Global WEIRDing: transitions in wild plant knowledge and treatment preferences in Congo hunter–gatherers

Gul Deniz Salali; Mark Dyble; Nikhil Chaudhary; Gaurav Sikka; Inez Derkx; Sarai Keestra; Daniel Smith; James Thompson; Lucio Vinicius; Andrea Bamberg Migliano

doi:10.1017/ehs.2020.26

Global WEIRDing: transitions in wild plant knowledge and treatment preferences in Congo hunter–gatherers

Gul Deniz Salali, Mark Dyble, Nikhil Chaudhary, Gaurav Sikka, Inez Derkx, Sarai Keestra, Daniel Smith, James Thompson, Lucio Vinicius, Andrea Bamberg Migliano

Bristol Medical School (PHS)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review

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Abstract

Cultures around the world are converging as populations become more connected. On the one hand this increased connectedness can promote the recombination of existing cultural practices to generate new ones, but on the other it may lead to the replacement of traditional practices and global WEIRDing. Here we examine the process and causes of changes in cultural traits concerning wild plant knowledge in Mbendjele BaYaka hunter–gatherers from Congo. Our results show that the BaYaka who were born in town reported knowing and using fewer plants than the BaYaka who were born in forest camps. Plant uses lost in the town-born BaYaka related to medicine. Unlike the forest-born participants, the town-born BaYaka preferred Western medicine over traditional practices, suggesting that the observed decline of plant knowledge and use is the result of replacement of cultural practices with the new products of cumulative culture.

Original language	English
Article number	e24
Number of pages	14
Journal	Evolutionary Human Sciences
Volume	2
Early online date	1 Jun 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2020.26
Publication status	Published - 1 Jun 2020

Keywords

cultural evolution
African BaYaka Pygmies
traditional knowledge
indigenous health
cultural change

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10.1017/ehs.2020.26

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This is the final published version of the article (version of record). It first appeared online via Cambridge University Press at https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/evolutionary-human-sciences/article/global-weirding-transitions-in-wild-plant-knowledge-and-treatment-preferences-in-congo-huntergatherers/4F222FFF9292D381F2BDBD5C60C8B796 . Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher.
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title = "Global WEIRDing: transitions in wild plant knowledge and treatment preferences in Congo hunter–gatherers",

abstract = "Cultures around the world are converging as populations become more connected. On the one hand this increased connectedness can promote the recombination of existing cultural practices to generate new ones, but on the other it may lead to the replacement of traditional practices and global WEIRDing. Here we examine the process and causes of changes in cultural traits concerning wild plant knowledge in Mbendjele BaYaka hunter–gatherers from Congo. Our results show that the BaYaka who were born in town reported knowing and using fewer plants than the BaYaka who were born in forest camps. Plant uses lost in the town-born BaYaka related to medicine. Unlike the forest-born participants, the town-born BaYaka preferred Western medicine over traditional practices, suggesting that the observed decline of plant knowledge and use is the result of replacement of cultural practices with the new products of cumulative culture.",

keywords = "cultural evolution, African BaYaka Pygmies, traditional knowledge, indigenous health, cultural change",

author = "Salali, {Gul Deniz} and Mark Dyble and Nikhil Chaudhary and Gaurav Sikka and Inez Derkx and Sarai Keestra and Daniel Smith and James Thompson and Lucio Vinicius and Migliano, {Andrea Bamberg}",

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month = jun,

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doi = "10.1017/ehs.2020.26",

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journal = "Evolutionary Human Sciences",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Global WEIRDing

T2 - transitions in wild plant knowledge and treatment preferences in Congo hunter–gatherers

AU - Salali, Gul Deniz

AU - Dyble, Mark

AU - Chaudhary, Nikhil

AU - Sikka, Gaurav

AU - Derkx, Inez

AU - Keestra, Sarai

AU - Smith, Daniel

AU - Thompson, James

AU - Vinicius, Lucio

AU - Migliano, Andrea Bamberg

PY - 2020/6/1

Y1 - 2020/6/1

N2 - Cultures around the world are converging as populations become more connected. On the one hand this increased connectedness can promote the recombination of existing cultural practices to generate new ones, but on the other it may lead to the replacement of traditional practices and global WEIRDing. Here we examine the process and causes of changes in cultural traits concerning wild plant knowledge in Mbendjele BaYaka hunter–gatherers from Congo. Our results show that the BaYaka who were born in town reported knowing and using fewer plants than the BaYaka who were born in forest camps. Plant uses lost in the town-born BaYaka related to medicine. Unlike the forest-born participants, the town-born BaYaka preferred Western medicine over traditional practices, suggesting that the observed decline of plant knowledge and use is the result of replacement of cultural practices with the new products of cumulative culture.

AB - Cultures around the world are converging as populations become more connected. On the one hand this increased connectedness can promote the recombination of existing cultural practices to generate new ones, but on the other it may lead to the replacement of traditional practices and global WEIRDing. Here we examine the process and causes of changes in cultural traits concerning wild plant knowledge in Mbendjele BaYaka hunter–gatherers from Congo. Our results show that the BaYaka who were born in town reported knowing and using fewer plants than the BaYaka who were born in forest camps. Plant uses lost in the town-born BaYaka related to medicine. Unlike the forest-born participants, the town-born BaYaka preferred Western medicine over traditional practices, suggesting that the observed decline of plant knowledge and use is the result of replacement of cultural practices with the new products of cumulative culture.

KW - cultural evolution

KW - African BaYaka Pygmies

KW - traditional knowledge

KW - indigenous health

KW - cultural change

U2 - 10.1017/ehs.2020.26

DO - 10.1017/ehs.2020.26

M3 - Article (Academic Journal)

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VL - 2

JO - Evolutionary Human Sciences

JF - Evolutionary Human Sciences

M1 - e24

ER -

Global WEIRDing: transitions in wild plant knowledge and treatment preferences in Congo hunter–gatherers

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Keywords

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