Catching names: Folk taxonomy of marine fauna on Takuu Atoll, Papua New Guinea
Anke Moesinger
Abstract
Folk taxonomies are a critical component for understanding resource use patterns and cultural, social and economic preferences on geographically remote Pacific atolls. To understand how people perceive and make use of their environment, 200 local names for marine vertebrates and invertebrates were collected and the hierarchical classification system was documented on Takuu Atoll in Papua New Guinea. The local nomenclature of the marine fauna of Takuu is based largely on shared fundamental morphological charac-teristics. Furthermore, all fish (Te ika) in the ocean are placed into one of five distinct groups in the hierar-chical classification system. These include three functional groups that are categorised by ecological niche, whereas another group encompasses all fish that possess a certain behavioural trait. The fifth group is unique in that it is solely made up of fish that were previously targeted during local Sii fishing expeditions. This article presents an analysis of Takuu residents’ descriptions and classifications of local fish and marine invertebrates.
Cite this activity
Moesinger A. (2018) Catching names: Folk taxonomy of marine fauna on Takuu Atoll, Papua New Guinea. 39: 2-14.
@article{Moesinger2018,
Title = {Catching names: Folk taxonomy of marine fauna on Takuu Atoll, Papua New Guinea},
Author = {Moesinger, Anke},
Editor = {},
Year = {2018},
Pages = {2-14},
Volume = {39},
Abstract = {Folk taxonomies are a critical component for understanding resource use patterns and cultural, social and economic preferences on geographically remote Pacific atolls. To understand how people perceive and make use of their environment, 200 local names for marine vertebrates and invertebrates were collected and the hierarchical classification system was documented on Takuu Atoll in Papua New Guinea. The local nomenclature of the marine fauna of Takuu is based largely on shared fundamental morphological charac-teristics. Furthermore, all fish (Te ika) in the ocean are placed into one of five distinct groups in the hierar-chical classification system. These include three functional groups that are categorised by ecological niche, whereas another group encompasses all fish that possess a certain behavioural trait. The fifth group is unique in that it is solely made up of fish that were previously targeted during local Sii fishing expeditions. This article presents an analysis of Takuu residents’ descriptions and classifications of local fish and marine invertebrates.},
}
TY - JOUR
AU - Moesinger, Anke
TI - Catching names: Folk taxonomy of marine fauna on Takuu Atoll, Papua New Guinea
PY - 2018
SP - 2-14
VL - 39
AB - Folk taxonomies are a critical component for understanding resource use patterns and cultural, social and economic preferences on geographically remote Pacific atolls. To understand how people perceive and make use of their environment, 200 local names for marine vertebrates and invertebrates were collected and the hierarchical classification system was documented on Takuu Atoll in Papua New Guinea. The local nomenclature of the marine fauna of Takuu is based largely on shared fundamental morphological charac-teristics. Furthermore, all fish (Te ika) in the ocean are placed into one of five distinct groups in the hierar-chical classification system. These include three functional groups that are categorised by ecological niche, whereas another group encompasses all fish that possess a certain behavioural trait. The fifth group is unique in that it is solely made up of fish that were previously targeted during local Sii fishing expeditions. This article presents an analysis of Takuu residents’ descriptions and classifications of local fish and marine invertebrates.
ER -
