Ontology and values anchor indigenous and grey nomenclatures: a case study in lichen naming practices among the Sámi, Sherpa, Scots, and Okanagan
Ethnobotanical research provides ample justification for comparing diverse biological nomenclatures and exploring ways that retain alternative naming practices. However, how (and whether) comparison of nomenclatures is possible remains a subject of discussion. The comparison of diverse nomenclatural...
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ftindianausw:oai:ojs.scholarworks.iu.edu:article/32695 2023-05-15T16:17:07+02:00 Ontology and values anchor indigenous and grey nomenclatures: a case study in lichen naming practices among the Sámi, Sherpa, Scots, and Okanagan Kendig, Catherine 2021-11-24 application/pdf https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ihps/article/view/32695 eng eng Integrated HPS Conference Proceedings https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ihps/article/view/32695/37152 https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ihps/article/view/32695 Copyright (c) 2021 Catherine Kendig https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0 CC-BY-NC Integrated HPS Conference Proceedings; Vol. 1 No. 1 (2021): Integrated HPS Conference Proceedings Ethnobotany Sámi nomenclature Grey nomenclature Naming practice Indigenous knowledge Species classification Classification and values Metaphysical committment History of Ethnobiology info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Peer-reviewed Article 2021 ftindianausw 2022-07-28T20:55:28Z Ethnobotanical research provides ample justification for comparing diverse biological nomenclatures and exploring ways that retain alternative naming practices. However, how (and whether) comparison of nomenclatures is possible remains a subject of discussion. The comparison of diverse nomenclatural practices introduces a suite of epistemic and ontological difficulties and considerations. Different nomenclatures may depend on whether the communities using them rely on formalized naming conventions; cultural or spiritual valuations; or worldviews. Because of this, some argue that the different naming practices may not be comparable if the ontological commitments employed differ. Comparisons between different nomenclatures cannot assume that either the naming practices or the object to which these names are intended to apply identifies some universally agreed upon object of interest. Investigating this suite of philosophical problems, I explore the role grey nomenclatures play in classification. ‘Grey nomenclatures’ are defined as those that employ names that are either intentionally or accidently non-Linnaean. The classification of the lichen thallus (a symbiont) has been classified outside the Linnaean system by botanists relying on the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN). But, I argue, the use of grey names is not isolated and does not occur exclusively within institutionalized naming practices. I suggest, ‘grey names’ also aptly describe nomenclatures employed by indigenous communities such as the Sámi of Northern Finmark, the Sherpa of Nepal, and the Okanagan First Nations. I pay particular attention to how naming practices are employed in these communities; what ontological commitments they hold; for what purposes are these names used; and what anchors the community's nomenclatural practices. Exploring the history of lichen naming and early ethnolichenological research, I then investigate the stakes that must be considered for any attempt to preserve, retain, integrate, or ... Article in Journal/Newspaper First Nations IUScholarWorks Journals (Indiana University) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
IUScholarWorks Journals (Indiana University) |
op_collection_id |
ftindianausw |
language |
English |
topic |
Ethnobotany Sámi nomenclature Grey nomenclature Naming practice Indigenous knowledge Species classification Classification and values Metaphysical committment History of Ethnobiology |
spellingShingle |
Ethnobotany Sámi nomenclature Grey nomenclature Naming practice Indigenous knowledge Species classification Classification and values Metaphysical committment History of Ethnobiology Kendig, Catherine Ontology and values anchor indigenous and grey nomenclatures: a case study in lichen naming practices among the Sámi, Sherpa, Scots, and Okanagan |
topic_facet |
Ethnobotany Sámi nomenclature Grey nomenclature Naming practice Indigenous knowledge Species classification Classification and values Metaphysical committment History of Ethnobiology |
description |
Ethnobotanical research provides ample justification for comparing diverse biological nomenclatures and exploring ways that retain alternative naming practices. However, how (and whether) comparison of nomenclatures is possible remains a subject of discussion. The comparison of diverse nomenclatural practices introduces a suite of epistemic and ontological difficulties and considerations. Different nomenclatures may depend on whether the communities using them rely on formalized naming conventions; cultural or spiritual valuations; or worldviews. Because of this, some argue that the different naming practices may not be comparable if the ontological commitments employed differ. Comparisons between different nomenclatures cannot assume that either the naming practices or the object to which these names are intended to apply identifies some universally agreed upon object of interest. Investigating this suite of philosophical problems, I explore the role grey nomenclatures play in classification. ‘Grey nomenclatures’ are defined as those that employ names that are either intentionally or accidently non-Linnaean. The classification of the lichen thallus (a symbiont) has been classified outside the Linnaean system by botanists relying on the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN). But, I argue, the use of grey names is not isolated and does not occur exclusively within institutionalized naming practices. I suggest, ‘grey names’ also aptly describe nomenclatures employed by indigenous communities such as the Sámi of Northern Finmark, the Sherpa of Nepal, and the Okanagan First Nations. I pay particular attention to how naming practices are employed in these communities; what ontological commitments they hold; for what purposes are these names used; and what anchors the community's nomenclatural practices. Exploring the history of lichen naming and early ethnolichenological research, I then investigate the stakes that must be considered for any attempt to preserve, retain, integrate, or ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kendig, Catherine |
author_facet |
Kendig, Catherine |
author_sort |
Kendig, Catherine |
title |
Ontology and values anchor indigenous and grey nomenclatures: a case study in lichen naming practices among the Sámi, Sherpa, Scots, and Okanagan |
title_short |
Ontology and values anchor indigenous and grey nomenclatures: a case study in lichen naming practices among the Sámi, Sherpa, Scots, and Okanagan |
title_full |
Ontology and values anchor indigenous and grey nomenclatures: a case study in lichen naming practices among the Sámi, Sherpa, Scots, and Okanagan |
title_fullStr |
Ontology and values anchor indigenous and grey nomenclatures: a case study in lichen naming practices among the Sámi, Sherpa, Scots, and Okanagan |
title_full_unstemmed |
Ontology and values anchor indigenous and grey nomenclatures: a case study in lichen naming practices among the Sámi, Sherpa, Scots, and Okanagan |
title_sort |
ontology and values anchor indigenous and grey nomenclatures: a case study in lichen naming practices among the sámi, sherpa, scots, and okanagan |
publisher |
Integrated HPS Conference Proceedings |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ihps/article/view/32695 |
genre |
First Nations |
genre_facet |
First Nations |
op_source |
Integrated HPS Conference Proceedings; Vol. 1 No. 1 (2021): Integrated HPS Conference Proceedings |
op_relation |
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ihps/article/view/32695/37152 https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ihps/article/view/32695 |
op_rights |
Copyright (c) 2021 Catherine Kendig https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0 |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY-NC |
_version_ |
1766002953303359488 |