The University of Arizona Press
A Zapotec Natural History
Trees, Herbs, and Flowers, Birds, Beasts, and Bugs in the Life of San Juan Gbëë
Paperback ($37.00), Ebook ($37.00)
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A Zapotec Natural History is an extraordinary book that describe the people of a small town in Mexico and their remarkable knowledge of the natural world in which they live.
San Juan Gbëë is a Zapotec Indian community located in the state of Oaxaca, a region of great biological diversity. Eugene S. Hunn is a well-known anthropologist and ethnobiologist who has spent many years working in San Juan Gbëë, studying its residents and their knowledge of the local environment. Here Hunn writes sensitively and respectfully about the rich understanding of local flora and fauna that village inhabitants have acquired and transmitted over many centuries. In this village everyone, young children included, can identify and name hundreds of local plants, animals, and fungi, together with the details of their life cycles, habitat preferences, and functions in the economic, aesthetic, and spiritual lives of the town.
Part 1 of this two-part work describes the community, the subsistence farming practices of its residents, the nomenclature and classification of the local biological taxonomy, the use of plants for treating illnesses, and the ritual and decorative roles of flowers. Part 2 is available online, and includes detailed inventories of all plant, animal, and fungal categories recognized by San Juan’s people; a series of indexes; a library of more than 1,200 images illustrating the town’s plants, people, landscapes, and daily activities; and sounds of village life.
San Juan Gbëë is a Zapotec Indian community located in the state of Oaxaca, a region of great biological diversity. Eugene S. Hunn is a well-known anthropologist and ethnobiologist who has spent many years working in San Juan Gbëë, studying its residents and their knowledge of the local environment. Here Hunn writes sensitively and respectfully about the rich understanding of local flora and fauna that village inhabitants have acquired and transmitted over many centuries. In this village everyone, young children included, can identify and name hundreds of local plants, animals, and fungi, together with the details of their life cycles, habitat preferences, and functions in the economic, aesthetic, and spiritual lives of the town.
Part 1 of this two-part work describes the community, the subsistence farming practices of its residents, the nomenclature and classification of the local biological taxonomy, the use of plants for treating illnesses, and the ritual and decorative roles of flowers. Part 2 is available online, and includes detailed inventories of all plant, animal, and fungal categories recognized by San Juan’s people; a series of indexes; a library of more than 1,200 images illustrating the town’s plants, people, landscapes, and daily activities; and sounds of village life.
PROSE Award Winner - Best Anthropology (American Publishers Association)
“A superb study in indigenous science and a welcome contribution to our growing knowledge of the important relationship between humans and their local environment.”—Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources
“This study will provide the point of reference and departure for all future research on Zapotec botany.”—William Merrill, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
“This is a superb example of what an ethnobotany should be.”—Amadeo M. Rea, author of At the Desert’s Green Edge: An Ethnobotany of the Gila River Pima
“A superb study in indigenous science and a welcome contribution to our growing knowledge of the important relationship between humans and their local environment.”—Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources
“This study will provide the point of reference and departure for all future research on Zapotec botany.”—William Merrill, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
“This is a superb example of what an ethnobotany should be.”—Amadeo M. Rea, author of At the Desert’s Green Edge: An Ethnobotany of the Gila River Pima
288 Pages
6 x 9 x 0.9
Published: August 2016Paperback ISBN: 9780816534333
Published: May 2008Ebook ISBN: 9780816544615