article
Ethnobotany of the Miskitu of eastern Nicaragua
Journal of ethnobiology • 17 (2) • Published In 1997 • Pages: 171-214
By: Coe, Felix G., Anderson, Gregory J. (Gregory Joseph).
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
The Miskitu are one of the three indigenous groups of eastern Nicaragua. Their uses of 353 species of plants in 262 genera and 89 families were documented in two years of fieldwork. Included are 310 species of medicinal, 95 species of food plants, and 127 species used for construction and crafts, dyes and tannins, firewood, and forage. Only 14 of 50 domesticated food species are native to the New World tropics, and only three to Mesoamerica. A majority of plant species used for purposes other than food or medicine are wild species native to eastern Nicaragua. Miskitu medicinal plants are used to treat more than 50 human ailments. Most (80%) of the medicinal plants are native to eastern Nicaragua, and two thirds have some bioactive principle. Many medicinal plants are herbs (40%) or trees (30%), and leaves are the most frequently used plant part. Herbal remedies are undergoing rapid acculturation caused by immigration of outsiders. This study is important not only for documenting uses of plants for science in general, but also because it provides a written record in particular of the oral tradition of medicinal uses of plants of and for the Miskitu (p. 171).
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Flora
- Pharmaceuticals
- Diet
- Ethnobotany
- Medical therapy
- Dwellings
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Miskito
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2010
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Middle America and the Caribbean
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Central America
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Biologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- John Beierle; 2009
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1992-1993
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1633-1993
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Eastern Nicaragua
- NotesAdditional notes
- Felix G. Coe ; Gregory J. Anderson
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 196-198)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 81643251
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Miskito Indians