Shamanism or science?

• Published in: Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências Vol. 74; no. 1; pp. 135 - 144
• Main Authors: Gottlieb, Otto R, Borin, Maria Renata de M B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: Brazil Academia Brasileira de Ciências 01.03.2002
• Subjects: angiospermas; angiosperms; Bolivia - ethnology; Brazil - ethnology; Chácobo; edible species; Ethnobotany; etnobotânica; evolutionary trends; Humans; Indians, South American; Ka'apor; Kayapó; Magnoliopsida; medicinal species; Models, Biological; MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES; plantas alimentícias; plantas medicinais; Plants, Edible; Plants, Medicinal; Science; Shamanism; systematic trends; tendências evolutivas; tendências sistemáticas; tendências evolutivas; plantas alimentícias; plantas medicinais; medicinal species; evolutionary trends; Kayapó; etnobotânica; ethnobotany; edible species; Ka'apor; systematic trends; angiospermas; angiosperms; tendências sistemáticas; Chácobo
• ISSN: 0001-3765; 1678-2690; 0001-3765; 1678-2690
• DOI: 10.1590/S0001-37652002000100010

The interconnection of the three organismic levels, metabolism, morphology, and biogeography, can now be amplified into a multipart architecture, introducing plant bioactivity through ethnobotany-oriented descriptions. Only via such an integrative model, the diverse organismic levels can be connected within a more holistic, realistic scheme. Construction of qualitative and quantitative models via evolutionarily conceived implantation into dahlgrenograms and Sporne indices, allows ethnobotany to acquire predictive validity. The coherence of such systems was demonstrated by comparison of the vast ethnobotanical Brazilian database by Pio Corrêa with relatively very minute databases referring to three Amazonian Indian societies.