Bedouin ethnobotany : plant concepts and uses in a desert pastoral world / James P. Mandaville.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mandaville, James P.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bedouins--Ethnobotany--Arabian Peninsula.

Bedouins.

Bedouins--Arabian Peninsula--Social life and customs.

Ethnobotany--Arabian Peninsula.

Ethnobotany.

Pastoral systems--Arabian Peninsula.

Pastoral systems.

Desert plants--Arabian Peninsula.

Desert plants.

Desert ecology--Arabian Peninsula.

Desert ecology.

Plant names, Popular--Arabian Peninsula.

Plant names, Popular.

Plants--Religious aspects--Islam.

Plants.

Arabian Peninsula--Social life and customs.

Arabian Peninsula.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (419 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Tucson : University of Arizona Press, c2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

A Bedouin asking a fellow tribesman about grazing conditions in other parts of the country says first simply, "Fih hayah?" or "Is there life?" A desert Arab's knowledge of the sparse vegetation is tied directly to his life and livelihood. "Bedouin Ethnobotany" offers the first detailed study of plant uses among the Najdi Arabic-speaking tribal peoples of eastern Saudi Arabia. It also makes a major contribution to the larger project of ethnobotany by describing aspects of a nomadic peoples' conceptual relationships with the plants of their homeland. The modern theoretical basis for studies of the folk classification and nomenclature of plants was developed from accounts of peoples who were small-scale agriculturists and, to a lesser extent, hunter-gatherers. This book fills a major gap by extending such study into the world of the nomadic pastoralist and exploring the extent to which these patterns are valid for another major subsistence type. James P. Mandaville, an Arabic speaker who lived in Saudi Arabia for many years, focuses first on the role of plants in Bedouin life, explaining their uses for livestock forage, firewood, medicinals, food, and dyestuffs, and examining other practical purposes. He then explicates the conceptual and linguistic aspects of his subject, applying the theory developed by Brent Berlin and others to a previously unstudied population. Mandaville also looks at the long history of Bedouin plant nomenclature, finding that very little has changed among the names and classifications in nearly eleven centuries. This volume includes a CD-ROM featuring more than 340 color images of the people, the terrain, and nearly all of the plants mentioned in the text as well as an audio file of a traditional Bedouin song and its translation and analysis. An essential volume for anyone interested in the interaction between human culture and plant life, "Bedouin Ethnobotany "will stand as a definitive source for years to come.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

List of Illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

I.1 Scope, Previous Work, and Research Chronology

I.2 Consultants, Language, and Working Procedures

I.2.1 Consultants

I.2.2 Najdi Arabic

I.2.3 Transcription of Bedouin Speech

I.2.4 Working Procedures

1. The Land

1.1 Geology and Topography

1.2 Climate

1.3 Vegetation and Flora

1.3.1 Rimth Saltbush Shrubland

1.3.2 'Arfaj Shrubland

1.3.3 Thmam Grass-Shrubland

1.3.4 Calligonum-Artemisia Sand Shrubland

1.3.5 Ephedra Shrubland

1.3.6 Achillea-Artemisia Silt Basin Association

1.3.7 Ghada Shrubland

1.3.8 Hadh Saltbush Shrubland

1.3.9 Rub' al-Khali 'Abal Shrubland

1.3.10 Succulent Halophyte Associations

1.3.11 Shrubless Community Types

1.3.12 Microcommunities

1.3.13 The Annual Cycle of Plant Growth

2. The People

2.1 Bedouin Life

2.2 Bedouin Tribes

2.2.1 Al Murrah

2.2.2 Bani Hajir

2.2.3 Al-'Ujman

2.2.4 Qahtan

2.2.5 Ad-Dawasir

2.2.6 Shammar

2.2.7 Ar-Ruwalah

2.2.8 Bani Khalid

2.2.9 Mutayr

3. Stars, Land, and Plants: An Annual Round of Bedouin Life

4. Plants for Use

4.1 Plants for Livestock Grazing and Browse

4.1.1 The Camel

4.1.2 Toxic and Noxious Plants

4.2 Fuel and Fire Making

4.3 Wild Plants for Food

4.3.1 Roots, Tubers, and Bulbs

4.3.2 Edible Stalks or Stems

4.3.3 Greens Eaten Raw

4.3.4 Edible Fruits and Flowers

4.3.5 Seeds and Grains

4.3.6 Gums and Other Exudates

4.3.7 Flavorings and Food Additives

4.3.8 Truffles and Mushrooms

4.4 Medicinal Uses of Plants

4.4.1 Arthritic Complaints

4.4.2 Cold Remedies

4.4.3 Emetics

4.4.4 Eye Conditions

4.4.5 Women's Conditions

4.4.6 Fevers

4.4.7 Kidney Ailments

4.4.8 Laxatives

4.4.9 Skin Afflictions and Wounds

4.4.10 Snakebite and Scorpion Stings.

4.4.11 Stomach Ailments

4.4.12 Tonics

4.4.13 Toothache

4.4.14 Insect Repellents

4.4.15 Psychotropic Plants

4.4.16 Veterinary Medicinals

4.5 Tanning and Dyestuffs

4.6 Soaps, Cosmetics, Dental Hygiene Products, and Incense

4.7 Gunpowder, Crafts, and Construction

4.8 Plants in Children's Play

5. Plants as Concept and Name

5.1 The Origin and Purpose of Plant Life

5.1.1 Plants and the Supernatural

5.1.2 Plants in Bedouin Cosmology

5.2 Plant Anatomical Terms

5.3 Classification and Nomenclature

5.3.1 The Development of Folk Classification Theory

5.3.2 Plants as a Kingdom

5.3.3 Life Forms

5.3.4 Intermediate Categories

5.3.5 Folk Generics and Subgenerics

5.3.6 Some Linguistic Aspects of Plant Names

5.3.7 Variation in Generic Names

5.3.8 Growth-Stage Generics

5.3.9 Classification and Subsistence Mode

5.3.10 Summary and Statistics: Folk Classification and Nomenclature

5.4 Plants as Vegetation and Place

5.4.1 General Terminology Related to Plants

5.4.2 Plants and Topography

6. Generics and Subgenerics: A Descriptive List

7. Bedouin Plant Lore in Space and Time

7.1 A Greater Geography and History

7.2 Indigenous Botanical Knowledge in a Changing World

Appendix A. Present-Day and Early Islamic Plant Names

Appendix B. Plant Remedies Collected from Herbalists' Shops

Works Cited

General Index

Index of Arabic Plant Names

Index of Scientific Plant Names.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-299-19154-1

0-8165-0343-5

OCLC:

747413922