Singing the turtles to sea : the Comcáac (Seri) art and science of reptiles

Book

Singing the turtles to sea : the Comcáac (Seri) art and science of reptiles / Gary Paul Nabhan ; with a foreword by Harry W. Greene.

Summary:

"The Comcaac, or Seri Indians, live in the starkly beautiful and biologically rich desert of Sonora, Mexico. Reptiles of all kinds - lizards, crocodiles, snakes, and turtles - play a large role in their culture. Unfortunately, the long-term survival of the Comcaac and the future of many of these animals are uncertain. This book describes and preserves the richness of Comcaac knowledge about reptiles. Through stories, songs, photographs, illustrations of Comcaac arts, and discussions of Sonoran ecology, Nabhan demonstrates the irreplaceable value of this knowledge for us today." "This ethnobiology contains information on the origins, biogeography and conservation status of the marine and desert reptiles of the region and links the importance of preserving ecological diversity with issues such as endangered languages and human rights. Singing the Turtles to Sea ultimately points the way toward a more hopeful future for the native cultures and animals of the Sonoran Desert and for the preservation of indigenous cultures and species around the world."--Jacket.

Record details

ISBN: 0520217314
ISBN: 9780520217317
Physical Description: xvii, 317 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm.
Publisher: Berkeley : University of California Press, 2003.

Content descriptions

General Note:: "Undertaken in collaboration with the Seri Tribal Governors and the Traditional Council of Elders."
Bibliography, etc. Note:: Includes bibliographical references (pages 291-301) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:: Key to Pronunciation of Words in Cmique litom -- Foreword / Harry W. Greene -- 1. Islands of Uniqueness: Endangered Cultural Knowledge of Endemic Creatures -- 2. Mapping the Comcaac Sense of Place: Seri Homelands and Reptilian Habitats -- 3. The Shape of Reptilian Worlds: Island Biogeography and the Herpetofauna of the Sea of Cortes Region -- 4. Naming the Menagerie: How to Sort One Snake from Another -- 5. Reptiles as Resources, Curses, and Cures: How the Comcaac Recognize Beauty, Utility, and Danger -- 6. What Eats from the Turtle's Shell, What the Turtle Eats: Comcaac Perceptions of Local Ecological Interactions -- 7. The Comcaac as Conservationists: Practicing What They Preach, and Benefiting from Alliances -- 8. The Historic Decline and Recent Revival of Traditional Ecological Knowledge -- 9. Accounts of Reptiles Known by the Comcaac -- App. Reptile Specimen Records from the Sonoran Coast and Nearby Islands.