Footprints of the Forest: Ka'Apor Ethnobotany- The Historical Ecology of Plant Utilization by an Amazonian People (Biology and Resource Management I) [Hardcover]

William Balee (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0231074840 | ISBN-13: 978-0231074841 | Publication Date: June 1994

This study provides an account of the relationship between the Amazonian people and their botanical environment. It is based on the author's 10 years of ethnological and botanical research among the Tupi-Guarani-speaking Indians (especially the Ka'apor) of eastern Amazonia, and aims to rectify much of the ignorance about the history of Amazonia and its diverse peoples, habitats and resources. With the Indians and forests of eastern Amazonia vulnerable to seemingly unstoppable advances by loggers, squatters and gold miners, it illuminates the long-term relationship of plants to the culture, speech and life of the Ka'apor people.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The complete ethnobotany has yet to be written, but Footprints of the Forest. . . moves one step closer to that Sisyphean goal. . . . I know of no other work as comprehensive as this one. -- BioScience

The complete ethnobotany has yet to be written, but Footprints of the Forest. . . moves one step closer to that Sisyphean goal. . . . I know of no other work as comprehensive as this one. -- BioScience

The most detailed and thorough analysis ever produced of indigenous plants and plant use in Amazonia. . . . Bales perspective skillfully integrates historical and ethnohistorical data with his contemporary research, yielding a finely nuanced view of Kaapor ethnology and neatly meshed comparisons with a number of other Amazonian groups. -- American Anthropologist

This remarkably penetrating volume will repay the diligent study of botanists, ethnobotanists, linguists, and conservationists who are interested in the status of Amazonian phytodiversity and the role of Amerindians in their environment. One can only hope that future generations of Brazilian and worldwide students of tropical ecosystems will be stimulated to initiate long-term studies comparable to this landmark undertaking. -- National Geographic Research and Exploration

[Bale] did far more than prepare lists of plants, foods, and habits of the local people. . . . He got to know them as a distinct group of individuals who have a past, and, if permitted, a future. -- Environmental History

About the Author

William Bale is associate professor of anthropology at Tulane University and the editor of Advances in Historical Ecology.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 420 pages
• Publisher: Columbia Univ Pr (June 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231074840
• ISBN-13: 978-0231074841
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,937,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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