ABSTRACT
In this contribution we seek to enrich the theoretical and methodological approaches of ethnobiology. The essay takes elements of Amerindian anthropology, classical ethnobiological studies and the freedoms provided by feminist philosophers to open up reflection. The central background of the essay is the method of "controlled equivocation" proposed by Viveiros de Castro (2004). We present a series of five ethnobiological equivocations ranging from the categorical equivocal, going through the subtle equivocal to the strictly ontological ones. The cases occurred in different territories of Argentina, including a case in an academic context. Through the fieldwork cases, we give an account of the origin of equivocations, the context for their emergence, which are the disciplinary nuances that cause them and even some academics' preconceptions. To inhabit the equivocation allows opening the possibilities of coexistence among people -and their respective worlds-, especially if these people are in different power positions. We propose the method of controlled equivocation as a theoretical-discursive tool, which permits us to rethink the current concepts of ethnobiology. Thus, we want to broaden the current definition of ethnobiology understood as a dialogue from different scientific points of view.
Subject(s)
Anthropology, Cultural , Biology , Knowledge , ArgentinaABSTRACT
Home gardens are considered germplasm repositories and places for experimentation, thus they are key sites for the domestication of plants. Domestication is considered a constant process that occurs along a continuum from wild to managed to domesticated populations. Management may lead to the modification of populations and in other cases to their distribution, changing population structure in a landscape. Our objective is focused on the management received in home gardens by perennial species of fruits. For this, the management practices applied to native and exotic perennial fruits species by a group of 20 women in the periurban zone of Iguazú, Argentina, were analyzed. In-depth interviews were conducted, as well as guided tours for the recognition and collection of specimens of species and ethnovarieties. Sixty-six fruit species managed in the home gardens were recorded. The predominant families are Rutaceae, Myrtaceae, and Rosaceae. The fruit species with the highest number of associated management practices are pitanga (Eugenia uniflora) and pindó (Syagrus rommanzoffiana). The 10 species with the highest management intensity are (in decreasing order of intensity) banana (Musa x paradisiaca), palta (Persea americana), pitanga (E. uniflora), mango (Mangifera indica), cocú (Allophylus edulis), mamón (Carica papaya), guayaba (Psidium guajava), limón mandarina (Citrus x taitensis), güembé (Philodendron bipinnatifidum), and mandarina (Citrus reticulata). Among the families with the greatest modifications in their distribution, abundance and presence of ethnovarieties in domestic gardens, are the native Myrtaceae and the exotic Rutaceae. The main management practices involved are cultivation, tolerance, transplant and enhancement in decreasing order. It can be concluded that in Iguazú, fruit species management shows both in plant germplasm as in environment a continuum that through tolerance, transplant and cultivation latu sensu has derived in a mosaic of species in different management situations, which in turn are representative of an anthropogenic landscape in constant domestication and change.
ABSTRACT
This paper is the result of an experience of applied research that seeks to revalue local knowledge of management medicinal species in San Pedro Norte, Northwest Córdoba. It was proposed to rescue local knowledge about management and reproduction of the species; to reproduce the species with the educational community of Instituto Provincial de Educación Media 369 Anexo San Pedro Norte and workshops with the residents of San Pedro Norte. In addition 30 semi-structured interviews were made and 68 species were determined. Workshops and interviews enabled increase knowledge of the species, their uses and forms of cultivation and facilitated the exchange of knowledge among local people.
El presente trabajo es el resultado de una experiencia de investigación aplicada que busca revalorizar los conocimientos locales sobre el manejo de las especies medicinales en San Pedro Norte, Noroeste de Córdoba. Se propuso rescatar los saberes locales sobre el manejo y reproducción de las especies; reproducirlas con la comunidad educativa del Instituto Provincial de Educación Media 369, Anexo San Pedro Norte, y realizar talleres con los pobladores de la localidad. Se realizaron también 30 entrevistas semiestructuradas y se identificaron 68 especies botánicas. Los talleres y las entrevistas posibilitaron ampliar el conocimiento sobre las especies, sus usos y formas de cultivo, y facilitaron el intercambio de saberes entre los pobladores locales.
Subject(s)
Humans , Ethnobotany , Natural Resources Exploitation , Plants, Medicinal , Argentina , Interviews as TopicABSTRACT
Context Worldwide ethnobotanical research has shown the importance of home gardens as sources of medicinal plants. These resources are worthy of further study in the Argentinean Atlantic Forest due to the richness of medicinal flora and their importance for local people. Objective We studied richness, composition, cultural importance and medicinal uses of plants in home gardens of rural, semirural and urban areas in the Iguazú Department (Misiones, Argentina). Our hypothesis claims that people living in different environments have a similar array of medicinal plants in their gardens and they use them in a similar way. Materials and methods The analysis was based on 76 interviews and plant inventories of home gardens. During guided walks in gardens, voucher specimens were collected. To analyse composition, Simpson similarity index was applied and a new index was proposed to measure culturally salient species. Results All the environments had similar species composition with species differing in less than 30% of them. The most culturally salient taxa were Mentha spicata L. (Lamiaceae), in rural, Artemisia absinthium L. (Asteraceae), in semirural, and Aloe maculata All. (Xanthorrhoeaceae), in urban areas. The body systems treated with medicinal plants were similar across study sites. Discussion The results suggest a "core repertoire" of medicinal plants and a widespread exchange of plants among local population. The cultural importance index informs us about plant adaptability, based on the efficacy and the versatility of medicinal resources. Conclusion In this changing context where mobility and migrations constitute everyday life, medicinal plants in home gardens are part of local healthcare sovereignty.
Subject(s)
Ethnobotany , Gardening , Medicine, Traditional , Plants, Medicinal/growth & development , Rural Population , Urban Population , Argentina , Cultural Characteristics , Folklore , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Phytotherapy , Plants, Medicinal/classificationABSTRACT
Farmers' decisions on what to grow and why can contribute in understanding the conservation of agrobiodiversity. Culture and ethnicity are indicated as first-class factors leading preservation of heirloom cultivars but this has been little considered in studies examining factors that influence the loss or preservation of agrobiodiversity. We propose that corn's ethnotaxa of less diverse uses, which are also key partners in local cultural reproduction, are usually cultivated by a few households. We analyse if there is a relationship between uses and richness of cultivated ethnotaxa at household level and describe corn's medicinal and ritual uses. We found 25 cultivated ethnotaxa, heterogeneously distributed in the region, and we also found that ethnotaxa with less diverse uses are cultivated in fewer households. We identified that, at regional scale, richness is related with food use diversity. The most frequently cited medicinal uses were urinary and tract infections, diarrhoea, and liver disorders. Medicinal recipes involve combinations with other elements. Maize is an indispensable resource in the rituals that propitiate productive activity, to augur prosperity or misfortune according to signals. We have identified the vulnerability in preserving the richness of corn in the region and the factors that shape its cultivation at different scales.
ABSTRACT
El objetivo del trabajo es comparar el conocimiento y utilización de plantas medicinales por pobladores rurales del Bosque Chaqueño Serrano de Córdoba (Argentina), considerando: a) el estatus de protección de los sitios de estudio (dos sitios próximos a áreas naturales protegidas (ANP) y dos sitios alejados de las mismas), b) la disponibilidad vegetal en cada sitio. Se complementaron metodologías cuantitativas (muestreos e índices ecológicos aplicados a la etnobotánica) y cualitativas (enfoque etnográfico). Los resultados muestran que: a) ladiversidad de especies relevadas y la diversidad de especies conocidas por los pobladores, no muestran diferencias significativas entre sitios; b) los conocimientos y utilización de especies medicinales nativas no se relacionan con la cercanía a ANP; c) las principales afecciones tratadas con plantas medicinales en los cuatro sitios estudiados son de tipo digestivas, respiratorias y circulatorias. La cercanía a un ANP (mayor accesibilidad a especies nativas) y/o disponibilidad ambiental de recursos vegetales no serían los principales factores queinfluyen en los conocimientos sobre plantas medicinales entre los pobladores rurales. Sin embargo, tanto el intercambio constante de saberes y de especies entre los informantes como las distintas fuentes de conocimiento podrían ser algunos de los factores influyentes en la utilización y conocimiento de las plantas medicinales en la región de estudio.
