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Prakofjewa J, Sartori M, Šarka P, Kalle R, Pieroni A, Sõukand R. Knowledge in motion: temporal dynamics of wild food plant use in the Polish-Lithuanian-Belarusian border region. JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY AND ETHNOMEDICINE 2024; 20:65. [PMID: 38997687 PMCID: PMC11241954 DOI: 10.1186/s13002-024-00706-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding how Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) evolves over time is crucial for fostering social and environmental responsibility. This study aims to develop a conceptual model of plant knowledge circulation, providing insights into the temporal dynamics of LEK in the Polish-Lithuanian-Belarusian border region. It explores the key patterns and driving forces behind changes in the use of wild plants for food. METHODS Field research was conducted in 60 rural settlements across Podlasie Voivodeship (Poland), Vilnius Region (Lithuania), and Hrodna Region (Belarus). This included 200 semi-structured interviews and participant observation among two local communities, Lithuanians and Poles. To assess the temporal dynamics of wild food use, we performed a cross-ethnic, cross-border analysis over time, dividing the data into three major temporal dimensions: past, continuous, and recently acquired uses. RESULTS Of the 72 wild plant taxa reported by Poles or Lithuanians in the Polish-Lithuanian-Belarusian borderland, 47 were continuously used for food, 58 were utilised in the past, and 41 were recently acquired. Cross-country trends were similar, with Poland showing more past uses. Diachronic comparisons between Poles and Lithuanians in each studied country revealed no significant differences. Recently acquired taxa overlapped considerably with those used continuously and in the past. The most diversely utilised taxa showed the greatest overlaps. By observing the movement of specific plant taxa within various time dimensions, we distinguished overlapping flow variations: retention (3 taxa), decay (11), invention (8), stagnation (17), revitalisation (6), re-invention (3), and knowledge in motion (24). Shifts in the use of wild food plants were influenced by changes in environmental conditions, governmental policies, cultural practices, and economic factors. CONCLUSION The findings of this study have important implications for improving methods of tracking changes in LEK and enhancing our understanding of the relationship between people and nature. Our results underscore the importance of considering knowledge circulation over time in different directions. Recognising the various stages of knowledge circulation might help in pursuing sustainable solutions that balance the needs of human communities with environmental protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Prakofjewa
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy.
| | - Matteo Sartori
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy
| | - Povilas Šarka
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy
- Botanical Garden of Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Raivo Kalle
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Bra, Pollenzo, Italy
- Estonian Literary Museum, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Andrea Pieroni
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Bra, Pollenzo, Italy
- Department of Medical Analysis, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq
| | - Renata Sõukand
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy
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Sõukand R. Dark local knowledge: the yet-to-be scientifically discovered and locally acknowledged aspects of local knowledge systems. JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY AND ETHNOMEDICINE 2024; 20:50. [PMID: 38741150 DOI: 10.1186/s13002-024-00692-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
This essay brings forward the idea that there is more than meets the eye in local knowledge systems than what science can show us now. To comprehend this, we need to make a conceptual jump and look for the "dark matter" (the notion borrowed from astronomy that refers to a hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with light or electromagnetic fields) that can potentially sustain local knowledge. Considering that it is a complex of knowledge, practices, and beliefs contained in TEK, knowledge in LEK does not correspond to the notion of knowledge in science. Therefore, in order to map LEK-science interactions, we will refer to the concept of peoples' knowledge of LEK as acknowledgement and the scientific recognition and awareness of information, facts, and principles as knowledge. Applying this to a Johari Window, we can observe four categories of LEK in a known-unknown/acknowledged-unacknowledged matrix. We can refer to unknown and unacknowledged as dark local knowledge. Indeed, local knowledge systems contain many aspects that modern science cannot yet explain, as a major part of its components are not even considered in scholarly research. Dark local knowledge can potentially provide us with the invaluable touch of experience of countless generations, opening different ways of seeing reality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Sõukand
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, Venice, Italy.
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Milani F, Bottoni M, Bardelli L, Colombo L, Colombo PS, Bruschi P, Giuliani C, Fico G. Remnants from the Past: From an 18th Century Manuscript to 21st Century Ethnobotany in Valle Imagna (Bergamo, Italy). PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:2748. [PMID: 37514363 PMCID: PMC10386062 DOI: 10.3390/plants12142748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This project originated from the study of an 18th century manuscript found in Valle Imagna (Bergamo, Italy) which contains 200 plant-based medicinal remedies. A first comparison with published books concerning 20th century folk medicine in the Valley led to the designing of an ethnobotanical investigation, aimed at making a thorough comparison between past and current phytotherapy knowledge in this territory. METHODS The field investigation was conducted through semi-structured interviews. All data collected was entered in a database and subsequently processed. A diachronic comparison between the field results, the manuscript, and a 20th century book was then performed. RESULTS A total of 109 interviews were conducted and the use of 103 medicinal plants, belonging to 46 families, was noted. A decrease in number of plant taxa and uses was observed over time, with only 42 taxa and 34 uses reported in the manuscript being currently known by the people of the valley. A thorough comparison with the remedies in the manuscript highlighted similar recipes for 12 species. Specifically, the use of agrimony in Valle Imagna for the treatment of deep wounds calls back to an ancient remedy against leg ulcers based on this species. CONCLUSIONS The preliminary results of this study allow us to outline the partial passage through time fragments of ancient plant-based remedies once used in the investigated area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizia Milani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy
- Ghirardi Botanic Garden, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Religione 25, 25088 Toscolano Maderno, Italy
| | - Martina Bottoni
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy
- Ghirardi Botanic Garden, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Religione 25, 25088 Toscolano Maderno, Italy
| | - Laura Bardelli
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy
- Ghirardi Botanic Garden, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Religione 25, 25088 Toscolano Maderno, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Colombo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy
- Ghirardi Botanic Garden, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Religione 25, 25088 Toscolano Maderno, Italy
| | - Paola Sira Colombo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy
- Ghirardi Botanic Garden, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Religione 25, 25088 Toscolano Maderno, Italy
| | - Piero Bruschi
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental, Food and Forestry Science and Technology, University of Florence, 50144 Florence, Italy
| | - Claudia Giuliani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy
- Ghirardi Botanic Garden, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Religione 25, 25088 Toscolano Maderno, Italy
| | - Gelsomina Fico
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy
- Ghirardi Botanic Garden, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Religione 25, 25088 Toscolano Maderno, Italy
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Scherrer MM, Zerbe S, Petelka J, Säumel I. Understanding old herbal secrets: The renaissance of traditional medicinal plants beyond the twenty classic species? Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1141044. [PMID: 37033626 PMCID: PMC10079881 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1141044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of traditional medicinal plants plays an important role especially in remote rural and marginalized landscapes at different latitudes. In the development of nature conservation strategies based on local knowledge and sustainable resource management, medicinal herbs have been hypothesized to be cultural key stone species. Environmental education is a crucial driver for fostering environmental literacy and preserving local knowledge across generations. We conducted semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in the Autonomous Province of Bozen-South Tyrol (N Italy) to gain insights into, and reflections on, the cultural value of traditional medicinal plants and their interplay within the local landscape, nature conservation and their role in environmental education and knowledge transfer across generations. We also used a combination of purposive and snowball sampling to identify relevant actors. The different voices collected in the study clearly highlight the role of medicinal herbs in healthcare, for cultural identity of local communities and demonstrate a growing commercial market niche that maintains the local economy and services, including widespread offers related to environmental education, that have not, unfortunately, been used yet in the formal curricula of local schools. The latter is crucial for a holistic approach taking medicinal plants as an ideal vehicle to connect especially children with nature and history of South Tyrol, strengthening health education and overall environmental literacy, including species knowledge. However, the revival of herbal medicine and related knowledge do not prevent the continuous loss of local traditional knowledge regarding medicinal plants, recipes and use. More species and their uses are being forgotten due to superficialisation of knowledge and of mainstreaming and homogenization of the global market of herbal medicine. Safeguarding the natural and cultural treasures of South Tyrol for future generations is in the hands of the local communities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stefan Zerbe
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Joshua Petelka
- Conservation Administration, Regional Council Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ina Säumel
- Integrative Research Institute THESys Transformation of Human-Environment-Systems, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- *Correspondence: Ina Säumel,
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Belichenko O, Kolosova V, Melnikov D, Kalle R, Sõukand R. Language of Administration as a Border: Wild Food Plants Used by Setos and Russians in Pechorsky District of Pskov Oblast, NW Russia. Foods 2021; 10:foods10020367. [PMID: 33567706 PMCID: PMC7915562 DOI: 10.3390/foods10020367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Socio-economic changes impact local ethnobotanical knowledge as much as the ecological ones. During an ethnobotanical field study in 2018-2019, we interviewed 25 Setos and 38 Russians in the Pechorsky District of Pskov Oblast to document changes in wild plant use within the last 70 years according to the current and remembered practices. Of the 71 botanical taxa reported, the most popular were Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Vaccinium oxycoccos, Vaccinium myrtillus, Betula spp., and Rumex acetosa. The obtained data was compared with that of 37 Setos and 35 Estonians interviewed at the same time on the other side of the border. Our data revealed a substantial level of homogeneity within the plants used by three or more people with 30 of 56 plants overlapping across all four groups. However, Seto groups are ethnobotanically closer to the dominant ethnic groups immediately surrounding them than they are to Setos across the border. Further study of minor ethnic groups in a post-Soviet context is needed, paying attention to knowledge transmission patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Belichenko
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, Mestre, 30172 Venice, Italy; (V.K.); (R.S.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Valeria Kolosova
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, Mestre, 30172 Venice, Italy; (V.K.); (R.S.)
- Institute for Linguistic Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tuchkov Pereulok 9, 199004 St Petersburg, Russia
| | - Denis Melnikov
- Komarov Botanical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor Popov St. 2, 197376 St Petersburg, Russia;
| | - Raivo Kalle
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Bra (Cn), Italy; or
| | - Renata Sõukand
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, Mestre, 30172 Venice, Italy; (V.K.); (R.S.)
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