<i>Puchuxwavaats Uapi</i>(To Know About Plants): Traditional Knowledge and the Cultural Significance of Southern Paiute Plants

Abstract

This paper is about understanding the cultural significance of plants to the Southern Paiute people, who live in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah as members of 12 organized tribes, from both qualitative and quantitative, emic and etic, perspectives. Specifically, the analysis examines patterns of variation in plant cultural significance scores and the factors that account for variations in these patterns. Findings from the analysis, based on four cultural-resource-assessment projects, suggest that such studies should incorporate adequate fieldwork time for multiple interviews on the same plant with elders and women as consultants, especially elders who are female.