Ethnoarchaeological Study of Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas: the Case of Moyale Woreda, Borana Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
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Date
2024-12-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The research focuses on the ethnoarchaeology of the wild edible and medicinal plants of Moyale
Woreda, Borana Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. It includes identification and
documentation of a variety of Indigenous and local botanical knowledge and material cultures
linked with wild edible and medicinal plants. A comprehensive methodology was employed,
including pre-field preparation, fieldwork with semi-structured interviews, and post-field
analysis. Plant specimens were obtained on the spot and brought to the National Herbarium at
Addis Ababa University for scientific identification. A total of 83 species of plants were
collected. Out of which species of medicinal plants, including Senegalia nilotica, Senegalia
tortilis, Actiniopteris radiata, Albuca abyssinica, and Caralluma apriogonium were identified in
the study site. In addition, 43 wild plants that are edible, including Senegalia hockii, Grewia
villosa, and Lenea rivae were documented. Reports on their use for construction, fuel, and other
purposes was also recorded. Materials including pots, axes, wooden mortars and pestles,
grinding stones, baskets, cups, pick-mattocks, hoes, knives, teapots, and wooden tools have been
reported as being linked to wild edible and medicinal plants. The study further elucidates the
challenges faced by these plants: habitat destruction, overexploitation, and climate change.
Community-based conservation and further actions are recommended long-term use of these
important plant resources for the benefit of local communities and towards biodiversity
conservation. This ethnoarchaeological study, as a Middle-Range Theory, has helped to
appreciate projections in human exploitation of food plants and medicinal plants in pre-historic
times. The tools documented in this study can also give us insight into the types of material
culture expected to be uncovered in archaeological excavations.
Key words: "ethnoarchaeology," "wild edible plants," "medicinal plants," "Oromia,"
"biodiversity conservation," "indigenous knowledge." And “archaeological implication"
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Keywords
"ethnoarchaeology, " "wild edible plants, " "medicinal plants, " "Oromia, " "biodiversity conservation, " "indigenous knowledge." And “archaeological implication"