Browsing by Subject "Amazonia"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

A digital repository for indigenous Amazonian cultural materials
(2012-05) Ruedas, Javier; Galloway, Patricia Kay; Karadkar, Unmil
The objective of this report is to explore the design characteristics for a repository of indigenous Amazonian digital cultural heritage objects. I first examine the design objectives in relation to the available collection of digital objects. I then analyze the characteristics and expectations of the user community, and the implications of these expectations for repository design. I report on the specific intellectual property rights (IPR) laws and ideals applicable to this collection. I review possible copyright and licensing systems to protect indigenous IPR. In particular, I discuss the Mukurtu content management system (CMS) and its associated Traditional Knowledge licenses. I then report on my efforts to use the Mukurtu CMS as a means for making the collection available to the user community and for long-term digital preservation. I conclude with ideas about how Mukurtu or a similar content management system could be used for long-term management and preservation of indigenous Amazonian digital cultural heritage.
A Social History of the Peach Palm (Bactris gasipaes) in South America
(2020-05) Frazier, Emily
Genetic, linguistic, and cultural clues about domesticated plants provide insights into the histories of the people who have developed and used them. This study examines these clues for the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes), a fruiting palm that is native to South America, but was domesticated and dispersed more widely around the continent by indigenous peoples prior to European arrival there. This project interprets the distribution of peach palm terms in indigenous South American languages in comparison to both genetic work on wild and domesticated peach palm varieties (Clement et al., 2017) as well as ethnographic work and historical information on the significance of the peach palm in different indigenous groups. In its linguistic component, this project analyzes lexical data in South American indigenous languages using dictionaries, other published materials, and communication with experts. Ethnographies of indigenous groups illustrate the ceremonial and ritual uses of the peach palm, and may provide additional information about the distribution of peach palm use practices. Finally, this project examines the peach palm’s status in the context of its historical trajectory to identify possible explanations for its lack of global importance, especially compared to other New World crops. By drawing on data and analysis from multiple fields, this project aims to look toward a more complete picture of the peach palm and the people who have used it over time.
Spatial variation in tree community assembly
(2012-05) Lasky, Jesse Robert; Keitt, Timothy H.
Spatial variation in tree community composition and assembly is due in large part to dispersal limitation, spatial variation in environmental conditions, and interactions among competing trees. The relative importance of these processes may be governed by landscape structure and environmental conditions. (I) The movement of frugivores between remnant forests and successional areas is vital for tropical forest tree species to colonize successional habitats. I found that avian frugivores crossing forest edges were generally insensitive to percent cover and clustering of pasture trees. If pastures were abandoned the distance from forest edges would not likely limit frugivore visitation and seed deposition under pasture trees in my study. (II) Relatively little is known from a theoretical conservation perspective about how reserve size affects communities assembled by abiotic and dispersal limitations. Simulated small reserve systems increased the distance between environments dominated by different species, diminishing the importance of source-sink dynamics. I found a trade-off between preserving different aspects of natural communities, with greater [alpha]-diversity in large reserves and greater [gamma]-diversity across small reserve systems. (III) Functional trait diversity of co-occurring organisms may be indicative of the processes that structure communities. Across spatial scales, an axis of leaf succulence exhibited the strongest evidence for niche-based assembly among co-occurring Ficus individuals, whereas specific leaf area (SLA) showed the strongest evidence for niche-based assembly among species. Trait analyses of co-occurring individuals had greater power than analyses at the species level, especially for traits with high intraspecific variation. Environmental filtering may be stronger at higher elevations due to drought stress. (IV) Individual fitness is a function of the interaction between traits and environment, or environmental selection. I estimated spatial selective gradients affecting a subtropical tree community and found that the trait axes with the strongest selection were also those with the least spatial variation. Interestingly, factors associated with selection were quite different for growth versus survivorship. The trait-by-environment interactions I identified are strong candidates for spatial niche differentiation, and may explain how tree species coexist in this diverse subtropical forest.
Surrounding Amazonia : the 1637-39 Teixeira expedition, knowledge and representation
(2012-12) Bacellar, Sarasvati de Araujo; Wade, Maria de Fátima, 1948-; Garfield, Seth, 1967-
This Master’s Thesis investigates the 1637-39 Teixeira’s expedition and how it transformed the Amazon region at the beginning of the seventeenth century. It assumes that this expedition was a key historical event to challenge the balance of power in the area. It shows through historical documents how ethno-geographic knowledge was an essential tool in the discursive construction of the Amazon Natives, undermining their cultural landscapes and initiating the process by which geographical knowledge enabled European territorial power. Foucault’s framework to approach and expound on the relationship between knowledge and power is the theoretical system of analysis that helps to understand the meaning embedded in the historical documents under scrutiny.
USAID and Amazonia LEE: Case Study in Evaluating the Efficacy of International Literacy Projects
(2023) Hatangadi, Meera; Martin, Caden; Ghaffar, Zaina