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

论文研究：泽尔塔尔玛雅民间药用植物作用模型

• 批准号: 0090216
• 负责人: Elois Ann Berlin
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-01-01 至 2002-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0090216&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Tzeltal; Maya; Folk

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

为了充分理解人与环境的相互作用是如何演变的，我们必须了解在西方科学技术缺失的情况下，人类是如何对环境资源进行概念化的。该项目涉及一名来自佐治亚大学的人类学学生的论文研究，将研究墨西哥恰帕斯州的Tzeltal Maya印第安人如何理解植物的治疗作用。在与一系列说tzeltal语的线人的访谈中，将构建24种常用药用植物作用的民间模型。然后，一项调查将评估这些民间模型是否为一般泽塔尔人所共有。这项研究产生的数据将被用来检验关于人与环境相互作用的假设，比如在植物中发现的化合物的生物活性将与民间模型相关。该学生将提供她的发现的当地翻译，以支持印第安人的知识产权。将要创造的新知识将对卫生保健工作者有用，因为它将促进当地玛雅人和西方生物医学从业者之间关于卫生问题的交流。这项研究将增加我们对自然进化的民间生物模型的认识，我们对世界上这个重要地区的社会文化知识，并有助于培养年轻的社会科学家