| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
SHIGETA Masayoshi Center for African Area Studies, Kyoto Univ., Assistant Professor, アフリカ地域研究センター, 助手 (80215962)
OHTA Itaru Center for African Area Studies, Kyoto Univ., Associate Professor, アフリカ地域研究センター, 助教授 (60191938)
ARAKI Shigeru Center for African Area Studies, Kyoto Univ., Associate Professor, アフリカ地域研究センター, 助教授 (00158734)
ICHIKAWA Mitsuo Center for African Area Studies, Kyoto Univ., Associate Professor, アフリカ地域研究センター, 助教授 (50115789)
ITANI Jun'ichiro Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, Kobe Gakuin Univ., Professor, 人文学部, 教授 (10025257)
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| Research Abstract |
The first purpose of this study is to compile the information on the traditional use of plants and animals in Africa, and to make a data-base of the plant and animal utilizations. Based on this data-base, it also aims at carrying out comparative studies in ethnobotany and ethnozoology in order to clarify the characteristics in resource utilization pattern of various ethnic groups in various parts of tropical Africa. The data-base has been constructed at the Documentation Center of Kyoto University, and more than 9,000 records have been compiled so far. It will shortly be opened to the researchers at other institutions for academic use.
The information on the plant use is particularly emphasized in this study. It is shown that African peoples have surprisingly rich knowledge of the wild plants, classifying, naming and using them according to their own traditional system of classification, nomenclature and utilization. Many species are actually used in a diversity of ways as food, medicine, materials for ornaments, instruments and construction, etc., which suggests a diverse potential of African plant resources.
A brief comparison in plant use is made between the hunter-gatherers and cultivators who live in a similar environment of the tropical rain forest in central Africa. It is found that, much more species are used for food by hunter-gatherers than by cultivators, whereas the latter use many medicinal plants in a more elaborate way. The inventory of species used for each purpose also differ from each other. These facts again demonstrate a great potential of African plant world.
Finally, continuous efforts will be indispensable to the maintenance and improvement of this database, since new data are being collected in Africa almost day by day.
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