Sensory ecologies, plant-persons, and multinatural landscapes in Amazonia

Abstract

Seeking to generate a deeper methodological and theoretical dialogue between botanical science and anthropology, this paper summarizes interdisciplinary approaches to human-plant interactions we have described as “sensory ecology” and “phytoethnography,” applying these concepts to vital questions about human-plant relations in Amazonia. Building on this work, we broaden the scope of our investigations by considering their relevance to the field of historical ecology. In particular, we discuss Eduardo Viveiros de Castro’s concept of “multinaturalism” and explore how it can be applied to understanding indigenous management and domestication of forest landscapes in Amazonia.

Sensory Ecology, Bioeconomy, and the Age of COVID: A Parallax View of Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge

“…However, as Bridgewater & Rotherham (2019) point out, the very term "biocultural," a progressive concept in conservation, still retains the dualistic opposition between the bio-and cultural, even if in a more integrated vision. Numerous authors have called for conservation strategies to respect the rights of Indigenous peoples and recognize their historical role in the sustainable management of Amazonian forests (Blaser, 2009;Mentore, 2011;Brightman & Lewis, 2017;Carneiro da Cunha & Almeida, 2000;Franco-Moraes et al, 2019;Shepard & Daly, 2022).…”

“…Rather, the unexpected congruence between Indigenous and scientific insights into bina toxicity reveals a striking chemosensory logic connecting Makushi ethnobotany with these broader cultural ideologies, enriching both anthropological and pharmacological understandings of these complex biocultural practices. We have dubbed this approach "sensory ecology" and have described the attendant interdisciplinary methodology as "phytoethnography" (Shepard & Daly, 2022;Daly & Shepard, 2019;Shepard, 2004).…”

“…Thus, to call such modified forests merely "anthropogenic" simplifies Indigenous worldviews and livelihood practices, which acknowledge the agency of multiple species and beings in their formation (Oliveira, 2016;Oliveira et al, 2020). Moreover, the socioenvironmental processes that have generated cultural forests also act in the reverse direction, leading to the "forested" cultures of Indigenous Amazonian peoples (Franco-Moraes et al, 2019;Shepard & Daly, 2022), for whom ecology and biodiversity are essential components of myth, ritual, and cosmology (Reichel-Dolmatoff, 1976;Århem, 1996).…”

Indigenous-Amazonian Traditional Medicine’s Usage of the Tobacco Plant: A Transdisciplinary Ethnopsychological Mixed-Methods Case Study

“…The development of insight is key in many forms of psychotherapy (e.g., psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness-based) and discussed also in emerging therapies based psychoactive plants [ 105 ]. Amazonian medicine’s concepts of ‘plants that teach’ (Teacher Plants, Master Plants) is relevant in this context [ 9 , 106 ]: in this (emic) view, the tobacco plant is understood as a conscious, agentic, and wise ‘other-than-human being’ (see Amazonian ontologies in this context [ 107 , 108 ] who, if ingested under the appropriate guidance, ritual, and dietary conditions, may offer humans teaching, often via dreams or visions [ 106 , 109 ]). Indeed, the patient reported instructive dreams (“I saw myself as a student […] hastily climbing stairs of knowledge, then was instructed to slow down and wait, since I am just a student, not a master […] I better understand my tendency to rush big things”), and described these dreams as unusual (e.g., “I find these dreams to be of a higher source”, “the dreams feel ordered, logical, clear”).…”

Understanding interdisciplinary perspectives of plant intelligence: Is it a matter of science, language, or subjectivity?

“…The scientific paradigm of plant intelligence can benefit from the integration of ethno- and other social sciences, because of their relationship with multiple worldviews. The concept of plant intelligence has been mentioned in various socially oriented disciplines, e.g., philosophy [ 7 , 91 , 92 ], ethnobotany [ 93 ], and anthropology [ 94 , 95 ]. Meanwhile, to our knowledge, only a few literature references in the biological sciences incorporate the ontological features of plant intelligence (e.g., [ 96 , 97 ]).…”