Nahuatl Cultural Encyclopedia: Botany and Zoology, Balsas ... - Famsi
Nahuatl Cultural Encyclopedia: Botany and Zoology, Balsas ... - Famsi
Nahuatl Cultural Encyclopedia: Botany and Zoology, Balsas ... - Famsi
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
published (e.g., Maseualxiujpajmej. Kuesalan, Puebla/Plantas medicinales indígenas.<br />
Cuetzalán, Puebla. Puebla, México: DIF) there is still an immense amount of<br />
unpublished material. The present FAMSI-supported project will complement the Sierra<br />
Norte de Puebla studies <strong>and</strong> research <strong>and</strong> yield important comparative data.<br />
Figure 1. <strong>Nahuatl</strong> Learning Environment home page: Illustration by Gabriel de la Cruz<br />
(Ameyaltepec, Guerrero).<br />
While Sahagún <strong>and</strong> Hernández have an immense amount of material on <strong>Nahuatl</strong><br />
(Aztec) ethnobotany <strong>and</strong> ethnoornithology, material on insects <strong>and</strong> fish is less<br />
abundant. The <strong>Balsas</strong> <strong>Nahuatl</strong> material will therefore yield both material for comparative<br />
study (with Aztec <strong>and</strong> Sierra Norte de Puebla ethnobotany) <strong>and</strong> new nomenclature <strong>and</strong><br />
identifications for fauna not previously studied.<br />
Finally, the present study makes use of language documentation methodology to<br />
digitally record <strong>and</strong> then transcribe extensive texts on a domain of cultural knowledge<br />
that will probably be lost forever after the passing of the next generation. This material<br />
will not only be stored in regular depositories (such as the Archive of Indigenous<br />
Languages of Latin America) but integrated into an electronic learning environment for<br />
easy searching (e.g., on scientific name, <strong>Nahuatl</strong> name, life-form, etc.), display of text in<br />
various formats (e.g., time-coded transcription, publishable text, <strong>and</strong> 3-line interlinear<br />
format), <strong>and</strong> links to digital images (e.g., macro photographs of the flora <strong>and</strong> fauna).<br />
3