as a 'master plant' by many indigenous groups in lowland South America, tobacco is an essential part of shamanic ritual, as well as a source of everyday health, wellbeing and community. In sharp contrast to the condemnation of... more

Described as a 'master plant' by many indigenous groups in lowland South America, tobacco is an essential part of shamanic ritual, as well as a source of everyday health, wellbeing and community. In sharp contrast to the condemnation of the tobacco industry and its place in contemporary public
health discourse, the book considers tobacco in a more nuanced light, as an agent both of enlightenment and destruction.
Exploring the role of tobacco in the lives of indigenous peoples, The Master Plant offers an important and unique contribution to this field of study through its focus on lowland South America: the historical source region of this controversial plant, yet rarely discussed in recent scholarship. The ten
chapters in this collection bring together ethnographic accounts, key developments in anthropological theory and emergent public health responses to indigenous tobacco use. Moving from a historical study of tobacco usage – covering the initial domestication of wild varieties and its value as a commodity in colonial times – to an examination of the
transcendent properties of tobacco, and the magic, symbolism and healing properties associated with it, the authors present wide-ranging perspectives on the history and cultural significance of this important plant. The final part of the book examines the changing landscape of tobacco use in these
communities today, set against the backdrop of the increasing power of the national and transnational tobacco industry.
The first critical overview of tobacco and its uses across lowland South America, this book encourages new ways of thinking about the problems of commercially exploited tobacco both within and beyond this source region.

El Pawkar Raymi es un término quechua que significa " fiesta del florecimiento " o " muchos colores o policromía ". El significado de este término se debe a que, durante la celebración, se exhibe la cosecha que da la tierra, mostrándose... more

El Pawkar Raymi es un término quechua que significa " fiesta del florecimiento " o " muchos colores o policromía ". El significado de este término se debe a que, durante la celebración, se exhibe la cosecha que da la tierra, mostrándose un amplio colorido entre los productos expuestos y la indumentaria de los participantes. El Pawkar Raymi constituye una antigua ceremonia religiosa andina en honor a Pachacámac o Pacha Kamaq, cuyos preparativos inician anualmente desde el mes de enero, celebrándose en marzo, para agradecer y compartir los productos (patatas, maíz o arvejas) que cada año les obsequia la Pachamama o Madre Tierra.

This article investigates the scientific and local knowledge of biodiversity of quinoa in Peru and its association with racialized classification schemes—both for humans and for plants. While race is purportedly used as a classificatory... more

This article investigates the scientific and local knowledge of biodiversity of quinoa in Peru and its association with racialized classification schemes—both for humans and for plants. While race is purportedly used as a classificatory tool, it has a deep history of negative discrimination that transcends application to people and has been applied to other species associated with racialized humans. This article reports compiled data on the nomenclature of quinoa vari-etals from Andean farmers from the altiplano in Puno, Peru. This research demonstrates that domesticated plants that have deep connections to human diversity and traditional cultures can be racialized. These plants are also critical to the maintenance of biological diversity.

En ese artículo proponemos una reconstrucción del proyecto enciclopédico de Sanchez Labrador (en seguida SL) que hasta hoy no está editado en entero y sobre lo cual gracias a redescubiertos manuscritos y su examen podemos ver más claro... more

En ese artículo proponemos una reconstrucción del proyecto enciclopédico de Sanchez Labrador (en seguida SL) que hasta hoy no está editado en entero y sobre lo cual gracias a redescubiertos manuscritos y su examen podemos ver más claro que en tiempo anterior. Tratamos aqui el tema de la estructura del libro y la proveniencia.

La Marihuana (Cannabis sativa) se ha vuelto en nuestros días un tema constante de debate y simboliza perfectamente la pugna entre los partidarios de la liberalización total del consumo de sustancias psicoactivas de una parte y por otra... more

La Marihuana (Cannabis sativa) se ha vuelto en nuestros días un tema constante de debate y simboliza perfectamente la pugna entre los partidarios de la liberalización total del consumo de sustancias psicoactivas de una parte y por otra parte de los oponentes a toda tolerancia hacia ellas. Esas posiciones encontradas nos obligan casi automáticamente a escoger entre dos opciones “cerradas”: la primera que se envuelve púdicamente en el manto de la tolerancia, la libertad y un acercamiento seudo “angelical” a la “hierba”; la segunda que sataniza toda modificación inducida de los estados de conciencia y evoca horrorizada las cifras efectivamente escalofriantes de la drogadicción en el mundo. Al pronunciarse sobre este tema, uno se arriesga a parecer un verdugo mandado por el “establishment” para mantener el orden moral o un irresponsable rezago de la fantasía hippie incapaz de enfrentar los retos del mundo moderno. Queremos intentar abrir un tercer espacio ubicado a igual distancia de ambos grupos que se refuerzan mutuamente por presentar posturas que consideramos distorsionadas de la realidad y basadas en un cierto grado de auto-engaño sino de impostura.

A comparative analysis was made between assemblages of phytoliths and other siliceous micro-remains recovered from the surface of grinding stone artefacts, and those extracted from sediment samples associated with the artefacts' original... more

A comparative analysis was made between assemblages of phytoliths and other siliceous micro-remains recovered from the surface of grinding stone artefacts, and those extracted from sediment samples associated with the artefacts' original contexts. The artefacts come from the archaeological site of Nutria Mansa in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina (38º 24' S and 58º 15' W). They were excavated as part of stratigraphic unit III, which is part of the lower component of site and belongs to the late Holocene (2,700-3,100 years BP). The analysis of artefact residue samples showed phytolith assemblage compositions similar to that of an associated sediment sample from the level, with several prismatic, pointed, and fan-shaped phytoliths represented and, less frequently, bilobate, truncated cone-shaped, and saddle-shaped phytoliths. Articulated phytoliths composed of long, short, bulliform, and subepidemic cells were also present. The study also revealed the presence of colored amorphous organic matter and other micro-remains such as stomatocysts, sponge spicules and diatoms. Comparative analysis of microfossil assemblages failed to show significant qualitative or quantitative differences between the samples' compositions or states of preservation. Therefore, the results do not allow full evaluation of the utilization of phytolith-producing plants in the surroundings of the site. However, artefact residues do differ from unit III sediments in the presence of organic matter and colored silica remains, as well as charcoal particles and grass-type phytoliths. These remains may provide information regarding the use of the grinding stones, suggesting, for example, that the artefacts may have been utilized to process organic pigments or other substances that were colored. It is not yet possible, however, to fully establish the origin of these residues using the present analysis.

... As a native of Peru and son of an Inca princess, he had been in an excellent position to find out about the Inca administration ... At this stage I propose a hypothesis: these details of Garcilaso&amp;#x27;s description originated... more

... As a native of Peru and son of an Inca princess, he had been in an excellent position to find out about the Inca administration ... At this stage I propose a hypothesis: these details of Garcilaso&amp;#x27;s description originated with Pineda; they were told to Garcilaso by Gonzalo Pizarro, who ...

Este libro presenta los casos más destacados y representativos de las palmeras y sus categorías de uso, por el entorno de su comercio y aprovechamiento regional. También se incluye a tres especies que se aprovechan solo en Bolivia. Cuando... more

Este libro presenta los casos más destacados y representativos de las palmeras y sus categorías de uso, por el entorno de su comercio y aprovechamiento regional. También se incluye a tres especies que se aprovechan solo en Bolivia. Cuando correspon-de, la información que se incluye para presentar enfoques más completos menciona rasgos taxonómicos, f ilogenéticos, distri-bución geográf ica, biología y ecología, usos y venta, entre otros. En varios casos, la ilustración de tablas, f iguras y fotos fue nece-saria para destacar detalles y su respectivo énfasis. Además se propone el contexto regional de las palmeras útiles desde referencias del ámbito sudamericano hasta las más locales, enfatizando las tendencias que se registran en Bolivia y sus zonas mayores en tierras altas y bajas. Los 16 autores incursionan en la información general y regional para luego atender con mayor detalle las características de diez especies que se en-cuentran en Bolivia. Universidad Mayor de San Andrés

Vast and rich, harboring tremendous biological, cultural, and linguistic diversity, and heirs to a glorious and tragic history, Central and South America have given rise to some of the most ancient, enduring, and spectacular examples of... more

Vast and rich, harboring tremendous biological, cultural, and linguistic diversity, and heirs to a glorious and tragic history, Central and South America have given rise to some of the most ancient, enduring, and spectacular examples of shamanistic practice documented. The Asiatic peoples who migrated to the Americas during the Pleistocene appear to have brought with them a ritual complex that integrated religious and medical functions, centered around trance states, and may have involved hallucinogenic plant use. As in the case of the Siberian cultures to whom we owe the etymology of the term “shaman,” native societies throughout Central and South America distinguish ritual specialists who enter trance to commune with the spirits for purposes of healing, divination, and other matters of individual and collective well-being. Because of the presumed Asian origins of Amerindians, and partly because the Siberian term happened to gain wide usage, certain west Asian traditions and similar Arctic and North American examples have been treated as original or more “pure” versions of shamanism than their Central and South American counterparts. Yet recent archeological and genetic evidence suggests a much more ancient date for the arrival of humans in the Americas than had previously been assumed. Keeping this fact in mind, native Central and South American shamanism should be seen not as derivative of or secondary to “classic” Asian shamanism, but rather parallel, largely independent, and equally ancient bodies of practice that have evolved and diversified in response to heterogeneous ecological, sociocultural, and historical conditions.

This article concerns the practice of cassava gardening among the indigenous Makushi people of Amazonian Guyana. By focusing on the cassava garden (mîî) as a primary site of multispecies engagement, I explore some of the heterogeneous... more

This article concerns the practice of cassava gardening among the indigenous Makushi people of Amazonian Guyana. By focusing on the cassava garden (mîî) as a primary site of multispecies engagement, I explore some of the heterogeneous modes that people-plant relationships take in everyday life and ritual practice. Plants, for the Makushi, are typically thought of as 'persons' (pemon), and gardening is predicated upon maintaining relationships of interspecies care via regular human-plant communication. In the idiom of human kinship, cassava plants are spoken of as being 'children' (more yamî'), both of human gardeners and Cassava Mama, the tutelary spirit of cultivated plants. Human-plant communication is both verbal, in the form of poetic language (taren) and songs (eremu), and embodied, in the form of tactile engagement and substance-based transfers. It is in the cultivation of communicative relationships with plants and their spirits, I argue, that Makushi gardeners create and nourish human persons and, ultimately, reproduce society. I go on to address the anthropological problem of plant animism in Amazonia, arguing that a more embodied, sensorial and, following Strathern, 'immanentist' notion of spirit is required to better account for the complex entanglement of bodies and souls that undergirds human-plant interpenetration in indigenous Amazonia. In dialogue with literature from the multispecies turn, I suggest that an anthropology beyond the human, much like Makushi gardening, might usefully be thought of as a process of more-than-human ontogenesis.

This study describes the ethnobotany of the Hotì, a group of about 800 Indians living in the Serranía de Maigualida of the Venezuelan Amazon. Field research was conducted between 1996 to 1999, mostly in four socioecologically different... more

This study describes the ethnobotany of the Hotì, a group of about 800 Indians living in the Serranía de Maigualida of the Venezuelan Amazon. Field research was conducted between 1996 to 1999, mostly in four socioecologically different Hotì communities: Caño
Iguana, Caño Mosquito, Caño Majagua y Kayamá. The methodology includes quantitative and qualitative approaches. The research had four main goals.
1. Initiate the documentation of the botanical diversity of a previous unknown region of Venezuela. A total of 2340 botanical specimens were collected, of which approximately 1500 have been determined botanically. Botanical inventories and
ecological measurements (density, dominance, frequency, and importance values) were made in four one-hectare plots set up in different ecological areas, and on the basis of this data different forest types were defined. A total of 59 families, 247 genera and 399 species were identified in the four plots.
2. Explore Hotì cultural ecology, one of the least known ethnic groups in Venezuela. The subsistence ecology (foraging, hunting, fishing, horticulture) is described, with particular emphasis on plant-people interactions, ideological and utilitarian aspects
of plant use, and the role of Hoti as ecological disturbance agents.
3. Test empirically theoretical proposals on the nature of ethnobiological classifications. The Hotì ethnobotanical classification system is described and analyzed in the light of current theory. The system exhibits well defined ethnobotanical categories: Kingdom (unnamed), Life Form (10 taxa), Generic (565
taxa), Specific (509 taxa) and Varietal (5 taxa). The percentage of polytipic generic taxa, (108) 23,6%, is in agreement with the 20% predicted by the theory.
4. Test the hypothesis that the Hotì, described as incipient horticulturalists, have less extensive and less detailed knowledge of the plant world than more horticultural lowland groups. Data from the ethnobotanical plot surveys in fact shows that the
Hotì possess a comparatively higher knowledge of their botanical surroundings in comparison to other groups, thus falsifying the null hypothesis. The global use percentages of the plot species are between 49% to 100%, corresponding to the least (Kayama) and the most (Mosquito) traditional environments respectively.

Richard Evans Schultes was the first to suggest the possibility that there may have been a cultic use of mushrooms in South America, specifically the Northeastern Andes region of the Amazon. Schultes and Hofmann noted that a Jesuit priest... more

Richard Evans Schultes was the first to suggest the possibility that there may have been a cultic use of mushrooms in South America, specifically the Northeastern Andes region of the Amazon. Schultes and Hofmann noted that a Jesuit priest had mentioned that the Yurimagua of Northeastern Andes in Peru used a potion, possibly made from a tree fungus [perhaps a species of Psilocybe]. Schultes offered little information except that he mentioned the drink might have included, Psilocybe yungensis as part of the mixture. Schultes' references of that tree fungus appeared in The Botany and Chemistry of the Hallucinogens and later in an article describing some of the mushroomic gold pectorals on display at the Museo del Oro in Bogotá. In recent years, Juan Camilo Rodriguez Martinez, an amateur ethnomycologist, was residing in Bogotá, Colombia. During this period, while researching the various gold pectorals and pendant artifacts on display at the Museo del Oro in Bogotá, a particular gold pendant piqued JCRM's curiosity. It appeared that there seemed to be a possible connection between those artifacts and a few specific species of the known neurotropic fungi that occurred in Colombia. Richard Evans Schultes and Alec Bright were the first Westerners to bring to the attention of Western Civilization, news of the existence of the gold mushroomic artifacts, and pendants on display at the Museo del Oro in Bogotá, Colombia. And now it is JCRM who suggests that the ancient Muisca priests may have once used entheogenic mushrooms in a cultic manner in prehispanic Colombia. And quite possibly, the epicenter of that cultic activity occurred primarily in and around the municipality of Villa de Leyva in Boyacá, Colombia, as well as in other Departments in the surrounding regions. The Muiscas are an indigenous people native to Colombia. They are the original inhabitants of what is now the city of Bogotá and the surrounding countryside. That also includes the Cundiboyacense High Plateau to the south of the Department (State) of Santander, one of the 32 States in this beautiful country. In Colombia, botanists are aware that many entheogenic plants have medicinal value and are of spiritual significance amongst the indigenous populations who use such plants in ritual ceremonies, yet there appears to be little research in Colombia concerning the past or present use of psilocybian fungi. However, there is an online plethora of data on the ludible use of entheogenic fungi by foreign tourists. Many young foreigners come to Colombia seeking such fungi, yage, and other native medicinal entheogenic plants, often searching for new ways to communicate with God or to have some mind-altering ludible experience. The authors suggest that such ludible use of entheogenic plants, especially

Western scientists and entheogen enthusiasts have used terms such as “psychoactive,” “hallucinogenic,” “psychedelic,” or more recently, “entheogenic,” to refer to shamanic plants and substances. Yet in all their permutations, such terms... more

Western scientists and entheogen enthusiasts have used terms such as “psychoactive,” “hallucinogenic,” “psychedelic,” or more recently, “entheogenic,” to refer to shamanic plants and substances. Yet in all their permutations, such terms reinforce the foundational Cartesian dichotomy between body and mind, substance and spirit, the finite and the infinite. Indigenous peoples of the Amazon, by contrast, do not distinguish the mental or spiritual effects of shamanic plants and substances from their physiological or sensory properties. Among the Matsigenka people of Peru, for example, the term kepigari (which could be translated as “toxic,” or “intoxicating”) encompasses the physiological, sensory and cognitive dimensions of shamanic experience under a single, unified concept. The Matsigenka and other Amazonian peoples make no distinction between a shamanic plant’s active pharmacological ingredients and what we might refer to as the anthropomorphized “soul” that animates and infuses it with agency. Indeed, for the Matsigenka and other Amazonian peoples, the body can sometimes be used as a synonym for what we would refer to as the soul, and vice versa. And yet just as ethnobotanists might overlook the phil- osophical ramifications of indigenous ways of knowing, anthropologists in Amazonia, increasingly concerned with ontological questions, often overlook the material and phenomenological basis of indigenous knowledge. Indigenous concepts surrounding the sensory properties, body/mind mani- festations and spiritual properties of shamanic plants transcend Cartesian dualism. Specific plants and plant-based substances are sometimes personified by Amazonian shamans as “plant teachers.” Scientific findings about the role of messenger molecules in plant communication and an emerg- ing appreciation of “plant intelligence” provide new windows of understanding into the deep truth behind shamanic concepts.

This special issue addresses the possible connections and mutual benefits of examining together two analytic concepts – memory and periphery. These concepts receive much attention in various scholarly discussions, yet they have done so... more

This special issue addresses the possible connections and mutual benefits of examining together two analytic concepts – memory and periphery. These concepts receive much attention in various scholarly discussions, yet they have done so rather independently from each other. The potential applications and utilities of combining memory and periphery and the epistemic insights they provide for various disciplins are presented in the different contributions to this issue.

Major categories of uses of native Arecaceae to Bolivia are registered based on 252 records. Fifty eight palm species - which represents the 67% of total) are used under 10 categories, namely food (fruits, palmheart and beverages),... more

Major categories of uses of native Arecaceae to Bolivia are registered based on 252 records. Fifty eight palm species - which represents the 67% of total) are used under 10 categories, namely food (fruits, palmheart and beverages), medicinal, fuel, ornamental, construction materials (thatch and structure), utensils, handicrafts, toys, animal food, and ceremonial. Also 24 species known as the most utilized by people were considered with more information in regards to their uses; animal food represents the 16%, food for local communities (14%), construction materials (13%), ornamental and handicrafts (both with 10% ea.), oils (7%), cosmetic (4%), toys and ceremonial (both with 3% ea). Finally, seven study cases were included written by L.R. Moreno & O. I. Moreno, R. Hurtado, M. Toledo, F. Montoya, Z. Pérez, E. Blacutt, N. Paniagua-Zambrana et al.

Seeking to generate a deeper methodological and theoretical dialogue between botanical science and anthropology, this paper summarizes interdisciplinary approaches to human-plant interactions we have described as "sensory ecology" and... more

Seeking to generate a deeper methodological and theoretical dialogue between botanical science and anthropology, this paper summarizes interdisciplinary approaches to human-plant interactions we have described as "sensory ecology" and "phytoethnography", applying these concepts to vital questions about humanplant relations in Amazonia. Building on this work, we broaden the scope of our investigations by considering their relevance to the field of historical ecology. In particular, we discuss Eduardo Viveiros de Castro's concept of "multinaturalism" and explore how it can be applied to understanding management and domestication of forest landscapes in Amazonia by Indigenous Peoples.

Seeking to generate a deeper methodological and theoretical dialogue between botanical science and anthropology, this paper summarizes interdisciplinary approaches to human-plant interactions we have described as “sensory ecology” and... more

Seeking to generate a deeper methodological and theoretical dialogue between botanical science and anthropology, this paper summarizes interdisciplinary approaches to human-plant interactions we have described as “sensory ecology” and “phytoethnography,” applying these concepts to vital questions about human-plant relations in Amazonia. Building on this work, we broaden the scope of our investigations by considering their relevance to the field of historical ecology. In particular, we discuss Eduardo Viveiros de Castro’s concept of “multinaturalism” and explore how it can be applied to understanding indigenous management and domestication of forest landscapes in Amazonia.

En la zona del Amazonas el ícaro es el canto o melodía que utilizan los chamanes ayahuasqueros durante los ceremoniales rituales que realizan. Se canta indistintamente tanto en español, quechua u otra lengua de la zona y su significado es... more

En la zona del Amazonas el ícaro es el canto o melodía que utilizan los chamanes ayahuasqueros durante los ceremoniales rituales que realizan. Se canta indistintamente tanto en español, quechua u otra lengua de la zona y su significado es de vital importancia en las ceremonias. Este canto chamánico es un instrumento curativo, de sabiduría y el vehículo de la energía del chamán, el símbolo real de su poder y conocimiento.

Medicinal plant therapy is a total sensory experience among the Matsigenka and the Yora (Yaminahua) of Amazonian Peru. Cues thought to indicate plant efficacy are sensed through multiple modes: taste, odor, irritation, and vision as... more

Medicinal plant therapy is a total sensory experience among the Matsigenka and the Yora (Yaminahua) of Amazonian Peru. Cues thought to indicate plant efficacy are sensed through multiple modes: taste, odor, irritation, and vision as well as body/mind sensations induced by emetic, psychoactive, and stimulating plants. Though occupying adjacent territories, the Matsigenka and Yora belong to different cultural-linguistic families and did not interact until recently. A comparative study documented criteria used by both groups to evaluate the healing power of plants. Odor is significant in both groups’ cultural constructions of illness and therapy. Both value plants with red juice for blood-related conditions. For the most part, Matsigenka ethnomedicine is allopathic, as medicines act through opposition. Many plants are selected for toxic properties (bitterness, pungency, causticity) that overpower and expel illness. Bitterness is the most frequently encountered medicinal property, and many remedies are administered orally. Yora ethnomedicine is homeopathic in the sense that “like treats like.” Medicinal plants are classified according to visible signatures: spiny plants for sharp pains, pink leaves for pinkeye, plants with watery latex for watery diarrhea, etc.. Medicines are rarely taken internally, but rather applied externally as warm compresses. Bitterness, crucial in Matsigenka models of efficacy, is of little importance in Yora medicine. Different efficacy models appear consistent with different individual and social responses to pain in the two groups. Both groups have suffered severe health consequences and other negative impacts of Western
contact in recent decades. Differences in traditional pharmacognosy contribute to different perceptions of Western pharmaceuticals in the two groups. Despite cultural differences, there are major ecological and taxonomic similarities in the two pharmacopoeia. Sixteen botanical families, mostly understory shrubs and herbs, account for more than 65% of all medicines encountered. Regression analysis demonstrates a statistically significant correlation between the two medicinal flora. This study of comparative ethnopharmacology reveals neither strict cultural nor environmental determinism in medicinal plant selection, but rather a complex interweaving of cultural and ecological adaptations. Medicines, whether natural or synthetic, indigenous or globally distributed, are at the same time empirically active agents and potent symbols of healing power.

This chapter is an ethnographic case study of the fermentation of cassava beer among the indigenous Makushi people of southern Guyana. The chapter constitutes the first in-depth anthropological study of parakari, a unique kind of cassava... more

This chapter is an ethnographic case study of the fermentation of cassava beer among the indigenous Makushi people of southern Guyana. The chapter constitutes the first in-depth anthropological study of parakari, a unique kind of cassava beer fermented via the cultivation of a domesticated species of saprotrophic fungus (Rhizopus sp.). Herein, I explore Makushi theories and practices of fermentation, and, more broadly, the ways in which alcoholic drinks operate as catalysts for processes of social and cosmic reproduction and transformation in indigenous Amazonia. For the Makushi, as I argue, the production and consumption of cassava beer is understood as a more- than-human process of person-making, harnessing the vibrant agency of a diversity of vegetal, animal, microbial, and spiritual entities and forces. Fermentation, in this frame, is treated both as a socio-technical system and a cosmo-ecological system.

The present investigation is an attempt to an ethnomedicinal plants survey carried out in Sirumalai Hills of Eastern Ghats, Dindigul district of Tamilnadu. The indigenous information of the village dwellers, tribal people, village... more

The present investigation is an attempt to an ethnomedicinal plants survey carried out in Sirumalai Hills of Eastern Ghats, Dindigul district of Tamilnadu. The indigenous information of the village dwellers, tribal people, village herbalists, herbal practitioners and other traditional healers and the indigenous plants used for medicinal worthiness were collected through personal interviewes and questionnaire during field trips. The exploration revealed some unknown medical uses of medicinal plants. The locals use 44 medicinal plants for the treatment of several diseases either in single or in combination with some other ingredients. The information on correct botanical identities with family, vernacular name (Tamil), part used and traditional practice of 44 species, 40 genera and 28 families of angiosperms are discussed here for the treatment of various illnesses viz., asthma, snake bite, anthelmintic, promote coolness antipyretic, jaundice, diarrhoea, dysentery, leprosy, diuretic, diabetes, stomachache problems, paralysis and skin diseases. The dicotyledons are represented by 41 species of 37 genera and 25 families while monocotyledons are represented by 3 species of 3 genera and 3 families. The plant parts are used in the form of juice, extract, powder and paste. These uses are noteworthy for further investigation on recent scientific manner. The present study concluded that the abundance of natural ethnomedicinal information of medicinal plants may also points to a excellent potential for investigation in the discovery new medicines to fight ailments and other new uses. Get the full articles at: http://www.innspub.net/ijb-january-2012/

Los recursos vegetales son fundamentales en la construcción de viviendas rurales del Noroeste argentino (NOA) dado que cumplen diversas funciones: aditivos, elementos estructurales, componentes de muros y aberturas, entre otras. Su... more

Los recursos vegetales son fundamentales en la construcción de viviendas rurales del Noroeste argentino (NOA) dado que cumplen diversas funciones: aditivos, elementos estructurales, componentes de muros y aberturas, entre otras. Su disponibilidad es un aspecto valorado en el medio rural; diversas disciplinas sociales y naturales los estudian aunque la información incluida y analizada sobre ellos varía de acuerdo al objetivo específico. El objetivo del presente trabajo es evaluar qué aspectos de los recursos vegetales son considerados en artículos científicos y/o tecnológicos publicados en las memorias de los SIACOT que describen la vivienda rural construida con tierra del NOA, a fin de demarcar el estado actual de la temática, identificar aspectos faltantes y discutir sobre las potencialidades de considerar ciertos datos al estudiar este tipo de vivienda. Este trabajo es el primer aporte de una investigación doctoral en curso que a largo plazo pretende evaluar dichos aspectos en la bibliografía sobre viviendas rurales del NOA en términos generales. Se efectuó una búsqueda bibliográfica en las memorias del SIACOT publicadas hasta el presente. Además, se clasificó la información en 8 categorías útiles a los fines del trabajo y se analizó en manera interpretativa. 21 trabajos respondieron al objetivo planteado, el 86% de estos trabajos científicos-tecnológicos mencionan la presencia del material vegetal en primer lugar haciendo mención a sus partes (ramas, etc.) y luego por su nombre local (67%). Son menos aquellos artículos que mencionan las especies con su nombre botánicas (29%) pero de manera incompleta. Se destaca además que el estudio de las viviendas rurales, las prácticas y técnicas constructivas, los componentes, elementos y los materiales son tópico de interés a muchas disciplinas, y a pesar de que su estudio es incipiente, en la última década se denota un interés particular tanto en la identidad del recurso y como en su manejo.

Introducción y objetivos: Desde la década de 1990, en Argentina se aprecia un proceso de visibilización y resurgimiento de grupos aborígenes que se creían extintos por parte de la historia oficial. Este es el caso del Pueblo Comechingón... more

Introducción y objetivos: Desde la década de 1990, en Argentina se aprecia un proceso de visibilización y resurgimiento de grupos aborígenes que se creían extintos por parte de la historia oficial. Este es el caso del Pueblo Comechingón en la provincia de Córdoba. En otro sentido, se sabe que la recolección de plantas silvestres alimenticias es una práctica ancestral que contribuye a la subsistencia de muchas comunidades indígenas del país. En el marco de la soberanía alimentaria y la etnobiología, se planteó realizar una primera indagación sobre el uso de plantas silvestres comestibles por parte de pobladores que se auto-identifican pertenecientes al pueblo comechingón de San Marcos Sierras (Córdoba).
M&M: Se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas, listados libres y la observación de un muestrario fotográfico guía, a un referente de cada comunidad comechingona de la localidad.
Resultados: Los entrevistados reconocieron 34 etnoespecies silvestres, correspondientes a 32 taxones botánicos. El 85% fueron nativas y el resto exóticas. Los “algarrobos” (Prosopis spp.) presentaron la mayor cantidad de partes utilizadas y formas de consumo registradas. Las estructuras vegetales más citadas fueron los frutos, seguido de las flores, hojas, cladodios, órganos subterráneos y resinas. Estas dos últimas, junto con las hojas de árboles no habían sido reportadas anteriormente para la región. Asimismo, se aludió a diferentes modos de colecta, conservación y productos culinarios.
Conclusiones: Las comunidades comechingonas conocen y consumen una amplia variedad de plantas comestibles. Se espera contribuir a la visibilización de la cultura comechingón y a la consolidación de sistemas de alimentación soberanos

This study investigates the changing role of the domesticated sedge waste (Cyperus spp.) among the indigenous Shipibo-Konibo who live in Ucayali river basin in the Peruvian Amazon. Waste is known as piripiri in Spanish and is associated... more

This study investigates the changing role of the domesticated sedge waste (Cyperus spp.) among the indigenous Shipibo-Konibo who live in Ucayali river basin in the Peruvian Amazon. Waste is known as piripiri in Spanish and is associated with cultivated plants in the Cyperaceae or sedge family, commonly infected with a fungi. Many indigenous groups in the Amazon are familiar with a large number of piripiri names and uses, however these are associated with only a very small number of botanical taxa. The uses for the grated or mashed tubers of the Cyperus spp. ranges from the treatment of symptoms of physical disease to magical uses that can change state of mind or behaviour. This study offers an analysis of the many folk species of waste that have been used throughout the decades in Shipibo-Konibo culture. The Shipibo-Konibo are known for their medicinal plant knowledge and intricate ken designs, which are closely related with ken waste in particular. A literature analysis, unpublished field data and semi-structured interviews in collaboration with the grassroots organisation Alianza Arkana
provided the data for this study. The results show that Shipibo-Konibo culture is deeply intertwined with the wisdom of the plants spirits and the ancestors. However, their culture is rapidly changing due to influences of western education and urbanisation. The changing uses of waste seem to reflect at least to some extent both persistent and new behaviours and values in Shipibo-Konibo society. The rich connections between linguistics, culture and biology make this an illustrative case study for the concept of biocultural diversity.

Recent scientific findings on plant intelligence are forcing anthropologists to reconsider indigenous theories of plant vitality. In this article, we compare original ethnographic and ethnobotanical research among two different peoples... more

Recent scientific findings on plant intelligence are forcing anthropologists to reconsider indigenous theories of plant vitality. In this article, we compare original ethnographic and ethnobotanical research among two different peoples from opposite extremes of lowland South America – the Makushi of Guyana and the Matsigenka of southern Peru – and explore how somatic experiences and the chemosensory properties of plants permeate indigenous understandings of the aetiology of illness and medical efficacy in both the cosmological and microbiological domains. We synthesize emerging theory in ecosemiotics, embodiment, plant personhood and plant intelligence with the concept of ‘sensory ecology’ to recast multispecies ethnography as a phytochemical as well as a philosophical endeavour. If forests think (cf. Kohn 2013), they most certainly do so with phytochemicals, not with the kinds of signs and symbols that anthropologists are accustomed to studying. The biggest challenge facing multispecies ethnography (Kirksey and Helmreich 2010), as we see it, is a methodological one. The conventional methods of social anthropology are not sufficient for investigating the complex and elusive relationships that transpire across species boundaries. As Eduardo Kohn (2013) has argued, interspecies relations are inherently semiotic, involving sign flows across species boundaries. And yet sensory experience and phytochemistry have been over looked in much multispecies discourse. Human-plant relations are intrinsically sensory, and are often mediated through chemosensation. Our ethnographic findings suggest new avenues of analysis into the semiotics, pragmatics and metaphysics of human-plant engagements.