The Mongol Empire created one of the greatest projects in information transfer in world history. Their most impressive known achievement in this regard was the Huihui Yaofang (HHYF), a huge encyclopedia of Near Eastern medicine, written in Chinese for Chinese use. Some of it survives in a later (15th century) edition. My colleague Paul Buell has translated this, and I am doing the ethnobiological analysis. Over 300 plant, animal and mineral substances are mentioned. The vast majority are plants. These are usually Near Eastern remedies, but often Indian or Chinese.

In response to the collapse of the lucrative cod fishery in 1992, many Newfoundlanders have invested in various forms of ecotourism while others have not. This study examines two areas where native trout species are fished by local residents, and will analyze why trout fishing has been promoted as a form of ecotourism in one of the areas, but not in the other. Ethnographic interviews in both areas reveal that this difference reflects fundamental contrasts in the relationships between tourists and natural resources in the two areas.

This paper explores the usage of roots and trees and their properties as dyes in Cherokee material culture. The use of natural dyes by Cherokee people with roots (e.g., bloodroot) and wood dyes (e.g., black walnut) constitutes an ethnobotanical paradox, because the botanical dyes are themselves associated with medicinal use and practice. The collection and processing of plant-based dyes are often quite different from plant-based medicines, yet similar in that the strength of a plant’s properties is frequently dependent upon the position of the celestial skies. When a Cherokee traditionalist goes collecting in the woods, certain species are generally targeted with a specific purpose in mind. Inevitably, when various flora are encountered, the forager will generally remember and encode the habitats and locations with precision, and will later return when the season is right for gathering again, or when the materials for a specific cultural context are required.

How the public thinks about chimpanzees has great impact on conservation efforts, education, tourism, and policy. This study focuses on two major dimensions of how chimpanzees are perceived: 1) preconceptions and 2) how an hour-long lecture/film changes perceptions. The sample of 172 Cultural Anthropology students answered pre- and post-lecture questions including: freelists of contexts in which they had seen chimps, perceptions, and changes in perception and questions on chimp culture, nature, and relationship to humans. Common misconceptions centered on ape size, social complexity, culture, and emotion/violence. Perception of person-hood and mental/cultural complexity among chimps changed, increasing the desire for conservation.

‘Eating fresh and local’ is an increasingly salient trend that resonates with the public sentiment toward sustainable living. The Ozarks are a region where industriousness and self-sufficiency—particularly regarding the procurement and preparation of local foods—characterize the beliefs and lifeways of native residents. In this paper, I examine the present-day manifestations of these sustainable systems, recently renewed n the rural Ozarks, and the historic processes that have led to them. I also discuss how and why local foodways survive in Madison, Washington, and Carroll counties. Interviews with local residents generated meaningful insights into folk knowledge systems; emerging patterns surrounding food production, procurement, and preparation provide compelling data for ethnobotanists and anthropologists working toward the cultural conservation of folk regions in the US.

The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians have a long, intricate history of interaction with their natural environment. Ethnographic accounts provide some aspects of their relationship to their local fungi, but it is sorely inadequate. By combining the ethnographic record with contemporary ethnomycological knowledge, a more complete picture arises of Cherokee ethnomycology and its relationship to a greater understanding of Cherokee ethnoecology.

This study explores the American yard as an important symbolic landscape. Being a veritable nexus of culture, nature, and society in our own country, the yard should not be overlooked by anthropologists. Focusing on one particular neighborhood in east Fayetteville, the study examines the attitudes that homeowners in Fayetteville hold towards their yards. There is a large range between the surveyed homeowners in terms of motivation, aesthetic preference, and, one could say, intimacy with their yards, but, there are also recurrent, common ideas between all the homeowners about what should not be grown in the yard and “keeping up with the Joneses.” Another worthy point is that it is in their yards that homeowners have the ability to directly affect an ecosystem, whether they do so positively or negatively. As more and more Americans throughout the country become aware of environmental issues, what are homeowners in Fayetteville already doing to be more ‘green’? What are they willing to do? Or, are they willing to do anything at all? Does the social pressure for weed-free turf override ecological and health concerns? These are several of the questions that this study, “Cultivating Paradise,” investigates.

It is at the heart of household archaeology to understand how behaviors related to plant use for ritual, economic and medicinal purposes are expressed materially. We presume that functional households in the Mesoamerican past met their subsistence and economic needs both independently and in conjunction with other households on a reciprocal or trading basis. Ethnographic data gathered on traditional households in many areas of Mexico supports this presumption. Ethnohistoric data compiled in the early Colonial period provides at times stunningly detailed data and time depth to our understanding of the use of plants. Analysis of archaeobotanical remains and their contexts from household excavations and checkdam sediments provides direct evidence of particular behavior of great time depth related to ritual, economic and medicinal plant use by provincial Postclassic Aztec period inhabitants.

The origin and antiquity of gardening among the Southern Paiute people has been the topic of considerable debate through the years, with some seeing the practices directly linked to Ancestral Puebloan activities in the region (900–1200 CE), others arguing for shallower time depths, including even the introduction by early Mormon settlers (post 1855), and yet others favoring times of development and sources in between these two. The archaeological record has not been particularly informative on the matter, but holds promise. This paper reviews Isabel Kelly’s ethnobotanical, linguistic and technical evidence and suggests additional links for Southern Paiute gardening to that of surrounding groups.

The Western Himalayas in Northern Areas of Pakistan have great potential for ethnomedicine due to its cultural rich diversity and flora. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of indigenous medicinal plants as cancer chemopreventive agents. Ajuga bractiosa, Figonia cretica, Mellia azedarach, Rumex dentatus, Rumex hastaus, Swertia chirata and Silybum merianum were selected in this study. The plants were extracted with methanol and evaluated in a panel of in vitro assays [a Nuclear Factor-KappaB (NFκB), a TR-FRET retinoic X Receptor alpha co-activator (RXR), and an aromatase assays]. M. azedarach, A. bractiosa, F. cretica and S. chirata were active in inhibiting both tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activated NFκB activity. A. bractiosa and S. chirata exhibited the lowest IC50 values 0.41 and 0.44 µg/mL, respectively. Most of the plant extracts were not cytotoxic when tested at concentration of 20 µg/mL with MCF-7, LNCap. and Hep-G2 cell lines. Nevertheless, the positive responses illustrate the potential of local plants as cancer chemopreventive agents and the value of working with indigenous communities.

Due to a number of reasons, the biocultural resources of the Maijuna of the Peruvian Amazon are currently threatened. A community based conservation project using participatory mapping techniques as a tool to help conserve Maijuna biological and cultural resources has been implemented and will be discussed in detail. It is envisioned that the maps produced during this project will ultimately be used by the Maijuna to push for the formal protection of their traditional lands, an area of immense biological and cultural significance. Lessons learned from this project will also be explored providing insights into participatory mapping projects in general.

Contemporary small-scale farmers near Ocampo, Tamaulipas, Mexico demonstrate behaviors that have broader implications for prehistoric human ecology. Common incidences of casual, informal cultivation of squashes and gourds take place around routine seasonal activities, often miles away from homes and conventional agricultural plots. These observations elucidate prehistoric subsistence behaviors in a region historically known for archaeological data concerning low-level food production. Such activities may serve as analogies for behaviors characterizing the extended period following the arrival of cultigens in Ocampo about 6,500 years ago, until the establishment of the first settled agricultural villages around 3,500 years ago.

The Ozark Rockshelters have yielded an extraordinarily well-preserved archaeological record of fabric artifacts and associated fiber materials unusual for the southeastern United States. These assemblages provide a unique opportunity to understand variability in fabric traditions, technological stability or change, and fiber taxa use. Preliminary identifications of fiber plant taxa from a sub-sample of the Ozark Rockshelters raises potential questions concerning broader social processes and the role of “wild” resources among Eastern North American farming societies in the late prehistoric period.

I consider procedures for the systematic comparative analysis of ethno-ornithological systems and apply them to several systems that have been documented for a range of indigenous communities. Statistical comparisons include numbers of folk generic and terminal taxa recognized, proportions of total Western scientific species recognized, and patterns of such recognition by bird family and by size. I also compare nomenclatural patterns to assess the generality of the universalist claims of Berlin and others with regard to life-form names, binomial terminology, and the role of onomatopoeia. I discuss methodological difficulties that make such comparisons problematic.

Northern Athapaskan speakers experience shifting ecological conditions over the seasons, and over longer periods of time. People travel, animals travel, caribou migration routes shift. Traditional knowledge of Dene is flexible, relational and responsive, emphasizing observation, adaptation and resilience. With climate change, ranges of plant species, migrations of animal species, and weather patterns shift. Political and economic factors impinging on people and land are also changing. The nature, transmission and relevance of traditional knowledge of land is impacted by all of these factors. I describe aspects of Dene knowledge of landscape and reflect on the adaptive responsiveness of traditional understandings.

Applied ethnobiologists are deeply invested in the acquisition, conservation, and perpetuation of traditional ecological knowledge systems. Research among indigenous societies has illuminated productive, grass-roots pathways for ethnobiological research among industrialized populations, which remain relatively underrepresented in the field. This paper examines the synergy between experiential knowledge and emotional appreciation of living resources and the environments that sustain them, and the didactic methods necessary to engender ecological stewardship among members of contemporary societies. It is suggested that human emotional, psychological, and spiritual development are commensurate with holistic ecological learning experiences, which in turn can promote and maintain ecological and cultural diversity by way of innovative educational models.

Research focuses on footwear and bags from Ozark rockshelters in Arkansas and Missouri. These artifact types are more easily identifiable as to their intended end use than many other types of fragmentary organic fibrous remains. Many are nearly complete and some have been replicated using the original fiber sources and processing techniques. I briefly present findings from the technical analysis of the artifacts and information gained from their replication. Experimental archaeology, including the replications of prehistoric artifacts, provides insights into production and use of these artifacts. Questions concerning materials, tools, construction techniques, and labor input were answered through this research.

Nepal’s topographical personality is unique, emerging from the flat land of slightly over 15 0m from the sea level to 8848 m highest mountain of the world. For a country of 147181 sq. km, this diversity is thus amazing which, in turn, has given rise to biological diversity in the country. The incommunicable rugged terrain and centuries of isolation have made the different ethnic groups adapt to their surroundings and learn to survive. This is how the experience gained over the years of historical development in relation to animal uses and the surroundings forms the main stock of indigenous knowledge in these areas. The central mountain region is one such diverse area where the study was carried only in two selected villages among the two ethic groups, namely Pahari and Danuwar. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to obtain data on medicinal uses of animals together with the status of the ethnozoological knowledge among different age groups. Eleven genera of ethnomedicinal animals were found in each group with some commonality. Degradation of ethnozoological knowledge was observed only in the first group. Further study needs to be carried out on these animals to find out the active ingredients responsible for healing. There is an urgent need to carry out such study as other ethnic groups are vanishing from the country.

Western biomedicine has witnessed considerable profit from countless indigenous peoples. Yet globalization and delocalization are presently fragmenting if not erasing traditional ethnomedical knowledge. Health belief systems frequently encompass elaborate models structuring the cultural conceptions of illness and the expected outcomes of various treatment strategies. Japan is a social paradox where tradition and modernity collide, and recent shifts in economic geography are now threatening ethnobotanical knowledge and it role in preventative health maintenance. Japan’s folk history boasts a myriad of medicinal plants, represented extensively through various arts and iconographic customs. In this paper, ethnohistorical methods are shown to reveal traditional beliefs about medicinal plants and how they are rendered powerful in the context of illness. The urgency to safeguard Japanese ethnomedical wisdom is also emphasized in the wake of sociodemographic change. Ethnomedical conservation is believed to be possible by illuminating new pathways for deciphering existing symbols of healing plants along with their expressive meanings, social histories, and traditional use patterns.

An integrated approach of ethnobotanical, vegetation and plant diversity survey was used to study Kiang’ombe forest in Kenya. A total of 569 plant species are documented among which one is new, 27 endemic and 8 IUCN-red-listed. Nineteen first records for the floral region are described. Local people use about 376 species, with Malvaceae and Combretaceae families having the highest use-values. Household forest dependency, with an annual income at 55.4%, is weighted more on construction and traditional medicine both above 80%. Value of forest resources is positively correlated with knowledge about them. Indigenous knowledge of local people on plant biodiversity use and management is important, hence conservation based on it is recommended.

We compare ethnobotanical data collected from Cherokee-speaking residents of the rural Western Ozarks of Cherokee Nation, and English-speaking residents of Euro-American communities in the Arkansas Ozarks. Despite the relative uniformity in forests and herbaceous flora types found across these areas, the constellation of plants known, named and used by Cherokee and Euroamerican residents differs substantially. Wild edibles and raw materials used for traditional arts are considerably more salient in Western Cherokee ethnobotany. By contrast, Arkansas Ozarkers share knowledge of a smaller base of mostly medicinal understory species. We discuss several social and ecological factors that guide how wild plant knowledge is collectively maintained, lost, and revised in different regions of the Ozark Highlands.

The past 30 years of research have shown that analysis of phytoliths, plant silica bodies, enhances our ability to interpret past human-plant interrelationships. Basic research into phytolith production in plant species, genera, and families underlies the diverse applications of phytolith analysis in archaeology, as does research into how plant phytolith production translates into the soil assemblages we interpret. This presentation describes results of the Phytoliths in the Flora of Ecuador project, which focused on investigating phytolith production in plants from lowland Ecuador and interpretation of soil phytolith assemblages from xerophytic, deciduous, and mixed deciduous/evergreen coastal forests, and the Amazon forest.

The Cherokees have always lived in harmony with their natural environment. Their folklore remains instrumental in maintaining this balance. These myths were tranmitted as tools that influenced tribal beliefs and behaviors of the tribe. Representing these myths was vital in teaching expected responsibilities to the next generations—the stewards of the Earth. In these legends, the Cherokees shared a kinship with plants, animals, the moon and sun, which explains the regard given to them. The designs I incorporate into my art are based upon these myths and legends. It is as important to depict these stories into my artwork as it is to relay them orally. It is equally important to maintain the purity and integrity of these traditions. Because Cherokee life has been understood through these forms, my goal is to carry those traditions that symbolize the meaning of natural symbols in stories and art.

This video presents an ethnographic portrait of a rural Ozark Mountain healer and herbal knowledge of folk medicine. With wisdom, candor, and humor, the healer in focus reveals a wealth of information and experience told through stories in the woods of Arkansas’ rugged headwater country deep in the Boston Mountains. Today these healing practices are often overlooked or dismissed by practitioners of conventional biomedicine, and as such they are threatened by the slow encroachment of urbanization and modernization. By capturing the distinctive grass-roots wisdom of an herbal healer through the camera lens, this video conveys a fading knowledge system encoded in backcountry health beliefs so deeply woven into the fabric of Ozark expressive culture and storytelling.

The role of agriculture among the Fremont has a long history of debate, particularly in the fringes of the territory occupied by these pottery-bearing cultures. This study presents a preliminary microbotanical investigation of the Fremont occupation of the Bonneville Estates Rockshelter. This rockshelter, located along the western boundary of the Great Salt Lake Desert, is beyond the margins traditionally ascribed to Fremont agriculture. The protected nature of this site provides an opportunity to recover starch, phytoliths, and pollen from a variety of contexts related to food preparation and consumption, including the groundstone implements that are the focus of this current research.

Using a TEK paradigm, the Forest County Potawatomi Natural Resources Department is restoring land management that relies on relationships between people and land. Descending from those who resisted removal by the federal government, tribal families settled on scattered homesteads connected by trails. They survived by traditional agriculture of Gte-Ga-Nēs (“little gardens”) planting species for foods, ceremonials, and medicines in homesites, trails, and clearings. By using technology such as GIS to map culturally significant plant species and by engaging tribal members in protection and restoration actitivities, Gte-Ga-Nēs may again prove vital to the survival of the Potawatomi people.

In the United States, vultures are often viewed with fear and loathing, as they are associated with death, filth, and decay—“fighting over the remains”. However, some societies have positive associations with vultures. Not only do vultures “clean” the land of carcasses, they soar to the heavens and mediate between worlds, transforming death into rebirth. For the BriBri of Costa Rica, the vulture is also revered for its ability to migrate long distances and for its sacred role in the creation of the world.

Central India is home to over thirty tribal groups living in close association with thousands of medicinal plant species. Each tribal group maintains traditional knowledge of medicinal plants for the selective treatment of a number of infectious diseases and metabolic disorders. However, biodiversity is seriously threatened by uncontrolled industrial growth, urbanization pressure, and illegal forest management in the Jhabua disctrict. This paper discusses ethnomedical uses of several important plants found in this area, and the relevance of rapid ethnobotanical assessment in complex biocultural regions, where valuable species are either endangered or on the verge of extinction.

This paper will discuss the latest findings from the University of Florida Biocultural Diversity Mapping Project. The distribution of biocultural diversity will be presented both globally and regionally. Factors affecting the correlation between high biodiversity and high linguistic diversity will be discussed. The paper will conclude with a presentation of a recent exhibit shown at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

The Chumash people of coastal southern California have long been known for their versatile, strong and beautiful baskets, which they exported to other tribes even in pre-European times. Spanish explorers, later visitors and settlers bought Chumash baskets as souvenirs. The skilled, adaptable Chumash continued to produce baskets as late as 1915. The old-time weavers left a priceless legacy for their descendants today: the baskets themselves. Modern weavers have closely studied dozens of baskets, pored through documents, learned to work with wild plant materials, and gained strength from the knowledge that they are bringing ancient traditions back to life.

Thirty-two college students aged 18–22 were asked to freelist garden flowers, grasses, local domesticated crops, and native/local trees, vines, and wildflowers/weeds. Answers were scored as correct, not native, or inappropriate. Whereas students could list an average of 9.4 crops and trees, and 6.8 garden flowers, they listed an average of fewer than 3 of the other categories or life forms. The fewest number of wrong or inappropriate answers were given for crop plants, and the highest for grasses and weeds. Both results and methodology are examined for this first stage of a multi-year project on botanical knowledge.

Historically the Ozarks have been a remote section of the United States, and Ozarkers have not always had medical care readily available. Thus they needed to have knowledge of medicinal plants in order to adapt if not survive in this region. Using preliminary research into Ozarks folk medicine, this paper looks at how knowledge of home remedies has been affected by the changes following the Ozarks’ move toward modernization. It addresses the issues surrounding the loss of folk medicinal wisdom and the trends in how knowledge is presently shared with the use of the “Ozarks Disclaimer,” an implicit warning offered along with remedies as a caution to those who intend to use them.