Plants, soils and landscapes: Sorting of nature by the Miraña Indians of Colombian Amazon

Abstract

We describe the most important aspects of Mirafia's plant taxonomy, and landscape categorization. Data about plants' names (in 30 plots of 0.1 ha), was gathered from all individual plants with DBH ≥ 2.5 cm (Diameter at Breast High, or 1.3 m above ground), and data about soils, forest types and landscapes was gathered from 8 transects of 2-5 km long each. In spite of cultural lost, complex knowledge about natural environment classification, it is present into the oral tradition keep in some elders' mind. We detected a high level of knowledge about wild plants, the presence of nomenclatural systems for plants and soil types, and organized landscapes and forest types systems.