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Plants, People, and Culture - The Science of Ethnobotany (Paperback, 2nd edition)
Loot Price: R1,437
Discovery Miles 14 370
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Plants, People, and Culture - The Science of Ethnobotany (Paperback, 2nd edition)
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Is it possible that plants have shaped the very trajectory of human
cultures? Using riveting stories of fieldwork in remote villages,
two of the world's leading ethnobotanists argue that our past and
our future are deeply intertwined with plants. Creating massive sea
craft from plants, indigenous shipwrights spurred the navigation of
the world's oceans. Today, indigenous agricultural innovations
continue to feed, clothe, and heal the world's population. One out
of four prescription drugs, for example, were discovered from
plants used by traditional healers. Objects as common as baskets
for winnowing or wooden boxes to store feathers were ornamented
with traditional designs demonstrating the human ability to
understand our environment and to perceive the cosmos. Throughout
the world, the human body has been used as the ultimate canvas for
plant-based adornment as well as indelible design using tattoo
inks. Plants also garnered religious significance, both as
offerings to the gods and as a doorway into the other world.
Indigenous claims that plants themselves are sacred is leading to a
startling reformulation of conservation. The authors argue that
conservation goals can best be achieved by learning from, rather
than opposing, indigenous peoples and their beliefs. KEY FEATURES *
An engrossing narrative that invites the reader to personally
engage with the relationship between plants, people, and culture *
Full-color illustrations throughout-including many original
photographs captured by the authors during fieldwork * New to this
edition-"Plants That Harm," a chapter that examines the dangers of
poisonous plants and the promise that their study holds for novel
treatments for some of our most serious diseases, including
Alzheimer's and substance addiction * Additional readings at the
end of each chapter to encourage further exploration * Boxed
features on selected topics that offer further insight *
Provocative questions to facilitate group discussion Designed for
the college classroom as well as for lay readers, this update of
Plants, People, and Culture entices the reader with firsthand
stories of fieldwork, spectacular illustrations, and a deep respect
for both indigenous peoples and the earth's natural heritage.
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