The Roots Told from the Web: Preserving Ethnobotanical Knowledge through Jamaican Anancy Stories

Anancy，一个半人半蜘蛛的实体，在牙买加岛上有着不可动摇的存在。阿南西的故事在每个教区都有，他们讲述了他的诡计，欺骗和狡猾的本质。但是，阿南西的故事在牙买加社会有一个更大的目的。与被奴役的非洲人一起穿越了中间通道，Anancy的故事象征着压迫社会的斗争，并激励边缘化的牙买加人生存，希望和自由的前景。这些故事代代相传，是岛上非物质遗产的一部分，今天，Anancy作为所有知识的守护者和世界的创造者的表现为我们提供了对这个国家独特的认识论信仰的洞察力。这个博士将专注于Anancy故事的作用和知识的传播。缩小我的透镜，我将探讨阿南西对牙买加植物的影响，并将说明阿南西是如何体现在植物命名，传统和植物。通过加勒比民间传说的表现和执行，我将调查的方式Anancy故事作为一个富有成效的理解牙买加的本体论连接到植物世界的基础。此外，我试图了解故事如何塑造我们与植物的关系，并融入环境，健康和移民的政治。在这种情况下，这个博士定位在非殖民化的框架内，并询问在多大程度上讲故事作为殖民地和后殖民社会的抵抗力量。为了实现这个项目的野心，我将在牙买加和英国进行民族植物学和民族志研究，深入了解Anancy故事，植物和非洲加勒比遗产之间的关系。我将从我的参与者那里收集和记录Anancy的故事，并将进行口述历史采访，以更多地了解他们的成长经历，以及他们通过这些故事了解到的植物。由于牙买加社区担心Anancy的故事会消失，这个项目将成为保存牙买加历史、非裔加勒比人身份和民族生物学知识的档案。

AbstractAnancy, a half human-half spider entity has an unshakable presence on the island of Jamaica. Anancy stories are found throughout every parish, where they tell tales of his trickery, deceit and cunning nature. But tales of Anancy serve a larger purpose in Jamaican society. Having travelled across the Middle Passage with enslaved Africans, Anancy stories are symbolic of the struggles of an oppressive society and inspire marginalised Jamaicans with the prospects for survival, hope, and freedom. Passed down from one generation to the next, these stories are part of the intangible heritage of the island and today, Anancy's manifestation as the keeper of all knowledge and the creator of the world provides us with insight to the country's unique epistemological beliefs.This PhD will focus on the role of Anancy stories and the transmission of knowledge. Narrowing my lens, I will explore the influence of Anancy on the plants of Jamaica and will illustrate how Anancy is embodied in plant nomenclature, traditions, and practises. Through the performance and execution of Caribbean folklore, I will investigate the ways Anancy stories act as a fruitful ground for understanding Jamaicans' ontological connection to plant worlds. Moreover, I seek to understand how stories shape our relationships to plants and become embedded in the politics of the environment, health, and migration. In this light, this PhD situates itself within the framework of decolonisation, and asks to what extent does storytelling act as a force of resistance in colonial and post-colonial society.In order to fulfil the ambitions of this project, I will conduct ethnobotanical and ethnographic research in Jamaica and England, to intimately understand the relationship between Anancy stories, plants and African Caribbean heritage. I will gather and document Anancy stories from my participants and will carry out oral history interviews to learn more about their upbringing with these narratives and, what they learn about plants through them. As there are concerns within the Jamaican community that Anancy stories will dissipate, this project will become an archive for preserving Jamaican history, African Caribbean identity and ethnobiological knowledge.