Ethnobotany of the Alor Archipelago, Indonesia (ALO)

Given rapid changes in human-environment interactions, ethnobotanical knowledge is particularly susceptible to loss, even in relatively vibrant linguistic communities (Hill, 2001; Zent 2001). The situation is even more dire in endangered language communities, reflecting what has been called "stylistic shrinkage," the uneven impact of language loss on distinct domains of discourse and semantics. This project targets this particularly endangered domain of traditional ecological knowledge in the Abui communities; it will produce highly reliable and extensive (particularly given the per project budget) documentation on nomenclature, classification, and use of local flora combined with expert determinations to species provided by a team of uniquely qualified taxonomists.

The primary goal of the proposed field work is to conduct research on traditional botanical knowledge of Abui language speaker which is located around Alor-Pantar area of East Nusa Tenggara by collecting documentation based on the following activities:
(1) collecting voucher specimens for herbarium deposit and determination to species;
(2) creating high-quality photographic images of each specimen; and
(3) video-recording, transcribing and translating conversations about knowledge of each specimen in Abui language. Following this field work voucher specimens will be used to provide precise botanical identifications, and a lexical database of plant knowledge will be created.

Collection Type: Preserved Specimens
Management: Data snapshot of local collection database
Last Update:
Digital Metadata: EML File
Rights Holder: University of Hawaii at Manoa
Access Rights: not-for-profit use only
Address:
Joseph. F. Rock Herbarium
School of Life Sciences
2538 McCarthy Mall
Edmondson rm. 216
Honolulu, HI   96822
United States
808 956-6489
Collection Statistics
  • 0 specimen records
  • 0 georeferenced
Extra Statistics