The Role of Nonhuman Primates in Religious and Folk Medicine Beliefs

Abstract

Primates play an important role in many types of stories, fables, folk tales, myths, proverbs, legends, and religious and folk medicine beliefs. The inclusion of nonhuman primates in various cultural practices influences human interactions and attitudes toward those nonhuman primate species, with obvious implications for their conservation. This chapter provides a brief review on the main forms of interactions between people and primates in religious and folk medicine contexts and their conservationist implications.