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The Ethnobotany of Central Sekhukhuneland, South Africa

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The Ethnobotany of Central Sekhukhuneland, South Africa The Ethnobotany of Central Sekhukhuneland, South Africa by Mahlatse Maromo Paul Mogale DISSERTATION submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree MAGISTER SCIENTIAE in BOTANY in the FACULTY OF SCIENCE at the UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG SUPERVISOR: PROF BEN-ERIK VAN WYK CO-SUPERVISOR: DOMITILLA CLAUDIA RAIMONDO FEBRUARY 2018 MSc Dissertation Mogale M.M.P The Ethnobotany of Central Sekhukhuneland, South Africa 0 | AFFIDAVIT: MASTER AND DOCTORAL STUDENTS TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN This serves to confirm that I (Full Name(s) and Surname) Mahlatse Maromo Paul Mogale ID Number: 8809056203082 Student number: 201467302 enrolled for the Qualification: Masters in Botany in the Faculty of Science Herewith declare that my academic work is in line with the Plagiarism Policy of the University of Johannesburg with which I am familiar. I further declare that the work presented in the dissertation is authentic and original unless clearly indicated otherwise and in such instances full reference to the source is acknowledged and I do not pretend to receive any credit for such acknowledged quotations, and that there is no copyright infringement in my work. I declare that no unethical research practices were used or material gained through dishonesty. I understand that plagiarism is a serious offence and that should I contravene the Plagiarism Policy notwithstanding signing this affidavit, I may be found guilty of a serious criminal offence (perjury) that would amongst other consequences compel the University of Johannesburg to inform all other tertiary institutions of the offence and to issue a corresponding certificate of reprehensible academic conduct to whomever requests such a certificate from the institution. Signed at Johannesburg Auckland Park on this 23rd day of February 2018 Signature __________________________________ Print name Mahlatse M.M.P. Mogale STAMP: COMMISSIONER OF OATHS Affidavit certified by a Commissioner of Oaths MSc Dissertation Mogale M.M.P The Ethnobotany of Central Sekhukhuneland, South Africa 1 | This affidavit conforms with the requirements of the JUSTICES OF THE PEACE AND COMMISSIONERS OF OATHS ACT 16 OF 1963 and the applicable Regulations published in the GG GNR 1258 of 21 July 1972; GN 903 of 10 July 1998; GN 109 of 2 February 2001 as amended. ABSTRACT This masters dissertation is a quantitative ethnobotanical study on the Bapedi of Central Sekhukhuneland. As an attempt to nullify any misinterpretation on the subject matter, the definition of ethnobotany that shall be referred to in this study is that by Balick and Cox (1996) who defined ethnobotany as “the study of the relationships between plants and people” which includes “the influences of plants on human culture”. Noteworthy is that the majority of the work published on the Bapedi is either centred on anthropology or ethnology, or is biased towards medicinal plant use knowledge that is still resonant amongst traditional healers. Although the food plants of the Bapedi have been described in detail, almost no published information is available on the full diversity of indigenous knowledge about plants that are still available and relevant to the local communities and their everyday material needs. Thus, the aim of this research was to accurately record extant indigenous knowledge on all of the most important useful plants within the area considered “the heartland of the Bapedi”. This study included participants from all age groups irrespective of social status. The three villages (study areas) selected for this study were Frisgewaght, Ga-Moretsele/Tsehlwaneng and Ga-Sekele, all of which fall within the Makhuduthamaga Municipality. Based on the type of information required from the various participants in the villages and data analysis thereof it was determined that the matrix methodology, proposed by De Beer and Van Wyk (2011), would be the most suitable for this study. The matrix method comprises of three phases and ensures that high quality primary data is recorded. The data can be subjected to statistical analysis because of the rigorous way in which it is gathered (all participants are interviewed about all the known useful plants of the study area). Prior to any field survey, including interviews with participants could commence, a plant collection permit was obtained from the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and ethical approval was obtained from the University of Johannesburg’s Science Faculty Ethics Committee. A total of 152 useful plant species were identified during the first phase of the study of which 53 (35%) are exotic plant species and 16 (30%) of the exotic plant species are listed on the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEM:BA) Act No. 10 of 2004 as invasive plant species. Photographs were taken of each plant species and used to compile a flip-file which was a fundamental tool for use in the second phase of the study. After establishing sufficient rapport in each village, the second phase of the study could commence. A total of 27 willing participants were identified, who fell within four distinct age groups [children (7-18 years), young adults (19-35 years), adults (36-54 years) and elders (55+ years)], and were MSc Dissertation Mogale M.M.P The Ethnobotany of Central Sekhukhuneland, South Africa 2 | subjected to semi-structured interviews. A broad spectrum of plant use categories was identified which included food, craft and medicinal plant uses. The information collected from each participant’s interview was used to determine the participant’s Ethnobotanical Knowledge Index (EKI) and Species Popularity Index (SPI), both of which are the vital relative cultural importance (RCI) indices used in the matrix method. It was discovered that a total of 185 plant use records (107 medicinal, 21 food and 57 other) are recorded here for the first time. Also, 98 vernacular names were documented here for the first time and 38 plant species have been recorded as useful to the Bapedi for the first time. As expected the age group with the highest EKI value was seniors (0.6), followed by young adults (0.57), adults (0.48) and children (0.3). Very important is the number of uses per plant species that each individual shared. Again, elders would share several plant uses but children usually knew of a single plant use per plant. Furthermore, a brief cultural comparison was conducted between the Bapedi, based on this study’s findings, with the Southern Sotho. Noteworthy was the similarity in plant use between the two cultures. There were 65 commonly used plant species between the two cultures and 57 plant species that were not only commonly used but also had similar uses. It is evident that there is a vast array of indigenous knowledge that still resides not only within the selected villages in this study but in Sekhukhuneland and the Bapedi culture as a whole. This indigenous knowledge still needs to be systematically documented before it is lost indefinitely. More research needs to be done in other areas of Sekhukhuneland to have a more comprehensive documentation of the indigenous knowledge of the Bapedi. Furthermore, this study can be broadened and a selection of medicinal plants can be subjected to laboratory protocols to test both the active compounds in the plant species and plant use safety as some plant species (e.g. Euphorbia species) are known to be toxic but yet still administered orally. The data presented here may thus be a rich source of information for more detailed studies on individual species and specific plant uses. MSc Dissertation Mogale M.M.P The Ethnobotany of Central Sekhukhuneland, South Africa 3 | Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 12 1.1 Ethnobotany ................................................................................................................................ 12 1.2 Aims and objectives ................................................................................................................... 13 1.2.1 Aim .......................................................................................................................................... 13 1.2.2 Objectives ............................................................................................................................... 13 1.3 Structure of dissertation ............................................................................................................. 14 Chapter 2: Study area and the history of the Bapedi ................................................................................ 15 2.1 Study area ................................................................................................................................... 15 2.1.1 Sekhukhuneland ..................................................................................................................... 15 2.1.2 Climate .................................................................................................................................. 166 2.1.3 Landscape and geology ......................................................................................................... 16 2.2 History of the Bapedi ................................................................................................................ 177 2.2.1 Origin of a culture ................................................................................................................. 177 2.2.2 Building
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