Ethnobotany in Florida : Seminole cosmology and medicinal plant use

Abstract

The Seminole people of Florida have used plants as traditional remedies for hundreds of years. After European contact their knowledge was transformed from proto-Muskhogean practices to new hybrids of traditional and modem practices. As a result of European pressure and influence, there is a risk of this knowledge being lost. Traditional Botanical Knowledge (TBK) can shed light on new compounds and healing properties for use in the medical and holistic communities of the U.S. This project systematically examines the connections between extant cosmological knowledge and extant medicinal knowledge among the Seminole. This study uses a number of methods and sources of data: ethnographic interviews, field observations at Seminole and Miccosukee events, demographic information, myths, material culture, artwork, field notes and publications by anthropologists and botanists were used as well to find patterns connecting medicinal flora with metaphysical associations such as animals, directions, colors, and temperatures similar to other Native American cultures. Larger implications of this research include the production of a useful ethno-medical and ethno-botanical research tool and the preservation of cultural practices within a threatened culture.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2010

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Lieberman, Leslie Sue

Degree

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Degree Program

Anthropology

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences;Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic

Format

Print

Identifier

DP0022499

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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