BackgroundWe report on a comparative ethno-ornithological study of Zapotec and Cuicatec
communities in Northern Oaxaca, Mexico that provided a challenge to some
existing descriptions of folk classification. Our default model was the
taxonomic system of ranks developed by Brent Berlin.MethodsFieldwork was conducted in the Zapotec village of San Miguel Tiltepec and in
the Cuicatec village of San Juan Teponaxtla, using a combination of
ethnographic interviews and pile-sorting tests. Post-fieldwork, Principal
Component Analysis using NTSYSpc V. 2.11f was applied to obtain pattern
variation for the answers from different participants.Results and conclusionUsing language and pile-sorting data analysed through Principal Component
Analysis, we show how both Zapotec and Cuicatec subjects place a particular
emphasis on an intermediate level of classification. These categories group
birds with non-birds using ecological and behavioral criteria, and violate a
strict distinction between symbolic and mundane (or ‘natural’), and
between ‘general-purpose’ and ‘single-purpose’ schemes.
We suggest that shared classificatory knowledge embodying everyday schemes for
apprehending the world of birds might be better reflected in a multidimensional
model that would also provide a more realistic basis for developing
culturally-informed conservation strategies.
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This study aims to analyze the relationships between culture and nature associated with food sovereignty of the P'urhépecha people of Michoacán, central Mexico. We explore how food sovereignty could be analyzed by decentering humans. Firstly, we examine the context and meaning of food sovereignty based on information on the P'urhépecha culture, its history and food patterns. Then, we discuss the concept of food sovereignty from three perspectives: (1) How food sovereignty could be understood by decentering humans; (2) How to define food sovereignty from a relational perspective; and (3) How to do justice to an ontological plurality that involves non-human organisms. We conclude the need of considering new ways to understand food sovereignty, emphasizing the relational perspectives that include non-human entities.
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