Ceiba Pentandra) and Live Oak (Quercus Virginiana) in the Landscapes of Guatemala and Louisiana
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1997 Nature, Culture and Big Old Trees: Human Relationships With Ceiba (Ceiba Pentandra) and Live Oak (Quercus Virginiana) in the Landscapes of Guatemala and Louisiana. Katharine Anderson Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Anderson, Katharine, "Nature, Culture and Big Old Trees: Human Relationships With Ceiba (Ceiba Pentandra) and Live Oak (Quercus Virginiana) in the Landscapes of Guatemala and Louisiana." (1997). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 6379. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/6379 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. 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NATURE, CULTURE AND BIG OLD TREES: HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS WITH CEIBA {CEIBA PENTÆDRA) AND LIVE OAK (QUERCUS VIRGINIANA) IN THE LANDSCAPES OF GUATEMALA AND LOUISIANA A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Geography and Anthropology by Katharine Anderson B.A, University of Vermont, 1976 M .A, University of Vermont, 1981 May, 1997 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9735974 Copyright 1997 by Anderson, K atharine All rights reserved. m a Microform 9735974 Copyright 1997, hy UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. © Copyright 1997 Katharine Anderson All rights reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A cknowledgments The last three years have been a series of encounters with remarkable, generous people and extraordinary trees. This dissertation is a ^mthesis of the stories th^r told me. Like ary project of this size, it has been a community effort and I am profoundly grateful to all vdio helped. My greatest d * t is to my advisor. Miles Richardson, who was inspiration, critic, mentor, and friend. He guided me through the conception of the project and development of the themes, joined me on several field trips, cheerfully read some truly rough drafts and through his thoughtful comments helped me find my voice. I will always be thankful for his insights in the topics o f nature, culture and place; his wisdom and good humon and his genuine welcome whenever I knock on his door. Bill Davidson, too, was central to this project. He has been researching ceibas in Middle America for years, and generously shared his information, photographs and enthusiasm. I hope my insights add to his much more geographically extensive, long term research into the role of this Ascinating species in Middle America. Thanks also to Kent Mathewson, who pointed out relevant literature on geographic studies of trees, urging me to expand my readings in what he has dubbed "cultural phytogeography." Neil Odenwald responded immediately to this study of a tree he loves and knows well, and not only spoke at length with me but also steered me to other sources of information in Louisiana. Suzaime Turner and Richard Condrey, two Louisiana State University faculty members not on my committee, not even in my department, generously gave their time and pointed out sources and points of view that proved central to some of the arguments. My thanks to both of them. Suzanne also inadvertently helped me articulate my research methods when she asked me to speak to her graduate seminar in landscape architecture. U1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Financially, I am indebted to Louiaana State University for the generous four- year graduate fellowship that allowed me to return to graduate school. The fieldwork in Guatemala was made possible by two grants fi"om the Robert C. West Field Research Awards, in the D ^artm ent of Geography and Anthropology at LSU, and a third fi^om the local chapter of Sigma lam deeply grateful for this support. For providing invaluable information that forms the basis of this thesis, I wish to thank all who spoke to me, at length or briefly, about live oaks and ceibas. Among those who generously gave time out of thdr own busy lives to answer my questions are, in Louisiana: Paul Orr, Randy Harris, Jim Foret Sr., Jim Foret Jr., Betty Baggert, Verlyn Bercegeay, Glenn Conrad, Derek Green, Gercie Daigle, Phil Thompson and Steele Burden; in Guatemala: Juana Itzol Faulkner, Alfonso Arrivillaga, Francisco Cane Acosta, Edgar Geovany Mendoza, Helen De Soto, Mike Shawcross. Many others welcomed me into their homes, helped me find specific trees or told me their own tree stories. My thanks to all of them. My field trip notes in Louisiana all bear the names of people who accompanied me on "oaking" expeditions. They drove, measured trees, took notes, checked maps, made suggestions or just listened as I babbled, and their involvement and interest made the whole thing fun. Other fellow graduate students were always willing to talk about the work. My great thanks to Kathleen Ketmedy, Esther Shaffer, Katie Algeo, Michael Hawkins, Delphine Douglas, Sherri Araoni, Andy Maxwell, Hy Fernandez, Tanya Kalischer, Chris Coggins and Bonnie Henderson. I am fortunate in having a number offiiends with excellent editorial skills. For helping me through difiGcult stages of the writing process and substantially improving the final product, many thanks to Judy Chaves, Ruth Page, Dan Gade, Cindy Wolcott and Scott Smiley. Thanks also to Ed Cullen, who did such a good job interviewing me for a newspaper article that he not only produced a fine story, but helped me sort out my thoughts when I was stuck and get on with the writing. IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. For generously providing ofSce space and encouragement during the writing I am grateful to David Barrington at the University of Vermont Damon Little I thank for his help in dealing with the nqrsteries of computer programs, and Lou Izzo deserves a hero’s reward for his help during the final stages of formatting and printing. Sean Fairhurst prepared the nu^s of Guatemala. Several fiunilies and individuals gave me food and shelter during parts of the last five unsettled years, when I was away fi-om home. My deepest thanks for the wonderful companionship, fine meals and laughter to Judy Chaves and Craig Heindel and their daughters Naomi and Ruth; to Ruth and Proctor Page; to Jeanne and Dale Goldhaber, to Than Vu; and to Regina Hofihnan. My sons, Damon and Toby, have encouraged me throughout this long process. I thank them both for their tolerance of an often preoccupied mother, for lugging around countless boxes whenever I moved, and for every phone call, letter and visit during the sometimes lonely years. Finally, I want to thank my 6ther for his constant, 6ithfU calls to encourage me and his unwavering belief that someday I would finish. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................... iii List of Figures ..................................................................................................................viii