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Nahua People of the Sierra of Manantlán Biosphere Reserve

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Nahua People of the Sierra of Manantlán Biosphere Reserve NAHUA PEOPLE OF THE SIERRA OF MANANTLÁN BIOSPHERE RESERVE: LIVELIHOODS, HEALTH EXPERIENCES, AND MEDICINAL PLANT KNOWLEDGE IN MEXICO by ELIZABETH ANNE OLSON Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY August, 2009 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the thesis/dissertation of _____________________________________________________ candidate for the ______________________degree *. (signed)_______________________________________________ (chair of the committee) ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ (date) _______________________ *We also certify that written approval has been obtained for any proprietary material contained therein. Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES 4 LIST OF FIGURES 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 6 ABBREVIATIONS 9 ABSTRACT 11 PREFACE 13 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 16 Statement of the Research Problem and Its Significance 17 Model for the Study 31 Schema of the Dissertation 35 CHAPTER 2 METHODS 40 Preliminary Preparation and Orientations to the SMBR 41 Sampling Strategy 45 Methods for Collecting Information 48 Quality of the Data 55 Reciprocating with the Study Communities 59 1 CHAPTER 3 THE SIERRA OF MANANTLÁN BIOSPHERE RESERVE 62 History of Nahua peoples of Jalisco and Colima 65 Ejidos and Comunidades Indígenas 70 Contemporary Period (1900-present) 73 CHAPTER 4 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION 80 Economic Development Strategies 80 Ecotourism in the SMBR 90 CHAPTER 5 SOCIETY AND CULTURE 103 Description of the Study Sample 103 Local Cultural Identity: Ethnicity, Tradition and Celebration 111 CHAPTER 6 NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 121 The Natural Environment of the SMBR 121 Quantitative Description of Usage of Natural Resources in Study Communities 125 Local Perceptions and Governance 138 CHAPTER 7 ETHNOMEDICAL SYSTEMS IN MEXICO, HEALTH IN THE 156 SIERRA OF MANANTLÁN Health Profile in Mexico and the SMBR 156 Medical Pluralism in the SMBR 163 2 CHAPTER 8 ETHNOBOTANICAL-MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE AND 169 TRADITIONAL HEALING Ayotitlán Casa de Medicina Tradicional 170 Traditional Healers and Other Health Service Providers 172 CHAPTER 9 CONSTRUCTION OF THE STUDY MODEL AND TESTING 188 THE HYPOTHESES Descriptive Statistics of Variables in the Study 188 Patterns in the Distribution of Ethnobotanical-Medical Knowledge 199 CHAPTER 10 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 204 Medicinal Plant Knowledge, Socioeconomic Status, and Health Experiences: 205 Empirical Model Methodological Contributions 209 Implications for Future Research and Programming 214 APPENDICES 219 REFERENCES 251 3 List of Tables Table 1. Demographic description of sampling frame and national census (INEGI 104 2005). Table 2. Descriptive data and census data of study sample for all three communities 105 (INEGI 2005). Table 3. Continuum of rationality for Color de la Tierra, Cuzalapa, and Cabañas, El 88 Terrero. Table 4. Surface area covered by the principal land and forest classifications in the 122 SMBR in 1993 (from Carabias Lillo, et al. 2000: 55). Table 5. Agricultural fields held by study community. 128 Table 6. Cattle and milking cows by community. 131 Table 7. Health and health care in the SMBR (INEGI 2005). 157 Table 8. Semi-structured interviewees. 172 Table 9. Dichotomous variables transformed into scalar variables. 191 Table 10. ANTHROPAC 4.983/X analysis by community and whole sample. 195 Table 11. Illness episodes reported by study community. 196 Table 12. TEMK scores by community. 198 Table 13. Distribution of total plants listed by community. 199 Table 14. Summary of total plants listed and used by each participant. 202 4 List of Figures Figure 1. Conceptual model of the principle axes. 33 Figure 2. Distribution of study sample by age and gender. 46 Figure 3. National map of Mexico and the SMBR. 63 Figure 4. Regional map of the SMBR and urban centers of influence. 64 Figure 5. Relationships between key stakeholders in integrated research and 85 development programs in the SMBR. Figure 6. Typology of Tourism (From the TIES Global Ecotourism Fact Sheet, 90 09/2006, taken from the 2005 report by The Worldwatch Institute). Figure 7. Descriptions of rationalities for Color de la Tierra, Cuzalapa, and 94 Cabañas, El Terrero. Figure 8. Social relationships in the SMBR – a global view. 108 Figure 9. Map of the main study communities and the designated core zone of 126 SMBR. Figure 10. Decision-making and relationships in Zacualpan. 143 Figure 11. Decision-making and relationships in Ayotitlán. 146 Figure 12. Summary comparison of Zacualpan and Ayotitlán attributes. 150 Figure 13. Distribution of individuals listing total number of plants by community. 199 5 Acknowledgements A variety of academic and professional mentors have encouraged and supported me throughout the process of my doctoral research. In the Anthropology Department at Case Western Reserve University, Doctors Greksa, Beall, Ikels, Shaffer and Almeida have supported my research – often in spite of the thematic mismatch. Having supportive and interested faculty from other academic programs was very important for me throughout the last few years, and Dr. Bill Siebenschuh of the English Department was one of these important individuals who always gave me an encouraging smile. Dr. Woody Gaines has been a great influence on my development as an anthropologist. Thank you Dr. Gaines. Mentors have emerged in the most unlikely places, and Dr. Peter R. W. Gerritsen was my most unexpected but much appreciated mentor. Dr. Robbie Davis-Floyd has stood beside me pushing me forward for the past five years. Robbie has grown from a teacher to mentor and godmother, and I love her and thank her for making me be my best and loving me for what that is. I gratefully acknowledge the efforts of my field assistants in Zacualpan, Telcruz and Ayotitlán (especially Sergio and Margarita) who made the completion of data collection possible. I am grateful to the friends and partners I have in Autlán de Navarro – there are far too many to name. Les mando un fuerte abrazo a todos. I am deeply appreciative of those 125 community members who opted-in on my seemingly endless packet of questions. The communities of Ayotitlán, Telcruz, Zacualpan, Cuzalapa, and El Terrero in the Sierra of Manantlán Biosphere Reserve were the setting for my dissertation research, and I will continue to be a part of these 6 communities as an anthropologist and humanist. I have grown into their communities in different ways – and some were more eager to receive me than others, but there has been an immense amount of respect towards me and my research that is simply beyond comprehension. I thank these communities for taking me and my research seriously. The representatives and fieldworkers at the Management of the Reserve have helped my research logistically by providing rides and helping communicate with community leaders. I am also indebted to the many amazing researchers at the University of Guadalajara, South Coast, in Autlán, Jalisco. Through the assistance and encouragement of many of those involved with the Institute for Ecology and Biodiversity, I was able to formulate my research question, design my study, and carryout the fieldwork. In particular, Dr. Bruce Benz was critical to introducing me to the Sierra of Manantlán Biosphere Reserve and helping me to develop a testable research question that has local significance; he later also helped me to validate the outcomes of my research. Drs. Enrique Jardel and Ramon Cuevas were my initial contacts in the Sierra of Manantlán and continue to be friendly and supportive of my research. I knew that I would finish this dissertation because I have had the support and encouragement from a variety of inspiring people – friends and family alike. I look back at the journey with fond memories of a lot of hard work. Hard work that always felt worth it. I am thankful for the friends and colleagues I have in Jalisco who made sure that I never strayed from the diligent course of fieldwork. Preparation for conducting my fieldwork was not limited to the classroom but extended to the Tsimane’ Amerindian Panel Study and National Science Foundation 7 sponsored Summer Field Training Program for Cultural Anthropology (2004) lead by Drs. Ricardo Godoy, Bill Leonard, and Victoria Reyes-Garcia. During the summer in lowland Bolivia, I learned essential field methods and values, including: how to navigate in a developing nation (particularly amongst marginalized societies), show respect for the fieldsite, and work in a team. The work that they conduct in the Tsimane’ Amerindian Panel Study continues to be a beacon of inspiration for me as my career in anthropology unfolds and I aspire to adhere to the same rigor and quality in my research. I am grateful for the insights and help from Drs. Michael Roona (UCM) and Derick Fay (UCR) in using the appropriate statistical analyses. Though many people have encouraged and advised me throughout this doctoral dissertation, all errors and inaccuracies in this dissertation are my own. 8 Abbreviations ANOVA One way analysis of variance CONAFOR Comisión Nacional Forestal, or National Forestry Commision CONANP Comisión Nacional de Áreas Protegidas, or National Commission of Protected Areas CUCSUR Centro Universitario de la Costa Sur, or South Coast University
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