The Forest of the Lacandon Maya: An Ethnobotanical Guide

ISBN-13: 9781461491101 / Angielski / Twarda / 2016 / 379 str.

Suzanne Cook

Opis

"The Forest of the Lacandon Maya: " "An Ethnobotanical Guide," with accompanying DVD, serves as a comprehensive guide to the botanical heritage of the northern Lacandones. Numbering fewer than 300 men, women, and children, this community is the most culturally conservative of the Mayan groups. Protected by their hostile environment, over many centuries they maintained autonomy from the outside forces of church and state, while they continued to draw on the forest for spiritual inspiration and sustenance.

In "The Forest of the Lacandon Maya: " "An Ethnobotanical Guide," linguist Suzanne Cook presents a bilingual Lacandon-English ethnobotanical guide to more than 450 plants in a tripartite organization: a botanical inventory in which main entries are headed by Lacandon names followed by common English and botanical names, and which includes plant descriptions and uses; an ethnographic inventory, which expands the descriptions given in the botanical inventory, providing the socio-historical, dietary, mythological, and spiritual significance of most plants; and chapters that discuss the relevant cultural applications of the plants in more detail provide a description of the area s geography, and give an ethnographic overview of the Lacandones. An accompanying DVD contains a digital version of the book, with active links throughout the main sections to original audio-video recordings that demonstrate the use and preparation of the most significant plants."

Recenzje

"Suzanne Cook's 'The Forest of the Lacandon Maya: An Ethnobotanical Guide' is a much-needed addition to the ethnobotanical literature. ... The guide is well organized and researched, and ethnobotanists will find this book extremely valuable. The inclusion of plant names in the southern Lacandon dialect as well as other Mayan languages makes this guide especially comprehensible." (Economic Botany, Vol. 70 (3), 2016)

Spis treści

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Lacandones

1.2 Situation of Research

1.3 Collection Methods

1.4 Lacandon Consultants

1.5 How to Read this Book

1.6 Electronic Version

1.7 Abbreviations

 2. Language

2.1 The Language System

2.2 Previous Research

2.3 Transcription Conventions Used in this Work

 3. The Lacandon Rainforest

3.1 Geography

3.2 Climate

3.3 Vegetation

 4. THE ROLE OF PLANTS IN TRADITIONAL LACANDON CULTURE

4.1 Food

4.2 Agriculture

4.3 Housing

4.4. Artefacts

4.5 Crafts

4.6 Clothing

4.7 Medicine and curing

4.8 Lacandon Plant Classification

 5. Botanical Inventory

 6. Ethnographic Inventory

6.1 Agriculture

6.2 Artefacts

6.3 Clothing

6.4 Deities

6.5 Food

6.6 Geography

6.7 Housing

6.8 Medical Conditions

Bibliography

Appendix 1.    Lacandon Plants Unidentified Botanically

Appendix 2.    General Botanical Terms in Lacandon

Appendix 3.    Seasons

Appendix 4.    Weather

Appendix 5.    Botanical-Lacandon Index

Appendix 6.    English-Lacandon Index

Appendix 7.    Lacandon Texts

O autorze

Suzanne Cook
University of Victoria, Department of Linguistics, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Blurb

The Forest of the Lacandon Maya: An Ethnobotanical Guide, with active links to audio-video recordings, serves as a comprehensive guide to the botanical heritage of the northern Lacandones. Numbering fewer than 300 men, women, and children, this community is the most culturally conservative of the Mayan groups. Protected by their hostile environment, over many centuries they maintain autonomy from the outside forces of church and state, while they continue to draw on the forest for spiritual inspiration and sustenance. 

In The Forest of the Lacandon Maya: An Ethnobotanical Guide, linguist Suzanne Cook presents a bilingual Lacandon-English ethnobotanical guide to more than 450 plants in a tripartite organization: a botanical inventory in which main entries are headed by Lacandon names followed by common English and botanical names, and which includes plant descriptions and uses; an ethnographic inventory, which expands the descriptions given in the botanical inventory, providing the socio-historical, dietary, mythological, and spiritual significance of most plants; and chapters that discuss the relevant cultural applications of the plants in more detail provide a description of the area’s geography, and give an ethnographic overview of the Lacandones. Active links throughout the text to original audio-video recordings demonstrate the use and preparation of the most significant plants.