Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Cognitive Prototypes in Tzeltal Maya Medicinal Plant Selection

University Of Georgia Research Foundation Inc, Athens GA

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract 0079499 This project will investigate how Tzeltal Maya reconcile their understanding of illness with the biologically-based characteristics of plants in order to select and maintain consensus about medicinal plant cures. Using an approach centered around "cognitive prototypes" (prototypes from the domains of plants and illness), the researcher will identify variables (taste, plant distribution, cultural interpretation of plant characteristics, etc.) employed by the Maya in selecting plants for medicinal use. A number of hypotheses concerning the relationship between these variables and selection will be tested, as well as hypotheses about the relationship between specific illnesses and plant types. Methods include structured interviews with samples from the population, a plant survey, and elicitation techniques regarding plant/illness qualities. Comparative data from Maya migrants will also be gathered to assess the degree to which these same cognitive prototypes guide plant selection in environments with different flora. This project will contribute to the field of cognitive science and to our understanding of how indigenous populations conceptualize and use medicinal plants to cure illness.