Sacred Groves Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

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- Japanese Religions, Religion and Ecology, Shinto Studies, Modern and Contemporary Japan
- by Douglas MacMillan
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- Geography, Ecotourism, India, Biological Sciences

Abstract: The paper examins traditional Ryukyuan Onarigami-belief which is the belief that a sister’s sacred spiritual power called Seji guards her brother from danger. It is regarded as the basis of Ryukyuan kinship system and the core of the local religion which is supposed to derive from ancient Japanese religion (worship of kami). It also had a deep implications on Ryukyuan social and political culture. Basic sources on the issue (Omoro So:shi), Japanese and Western research and the Author’s field research data are used. The article is illustrated with original photos by the Author.
Key words: Ryukyu/Okinawa, Ryukyuan kinship, social and political systems, Ryukyuan religion, Onarigami-belief, female sacred spiritual power (Seji), priestesses’ cult of sacred groves (utaki), state (court) rituals.
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В статье впервые в отечественном японоведении подробно рассматриваются в историческом, религиозном и культурном контексте региона и общеяпонском культурном контексте фундаментальные концепты традиционной рюкюской культуры, - берущей свои истоки в древнеяпонской культуре, - а именно, культ «сестры-богини» (онари-гами おなり神) и представления о магической силе сэдзи (世持), отражающие важнейшие аспекты религиозной, социальной и политичнской культуры Рюкю. Анализируются различные точки зрения японских и западных исследователей на предмет исследования, который до сих пор остается дискуссионным. Использованы основные источники (рюкюская антология ритуальных песнопений «Оморо-со:си») и исследования японских и западных ученых по данной теме. Статья иллюстрирована оригинальными фото автора.
Ключевые слова: Рюкю/Окинава, системы родства, социума и политикума Рюкю, религия Рюкю, культ «сестры-богини» (онари-гами), магическая сила сэдзи, ритуалы жриц «священных рощ» (утаки), ритуалы королевского двора Рюкю.

- by Evgeny Baksheev
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- Religion, Cultural Studies, Japanese Studies, Folklore

Sacred groves are small or large patches of forest and are rich in biodiversity, store carbon (C) in biomass and soil, besides providing important ecosystem services. However, the information on tree species diversity, biomass, and C storage in sacred groves of Central India, Madhya Pradesh is elusive and fragmented. In the present study, 41 sacred groves were inventoried for tree species diversity, biomass, and C storage in vegetation and soil. A total of 103 tree species from 81 genera belonging to 37 families were recorded. Shannon's diversity, Dominance, Fisher's alpha, and species evenness indices for trees varied: 0.77-2.53, 0.07-0.64, 1.58-20.37, and 0.28-0.90 respectively. Tree density ranged 75-675 no. of stems ha −1 with a mean of 271 no. of stems ha −1 , while basal area ranged 6.8-47 m 2 ha −1 with a mean value of 27 m 2 ha −1. Tree biomass ranged 34.9-409.8 Mg ha −1 with a mean value of 194.01 Mg ha −1 , while, tree C ranged between 17.5 and 204.9 Mg C ha −1 wit...

The present article is based on the training cum workshop organized by Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF), Pune, India, based on field survey in March 2008. In the workshop some strategies for conservation of biodiversity has been developed in Konkan region of coastal Maharashtra, India and were assessed. (New York Science Journal. 2009;2(4):31-32). (ISSN: 1554-0200).

- by Balwant Kumar
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- Geography, Conservation, Case Study, Field Survey

Fengshui forests, also known as fengshui woods or fengshui woodlands, are culturally preserved remnant groves of natural forest or small plantations that are common in southern China. Similar forests known by other names are prevalent in many parts of East Asia, including Korea and Japan, where they have long helped sustain rural livelihoods and ecosystems. However, as is the case with research on the origins of fengshui philosophy, research on the origin, diffusion, present-day distribution, and conservation status of fengshui forests remains relatively sparse. Much of the research into fengshui forests has been published in Chinese, and is not accessible to a global scientific audience because the manuscripts are not easily discoverable or because of language barriers. This paper provides a quantitative review of 57 original papers on fengshui woods written in Chinese since the 1990s. Content analysis of Chinese-language papers on fengshui forests demonstrates a geographic bias towards case studies from southern China, and a predominance of methodologies representing vegetation surveys conducted by forestry specialists. Published field results and previously published research on fengshui forests report very high floristic diversity. Our own field research in 57 villages in five provinces shows that these locally protected woodlands are components of common property regimes (CPRs) that have been better preserved than the other forests in southern China and usually represent the only forest remnants adjacent to villages and other settlements. However, fengshui forests face threats from industrial pollution, urbanization, and other forms of economic development. We briefly report on our own preliminary field results and suggest that more research is required to develop interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives on the historical and cultural factors that support the persistence of fengshui forests across China and East Asia as a whole, and to integrate these woodlands within sustainable rural development strategies. These remnants of southern China's subtropical broadleaf evergreen forests are especially important in light of current efforts by the national government to promote urban forestry, ecosystem conservation, cultural heritage protection, and ecotourism, and to increase the capacity of natural carbon sinks within the country's borders.

- by Vinaya Ghate
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- Conservation, Sacred Groves
- by Mandar N Datar
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- Conservation, Sacred Groves

Mudiyettu: a traditional ritual theatre of Kerala arouses compelling emotions like fear, terror and finally bliss in the hearts of every spectator. This art cum ritual narrates the legend of Bhadrakali and Darika, popular all over Kerala combines the local and Brahmanical influences, the oral and written, therefore it is a like a palimpsest and a hidden treasure displaying the local ethos of the region yet symbolic of the exquisite arts of India. I have discussed in the paper the performance, legend and ritual of Mudiyettu. Similarly its gendered dimension as it emphasizes on the danger of female sexuality which needs to be placated has been discussed. The ecological aspects of Mudiyettu involve the fertility of the earth, the importance of kavu or the sacred grove and the belief in Bhadrakali as a fever goddess. The paper also incorporates similarities of Mudiyettu with other theatrical traditions like the Artaudian Theatre of Cruelty. The dance of the goddess is provocative, powerful and passionate which gives us insights into the theatre, art and myth of India.

- by Debal Deb
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- Conservation Ecology, Ethnobiology, Sacred Groves, Traditional ecological knowedge

In the central and northern highlands of Ethiopia, native forest and forest biodiversity is almost confined to sacred groves associated with churches. Local communities rely on these ‘church forests’ for essential ecosystem services including shade and fresh water but little is known about their region-wide distribution and conservation value. We (1) performed the first large-scale spatially-explicit assessment of church forests, combining remote-sensing and field data, to assess the number of forests, their size, shape, isolation and woody plant species composition, (2) determined their plant communities and related these to environmental variables and potential natural vegetation, (3) identified the main challenges to biodiversity conservation in view of plant population dynamics and anthropogenic disturbances, and (4) present guidelines for management and policy. The 394 forests identified in satellite images were on average ~ 2 ha in size and generally separated by ~ 2 km from the nearest neighboring forest. Shape complexity, not size, decreased from the northern to the central highlands. Overall, 148 indigenous tree, shrub and liana species were recorded across the 78 surveyed forests. Patch α-diversity increased with mean annual precipitation, but typically only 25 woody species occurred per patch. The combined results showed that > 50% of tree species present in tropical northeast Africa were still present in the 78 studied church forests, even though individual forests were small and relatively species-poor. Tree species composition of church forests varied with elevation and precipitation, and resembled the potential natural vegetation. With a wide distribution over the landscape, these church forests have high conservation value. However, long-term conservation of biodiversity of individual patches and evolutionary potential of species may be threatened by isolation, small sizes of tree species populations and disturbance, especially when considering climate change. Forest management interventions are essential and should be supported by environmental education and other forms of public engagement.

- by John Healey and +5
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- Landscape Ecology, Remote Sensing, Africa, Sacred Groves

The Dimasas have a unique system of double descent by virtue of which they have an allegiance to both male and female clan parallely. There are forty-two female and forty male clans in all. Each of the members propitiate clan gods of each of the respective two clans, one belongs to. There is a traditional form of worshipping the male (in one special case, female) clan ancestor gods, in twelve territories distributed throughout the Dimasa – inhabiting areas of Northeastern India. These twelve areas also referred to as sacred groves, are known as 'daikhoes', or the 'abode of the gods.' Out of the twelve daikhoes, the Riao daikho is regarded as the greatest. This paper aims to look into the different types of rituals performed in this daikho, the functions of the priests affiliated, the people's participation, and attempt to understand how the Dimasas maintain this pristine form of worship.

- by Humi Thaosen
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- Rituals, Sacred Groves, Dimasa tribe of Assam, Daikho

Sacred groves are patches of primary and natural forests, protected through socio-cultural laws by the local communities near their villages and are always dedicated to certain deities. This practice of conserving such groves is linked to the society since the beginning of human settlement. In Bonai forest division, Odisha eighty such sacred groves were identified in 6 ranges of namely Barsuan, Jarda, Koliposh, Sole, Tamana and Bonai. The size of sacred groves ranges from 0.01 Acre to 7.98 Acre, covering about 2.2% of the total geographical area of the division. In the CHAPTER 4

- by Himanshu Shekhar Palei
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- Biodiversity, Biodiversity Research, Sacred Space, Sacred Groves
- by John Noyce
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- India, Sacred Groves

For centuries, the core religious values of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church communities have ensured the protection of church forests. Despite this strong and longstanding tradition, however, communities are now facing a host of new challenges and opportunities. Our interdisciplinary research highlights ways in which the ecological status of church forests may be threatened due to new practices as well as the changing economic status of church forest communities. We find that the adaptability of these communities to changes associated with modernity might, inadvertently, be a key factor in ecological degradation. But their adaptability might also offer a window of opportunity for agents of forest conservation. Based primarily on ethnography, this article presents Ethiopian church forests as dynamic socio-religious spaces, explores the types of changes affecting the communities and their forests, and considers ways in which the church forest conservation model is evolving.

- by Izabela Orlowska and +1
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- Ethiopian Studies, Sustainable Development, Rural Development, Ethiopia

When a nation does not take seriously the implementation of effective measures to protect its environment not only it has no future, but it also offers no hope for the younger generations to protect nature and learn to respect wildlife.... more

- by Andreas C Chrysafis
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- Marine Biology, Cyprus, Marine Parks, Sacred Groves

This research is an attempt at recognizing the placemaking attributes by studying Sacred Groves of Ambaji. A brief study of the human-nature relationship, the cultural significance of trees and the concept of Sacred Groves were conducted to understand the reason behind this integral association of people and trees. Detail investigation of three different cases of Ambaji was conducted, as per a specific framework, through the means of site documentation, analysis and interview have been done. The study encompasses the concept of space, place, sense of place and the role of placemaking attributes to understand the difference between these phenomena.
This research highlights the inter and intra relation between placemaking attributes. It showcases the origin of places borne out of local people’s intuition and exhibits the actors behind the development of a place that is not devoid of political, technological and economic aspects. Further design proposals are also provided that can be used as further research and design guidelines.

Sacred natural sites and indigenous and community conserved areas (ICCAs) are repositories of biological and cultural diversity, and represent communities’ religious values, customary rules, institutional fabric, traditional knowledge and conservation culture. With changing environments, ICCAs, including sacred sites, face external and internal challenges to their survival, evolution and preservation. As such, ICCAs require recognition on par with the official protected areas managed by governments. Yet despite increasing recognition of ICCAs in international conservation policies, they still largely lack effective
and appropriate recognition in national policies and practices. In addition to exploring sacred groves as ICCAs, this article examines the policy and legal instruments that recognize ICCAs at the international and national levels. This article also recommends strategies to enhance the protection of ICCAs, including by shifting the paradigm from government-controlled protected areas to community-controlled conservation areas. National policies and legislation must give more prominence to the customary laws and traditional institutions of the indigenous peoples and local communities managing these conservation areas, as well as acknowledging their rights to self-governance and self-determination.

- by Hasrat Arjjumend and +1
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- Indigenous Peoples, Protected areas, Sacred Groves, Community Conservation

The Semsas are an offshoot of the Dimasa tribe, residing in a village called Semkhor, which is about 30 kms. from Maibang, Dima Hasao. The Dimasas are originally animists, although most of them regard themselves as Hindus. They have a double descent system of social structure ; they follow both male and female clans parallely. Both the male and female clan members propitiate their own clan ancestor gods independently. One form of the male clan ancestor worship is known as the daikho system of worship, where 'daikho' implies the place of ancestor-god or the 'sacred grove'. The Dimasas believe that there are in total twelve daikhos, of which one is located in Semkhor. However, during this study, it was found that there are five daikhos located in Semkhor alone, increasing the total number to more than twelve. Each of the daikhos have their respective priests belonging to particular male clans who regulate all the proceedings in these daikhos. This paper is an attempt to document all the rituals involved in propitiation of the ancestor gods in each of these daikhos, as well as the roles played by the priests and the people of Semkhor with respect to these daikhos. The methodology applied are the anthropological methods of observation, interview, focus group discussion, along with photographic records.

- by Humi Thaosen
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- Sacred Groves, Dimasa tribe of Assam, Daikho, Semkhor

In Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 42 (2): 2015, pp. 205-233.

When a forest contains a value that is of outstanding significance or critical importance, extra safeguards are needed to ensure that the value is not degraded or otherwise negatively affected by any management. Management activities must be planned and implemented in order to maintain or enhance those values. This is also the basis of the concept of high conservation value forest management. Sacred Groves are such natural forest patches critical to local communities' traditional cultural identity. The Bhil community has for long served as the sole protectors and conservationists of such patches in the Dahod district of Gujarat. This paper is based on the study of eight sacred groves seen across the landscape of Dahod, conserved and protected predominantly by the Bhil community wherein they have been worshipping their deities and ancestral spirits since time immemorial. It brings out the present status of these groves in terms of ecological and cultural importance. It draws a comparison between the trees species found in these groves with those in the forest areas of Dahod district. The paper lists out 43 tree species as climatic climax species for the district, 39 species occur in the forest tract and 19 occur in the sacred groves. It suggests sustainable solutions to biodiversity conservation taking into account the present day threats faced by these groves and the measures needed for mitigating the depletive factors.

- by Hitesh A Solanki
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- Ethnobotany, Sacred Groves, Community based conservation

This article aims at giving an overall view of the real and mythical topography of the Abaton of Biggeh, which housed a relic, the left leg of the God Osiris, in connection with the rituals. After a geographical and archaeological presentation, I will stress in particular the different species of trees growing on and around the Abaton. A new French translation will be provided, with commentary, of the Abaton Decree, in relation to the depictions on the Gate of Hadrian in the temple of Philae. A discussion of all the classical sources in chronological order will follow, in order to draw comparisons with the Egyptian sources. Lastly, the possible location and spatial organization of the Abaton in comparison with other sacred mounds will be addressed.

- by Charly De Maré
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- Philology, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Ancient History, Botany
- by Jutta Stroszeck
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- Sacred Groves, Kerameikos, Ancient Greek sanctuarys, Greek cult

In this article, an assumption has been made that in power centres, settlement concentrationwas accompanied by accumulation of goods, capital and weapons. Within the Przeworsk culture, the areain question encompassed the basins of the Prosna and the Warta. It remains uncertain if the area can beassociated with the so-called Lugii Grove, a centre of political and religious power described by Tacitus.

- by Tomasz Gralak
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- Coin Hoards, Barbarian societies, Vandals, Barbaricum

The Rajbanshi of the northern districts of West Bengal repudiated their tribal ancestry and Sanskritized many of their social customs to conform to their professed Hindu caste identity. Nevertheless, certain cultural traits, including their Sacred Groves and associated non-Brahminical rituals seem to link to their tribal past. The Rajbanshi Sacred Groves are distinctive in their exclusive composition of the yellow bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris var. straiata), whose distribution appears to be currently restricted to the Rajbanshi hamlets of Jalpaiguri district. The Kamtapuri movement, which demands constitutional recognition of their language and cultures, and a separate Statehood for the Rajbanshi, seeks to redefine their ethnic identity and cultural-political rights. Yet, this movement fails to take in its fold the cultural significance of the distinctive bamboo Sacred Groves which are now disappearing from the Rajbanshi villages of Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts.

- by Debal Deb
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- Ethnobotany, Conservation Biology, Cultural Anthropology, Sacred Groves

While a comprehensive economic valuation of all use and non-use values of the forest is impossible, indigenous societies seem to have a clear, albeit inchoate idea of the value of the forest on which they depend for their material and cultural existence. Forests were valued in all ancient civilizations, and often carefully preserved for subsistence as well as esoteric uses. Following the rise of capitalism, governments in Europe and her colonies considered forests first as wastelands, and then a valuable resource for economic development, and abrogated the customary rights of indigenous forest villagers. All governments of ex-colonies have passed laws to conserve forests as national assets, but often consider them as an obstacle to economic prosperity, whenever profits from industrial land use appear to exceed the instrumental value of the forest. Throughout this cycle of the loss and gain of economic importance of the forest, indigenous people and their perspectives are pushed into oblivion.
Indigenous forest people consider the forest’s existence value to be as important as its use value, and as the bedrock of their cultural and political identity. Bereft of ownership and management rights to the state-owned forest, indigenous villagers have created their own forests on their private and community lands – both as “non- forest” vegetations for biomass removal, and as sacred groves, which uphold the non-use value of the land. Several tree species are planted and maintained along roadside, at home gardens and in sacred groves, regardless of their use values. Many rare and endangered trees that have disappeared from the state forest now exist only in these folk forests. These “worthless” trees and forests highlight the indigenous ecological economic perspective, in which the cultural significance of the forest transcends its instrumental value. This perspective of the value of the forest under- lies the cultural-political motive for forest conservation, in opposition to the profit motive of industry and the development agenda of the state.

- by Debal Deb
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- Forestry, Ecological Economics, Forest Ecology And Management, Indigenous Knowledge
- by Aike P. Rots
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- Japanese Religions, Religion and Politics, Nationalism, Shinto Studies

The article deals with the sacred groves of the Balts in Lithuania and
presents the linguistic background, the historical documents from the 12th–
18th century, the key folklore motifs of the topic, as well as selected examples of
groves. The article also discusses possible relationships between pre-Christian
religious traditions connected with the sacred groves and the ones which have
survived into the 21st century.
Despite the fact that the sacred groves of past ages have mostly disappeared
on the landscape, this tradition has not significantly changed. Various religious
activities which were carried out in sacred groves, at smaller groups of trees,
and beneath separate trees enable us to learn, even if insignificantly, about the
phenomenon. Interdisciplinary approach to sacred groves should be preferred in
modern research.

Sacred groves are ubiquitous on the cultural landscape of Ilé-Ifẹ̀ and they have been the site of most archaeological research in the ancient Yoruba city. But these studies have been driven by the view that sacred groves were places of static ritual traditions. Recovering the paraphernalia of those rituals, especially the exquisite sculptures, therefore preoccupied the pioneering archaeological research in Ilé-Ifẹ. In contrast, the historical tra-jectories that defined the evolution and transformation of these groves as dynamic cultural sites have not been undertaken. We make the case in this article that sacred groves are dynamic and meaningful sites for historical negotiation. With this perspective , we conducted archaeological study of Odùduwà Grove in Ile-Ife with the goal to understand the broad sociocultural processes that have shaped the cultural landscape of the grove across different registers of time. The archaeological evidence in Odùduwà Grove dates back to at least the fourteenth century. We focus this article on the evolution of the grove during the twentieth century with emphasis on the materiality of colonial and postcolonial modernity and its implications for rituals of royal coronation, sacrificial rites, and feasting. Résumé Des bosquets sacrés sont omniprésents sur le paysage culturel de Ile-Ife et elles ont été le site de la plupart des recherches ar-chéologiques dans l'antique ville Yoruba. Mais ces études ont été entraînée par le point de vue que des bosquets sacrés étaient des endroits de la statique les traditions rituelles. Récupération de l'attirail de ces rituels, particulièrement les sculptures ex-quis, par conséquent préoccupé le pionnier de la recherche archéologique dans Ilé-Ifẹ. En revanche, les trajectoires histo-riques qui a défini l'évolution et la transformation de ces bos-quets comme sites culturels dynamiques n'ont pas été entrepris. Nous faisons le cas dans cet article que des bosquets sacrés sont dynamiques et fructueux pour historique négociation. Dans cette perspective, nous avons procédé à l'étude archéologique de Odùduwà Grove dans Ilé-Ifẹ̀ avec l'objectif de comprendre le vaste processus socioculturel qui ont façonné le paysage culturel du bosquet à travers différents registres de temps. Les preuves archéologiques dans Odùduwà Grove remonte au moins à la quatorzième siècle. Nous nous concentrerons dans cet article sur l'évolution du bosquet au cours du xxe siècle, avec l'accent sur l'importance relative de la modernité coloniale et post-colo-niale et ses implications pour les rituels de couronnement royal, rites sacrificiels, et un festin.

- by Akin Ogundiran
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- Sacred Groves, Coronation Rituals, Oduduwa, Kingship institutions in Yorubaland
- by Balasaheb Gaykar
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- Sacred Groves

As Crete emerged from the Neolithic, additional people may have arrived from Anatolia and North Africa. Included in this transition is overwhelming evidence of a multiplicitous goddess, who could have been one or many. Unlike Egypt and the Near East, her temples were primarily in nature including groves, mountains, and caves and mostly free of fortification. She was aligned with snakes, birds, bees, lilies, poppies, dolphins, lions, octopus, doves, triangle – hourglass (double-axes * – butterfly – figure 8 shield; labyrinth (labrys-labia)); red ochre; spindles; loom; weaving; shells; vessels with breasts; music; dance; flax; agriculture; caves; sacred bulls (horns of consecration); tholos tombs; pillar cults; as well as the moon and the sun. She was most frequently imaged with agriculture, animals, and women. Mara Keller’s modification of Sir Arthur Evans’ system suggests that this peaceful, goddess centered period that was prior the Mycenaean warriors, be renamed Chthonian after the Earth mother, Chthonia.

- by Eahr Joan
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- Crete, Tholos Tombs, Sacred Groves, Red Ochre

In highland Ethiopia, the only remaining stands of native forest are around churches of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church. Though hailed as community-conserved areas by environmentalists, we argue that the conservation of such forest is not intentional , but rather an indirect result of the religious norms, beliefs and practices surrounding the sites. In actuality, the religiosity surrounding church forests maintains the purity of the most holy space in the center of the shrine, the tabot, a replica of the Ark of the Covenant, which ensures that the church is a legitimate and effective portal to the divine. An underlying cultural logic of purity and pollution structures the spatial organization of the site outward into a series of concentric circles of diminishing purity and shapes the social order into an elegant hierarchy. This article seeks to understand the norms, beliefs and practices of this sacred geography in its social and religious context , arguing that ignorance of or inattention to these can undermine the conservation goals that have brought these forests, along with so many other sacred natural sites, to the attention of environmentalists around the world.

- by Izabela Orlowska and +1
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- Conservation, Ethiopian Studies, Sacred (Religion), Sacred Space

Conservation of nature and natural resources has been a much challenging task in the present state of affairs where economy prevails over ecology. International treaties and conventions are signed and policies, laws and Acts have been enacted by the countries across the world, however, hostilities remain while applying the protected area policies which largely deprive indigenous communities from their traditional rights. It hurts their feelings and hence changes their behaviour, which impacts the objective, negatively. Historically, religion being a product of feelings and beliefs has been used as a powerful tool for nature conservation. Making age-old religious entities such as sacred landscapes, sacred groves and sacred species by various cultural groups are the live manifestations of historical, cultural and emotional attachment of human beings with nature and natural resources. The philosophy of religion can continue to be used as a powerful tool for mitigating negative impacts of current anthropogenic pressures on the nature and its resources. With this background, the present review aims to analyse various practices of nature and natural resource conservation as embedded in the religions.

- by sciepub.com SciEP
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- Religion, Natural Resources, Conservation, Nature
- by Arti Garg
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- Religion, Conservation Biology, Typology, Discrimination
- by Gibji Nimasow
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- Indigenous Knowledge, Forest Conservation, Sacred Groves, Taboos
- by Urmi Chanda
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- Mythology And Folklore, Contemporary Art, Painting, Indian Art

Nicht nur in neopaganen Kreisen, sondern auch in der wissenschaftlichen Literatur gelten die Kelten als besonders naturverbunden. Diese Affinität manifestiere sich gerade in deren Religion, in der die Verehrung von verschiedenen Naturelementen eine sehr wichtige Rolle einnimmt. Als ein ganz wesentliches Charakteristikum betrachtet man die heiligen Haine, die häufig mit den Kelten im Allgemeinen und ihren Priestern (Druiden) im Speziellen assoziiert werden. Diese Vorstellung ist keineswegs erst modern, sondern bereits in der antiken Literatur begründet, die zahlreiche Belege für die besondere Bedeutung heiliger Haine bei den Kelten liefert. Allerdings sind die erhaltenen Nachrichten von recht unterschiedlichem religionshistorischem Quellenwert, da sie oftmals kein authentisches Bild tatsächlich gelebter Kultpraxis vermitteln, sondern vielmehr literarischer Konvention und antiker Barbarentopik verhaftet sind. Der vorliegende Beitrag präsentiert die relevante literarische Evidenz und analysiert, inwieweit sie sich für eine Religionsgeschichte der Kelten verwerten lässt.

- by Andreas Hofeneder
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- Religion, Ancient History, Celtic Studies, History of Religion
- by Arthur Mark
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- Sacred Groves, Dry Evergreen Forest, Fruiting Phenology, Plant Traits
- by Dr. Uday Kumar Sen
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- Sacred Groves

The intertextual links between Lucan’s and Tacitus’ impressive ekphraseis of certain imagined northern groves have been recognised for a long time and discussed as evidence for the literary connections between different genres in the Late Julio-Claudian and Flavian contexts. Yet a hitherto unexplored aspect of these fascinating and rich passages is the emotional charge that is clearly present in each of them, though subtly manipulated by the writers to serve their more particular points in each context. Holy groves were also a longstanding part of the Roman religion, but during the troubled mid-first century CE, the sacred sites of northern peoples – located at least in the realms of imagination in wooded surroundings – the groves of Gauls (in the case of Lucan) and those among the Germani and Britons (in Tacitus) tend to emerge as compellingly (and perhaps compulsively) elaborated loci horridi.
Reading the Lucanic (Bell. civ. 3.399-425) and Tacitean (Germ. 39; Ann. 1.61; 14.30) passages on Gallic and Germanic holy groves and bringing them into conversation not only with other relevant passages by the same authors but also with the modern theories of the ‘history of emotions’, I hope to cast new light on the role that natural loci horridi of the northern ritual space played in shaping Roman collective anxieties. These, I will argue, had much to do with the imperial power’s anxieties about the loyalties of their northern subjects and ostensible allies, as well as about the capacity of certain types of imagined landscapes to symbolise atavistic religion and resistance to Roman domination. ‘Fear’ is certainly one of the emotions evoked by these landscapes, but I hope to show that this blanket category covers a remarkable emotional range in these passages.

The present paper deals with the rediscovery of 12 sacred groves, known as Dikhos, preserved by the Dimasa community of North Cachar Hills district recently renamed as Dima Hasao district of Assam, India. Located strategically, these sacred groves provide several important ecological services to the people of the district. In addition to the sacred groves the plants considered to be sacred by them are also included. Out of the 34 plant species considered to be sacred by the Dimasas, 13 species are related to worshiping, 21 species involved in naming of areas/villages and eight species are associated with the naming of the Clans (Sengphong that is, male clans and Jaddi/Zaluk that is, female clans). However, some of the species/rice landraces have been associated with more than one ways. The Dimasas, also known as Dimasa Kacharies, constitute the largest ethnic group in North Cachar Hills and linguistically belongs to the Tibeto-Burman group.

- by Pramod Medhi
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- India, Key words, Sacred Groves, Sacred Plants

Miejsce centralne i organizacja społeczna środkowo europejskiego Barbaricum, (The central
point and social structure of the Central European Barbaricum) [w:] B. Gediga, A. Grossman,
W Piotrowski (red) Miejsca pamięci – pradzieje, średniowiecze i współczesność. 351-
383. Biskupin-Wrocław. Muzeum Archeologiczne w Biskupinie, Biskupińskie prace
Archeologiczne nr. 10. Polska Akademia Nauk –Oddział we Wrocławiu. Prace komisji
Archeologicznej nr 20.

- by Tomasz Gralak
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- Barbarian societies, Barbaricum, Przeworsk culture, Sacred Groves

Religious motivations for the protection of forest ecosystems, The shrinking area of forests urges intensification of efforts to restore damaged forest ecosystems and protect the existing ones. Religions may become an important ally in this process. Their ecological potential remains under-exploited. Owing to their 'ecological advantages', i.e. their capacity to shape cosmologies (worldviews), their moral authority and broad base of adherents, significant material resources and community-building capacity, religions can help shape ecological lifestyles. All major religious traditions have a lot to offer. Evoking religious motivations of a substantial part of humanity can greatly improve the condition of forests, increase effectiveness of their protection and encourage broad sections of societies to get involved in this task.

Sacred groves play a vital role in context of sustainable use and conservation of medicinal plants. The
involvement of local communities offers several advantages in the management of traditionally known
medicinal wealth of forests. Considering the importance of sacred groves in the conservation of
medicinal plants, a study was carried out in Phulbani forest division of Odisha to record the status,
distribution and use of medicinal plants in different sacred grove areas of this division. The study
recorded about 40 medicinal plants (including trees, shrubs, herbs and climbers) across different
sacred groves and their use for human welfare. The local people were consulted to know about the use
of different medicinal plants and the existing management strategy. The study suggested the promotion
of medicinal plant conservation through effective capacity building activities for the sacred grove
committee members and local people to realize the goals of sustainability.

- by MANOJ K BEHERA
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- Medicinal Plants, Biodiversity Conservation, Sacred Groves
- by Evgeny Baksheev
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- Religion, Japanese Studies, Japanese Religions, Space and Place