DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Tzeltal Maya Folk Models for the Actions of Medicinal Plants

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In order to fully understand how human-environment interactions have evolved we must learn how humans conceptualize environmental resources in the absence of western scientific technology. This project, involving the dissertation research of an anthropology student from the University of Georgia, will study how the Tzeltal Maya Indians of Chiapas, Mexico understand the healing actions of plants. Folk models for the actions of 24 commonly used medicinal plants will be constructed during interviews with a range of Tzeltal-speaking informants. A survey will then assess whether the folk models are shared by the general Tzeltal population. The data generated by the research will be used to test hypotheses about human-environmental interactions, such as that the biological activities of compounds found in the plants will correlate with the folk models. The student will provide local translations of her findings so the intellectual property rights of the Indians will be supported. The new knowledge to be created will be useful to health care workers as it will facilitate communication about health issues between local Mayan and Western biomedical practitioners. This research will add to our knowledge of naturally-evolved folk biological models, our socio-cultural knowledge of this important region of the world and as well as help train a young social scientist