Specimens
are collected:
- according
to previous observations of their local use
- together
with informants in the field
- Randomly,
to get an overview of less important plants and their local
names
Each
species was discussed with local people.
Uses
of each plant were recorded.
Local
names were recorded and crosschecked with at least
two additional informants in order to confirm names and find
variability in plant names
The literal meaning of the plant names was documented in order
to understand local plant classification.
Pile
sorting - We took instant pictures (Polaroid) of
a selection of plants as well as important objects such as
ritual places and sacred mountains
People were asked to group these pictures in order to get
insight into local categories and to discover correlations
between different plants and the environment.
Free
listing - The interviewed person was told to freely
name plants. This gives a general impression of the importance
of different plants and plant-categories and allows assessing
the completeness of the ethnobotanical survey. |
