how to take good field notes in anthropology?

Filed under: Bees |

raise bees
Image by Hoa Trai Viet Nam
Mù u (danh pháp khoa học: Calophyllum inophyllum) là một cây xanh thuộc họ Cồng (Calophyllaceae), (trước đây coi là thuộc phân họ Kielmeyeroideae của họ Clusiaceae) mọc ở Đông Phi, bờ biển nam Ấn Độ đến Malesia và Úc. Ngày nay cây này được trồng khắp các vùng nhiệt đới trên thế giới, bao gồm ở nhiều đảo trên Thái Bình Dương. Nó được dùng làm cây cảnh do có lá và hoa đẹp.

Mô tả
Đây là cây cành thấp, lớn chậm với tán rộng. Chiều cao từ 8-20 m. Lá cứng, gân phụ rất nhiều và song song. Hoa trắng to, rộng 25mm. Hoa nở quanh năm nhưng thường nở vào hai mùa riêng biệt cuối mùa Xuân và cuối mùa Thu. Quả có nhân cứng màu xanh, rất tròn, có đường kính 2-3cm và có một hạt. Quả khi chín chuyển sang màu vàng hoặc đỏ nâu. Hạt có chứa một chất dầu, màu vàng lục, mùi riêng biệt gọi là dầu mù u. Dầu mù u được dùng để trị ghẻ lở, bỏng, các bệnh ngoài da và được dùng để điều chế thuốc trị bệnh phong.
Phân bố
Cây này thường được trồng ở các vùng ven biển và ở các khu rừng đất thấp. Tuy nhiên vẫn có thể trồng nó ở những khu đất trong đất liền có độ cao vừa phải. Nó có khả năng chịu được nhiều loại đất khác nhau như đất cát ven biển, đất sét hay đất bạc màu.
Sử dụng
Cây mù u được dùng lấy gỗ vì có gỗ cứng và chắc, được dùng trong xây dựng và làm thuyền. Người dân các đảo Thái Bình Dương dùng gỗ mù u để đóng thuyền. Dầu từ hạt mù u đặc, có màu xanh lá cây đậm được các hãng mỹ phẩm dùng trong các chế phẩm chăm sóc da và tóc. Hạt được phơi khô rồi ép dầu. Bình quân khoảng 11,7 kg dầu/mỗi cây.
Ở Việt Nam gỗ Mù U còn được dùng làm răng cối xay lúa.. Dầu hạt Mù U nấu thành cao (thuốc dán) trị sài ăn (chốc lở) trên da đầu rất công hiệu.
Ở một vài nơi trên các đảo thuộc Thái Bình Dương cây này được xem là linh thiêng do khả năng chịu đựng các loại đất, lợi ích nó mang lại cho con người.
___________________________________________________________________________

Taxonomy
Current name: Calophyllum inophyllum
Authority: L.
Family: Guttiferae

Synonym(s)
Balsamaria inophyllum Lour.

Common names

(Bengali) : kathchampa, punnang, sultanachampa
(Burmese) : ph’ông, ponnyet
(English) : alexandrian laurel, beauty leaf, dilo oil tree, oil nut tree
(Filipino) : bitaog, palo maria
(Hindi) : sultanachampa, surpan, surpunka, undi
(Malay) : bentagor bunga, pegana laut, penaga pudek
(Sanskrit) : nagachampa, punnaga
(Sinhala) : domba
(Swahili) : mtomondo, mtondoo
(Tamil) : pinnay, punnagam, punnai
(Thai) : krathing, naowakan, saraphee neen
(Trade name) : poon
(Vietnamese) : Cây Mù U

Botanic description
Calophyllum inophyllum is a medium-sized tree up to 25 m tall, sometimes as large as 35 m, with sticky latex either clear or opaque and white, cream or yellow; bole usually twisted or leaning, up to 150 cm in diameter, without buttresses. Outer bark often with characteristic diamond to boat-shaped fissures becoming confluent with age, smooth, often with a yellowish or ochre tint, inner bark usually thick, soft, firm, fibrous and laminated, pink to red, darkening to brownish on exposure. Crown evenly conical to narrowly hemispherical; twigs 4-angled and rounded, with plump terminal buds 4-9 mm long. Leaves elliptical, thick, smooth and polished, ovate, obovate or oblong (min. 5.5) 8-20 (max. 23) cm long, rounded to cuneate at base, rounded, retuse or subacute at apex with latex canals that are usually less prominent; stipules absent. Inflorescence axillary, racemose, usually unbranched but occasionally with 3-flowered branches, 5-15 (max. 30)-flowered. Flowers usually bisexual but sometimes functionally unisexual, sweetly scented, with perianth of 8 (max. 13) petals in several whorls, usually whitish; petals 4; stamens numerous, yellow, grouped in 4 bundles, anthers changing from deep yellow through khaki to brown. Only the hermaphroditic flower has an ovary, a bright pink ball that is left at the end of the stem when the petals drop. Fruit a spherical to ovoid drupe, 25-50 mm long, with a thin, compact outer layer, greyish-green in colour and smooth skinned. Stone with a hard layer and often with a spongy layer, containing a single seed. Seed with large cotyledons and radicle pointing to the base of the fruit. The generic name comes from the Greek words ‘kalos’-beautiful and ‘phullon’-leaf, meaning beautiful-leafed and the specific epithet is derived from the Greek words ‘is’-fibre and ‘phullon’-leaf, alluding to the pronounced veins on the underside of the leaves.
Ecology and distribution
History of cultivation
C. inophyllum is often planted within its range, in western Africa and in the tropics of America. In Uganda, it has been established only in the Lake Victoria zone at Entebbe and Kampala. It is naturalized in the indigenous rainforests of Zanzibar, where it is also being artificially regenerated because of inundations that destroy much of the natural regeneration.
Natural Habitat
C. inophyllum is essentially a littoral tree of the tropics, occurring above the high-tide mark along sea coasts of northern Australia and extending throughout Southeast Asia and southern India. It is common on sandy beaches of the seashore but is sometimes found inland on sandy soils. It generally grows on the detritus brought down by rivers and on the sand and shingles banked up by wind and waves. The soil is generally dry at the surface, but the water table is usually only a few decimetres down, although the water it taps is often brackish. It is also found higher up the rivers along river margins. The tree demands light; temperatures where it grows are moderated by the proximity of the sea and by the breezes. The sandy soil, exposed situation, radiation of heat from the sand, and salt-laden winds make the habitat pronouncedly xerophytic. C. inophyllum is sensitive to frost and fire.
Geographic distribution
Native : Aruba, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Reunion, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Province of China, Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnam
Exotic : Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, United States of America

Biophysical limits
Altitude: 0-200 m, Mean annual temperature: 7-18 to 37-48 deg. C, Mean annual rainfall: 750-5000 mm Soil type: C. inophyllum grows best on deep soil near the coast and will thrive on pure sand.

Reproductive Biology
The bisexual flowers are pollinated by insects such as bees. The flowering and fruiting periods vary. In India, the flowers appear in May-June and sometimes again in November. It has been suggested that apomixis may occur in Calophyllum, resulting in polyembryony. Trees often bear fruit throughout the year. The fruit is dispersed by sea currents and by fruit bats. Hybridization may occur with C. inophyllum as one of the parents.
Propagation and management
Propagation methods
Natural regeneration usually occurs near the mother tree. The rather woody fruit does not open, and the thick shell of the seed delays its germination. Germination under natural conditions may therefore be delayed for a considerable time until the rind has softened or rotted away. However, the tree can usually be grown from seed without difficulty, provided the seed is sown soon after ripening. Germination capacity is fair, and experiments conducted in the Philippines have shown that complete removal of the seed shell is very effective, both in reducing the average time taken for germination and in raising the germination capacity. As a result of this treatment, the germination period was reduced from 57 to 22 days and the germination percentage rose from 63% to 93%. Seedlings grown in a nursery require shade.

Tree Management
The tree is said to be brittle and liable to damage by wind. In Zanzibar, it is planted on coral areas, where it grows at about 90 cm of height a year after initial establishment, which is very slow; frequent weeding is necessary until the crop is established. In plantation trials in Indonesia, the spacing of seedlings is usually 2 x 3 m. The species coppices moderately. The selective cutting system and removal of undesirable trees can enhance natural regeneration.

Germplasm Management
Seed storage behaviour is recalcitrant; the seeds are very oily, quickly losing their germinative power. There are up to 200 seeds/kg.
Functional uses
Products
Food: The fruit is edible; usually it is pickled but care must be taken with it, as it contains toxins. Timber: The timber is generally slightly heavier, stronger and more durable than that of other Calophyllum species. The wood is often fine textured, and the grain is more interlocked. Sapwood is yellow-brown with a pink tinge and is well defined from the heartwood, which is red-brown, pink-brown or orange-brown. The density is 560-800 kg/cubic m at 15% mc, with an energy value of about 19 100 kJ/kg. C. inophyllum is a good general-purpose timber. In several regions, the wood is much sought after for masts, spars, bridgework and scaffolding because of the tall, slender form of the poles. Being close-grained and durable, the wood is used for boat building, railway sleepers, veneer and plywood; being of a rich reddish-brown, it is excellent for cabinet making. The wood is used for light construction, flooring, moulding, joinery, wooden pallets, diving boards, cartwheels and axles, musical instruments and blowpipes. Tannin or dyestuff: Tannins are commonly present, especially in the bark (11.9%) but often also in the leaves. A decoction of the bark is sometimes used to toughen and dye fishing nets. The seed oil and the latex have occasionally been used in dyeing batik cloth in Java. Lipids: The kernels yield 50-73% of a bluish-yellow to dark green viscous oil, known as domba oil, or pinnai oil, or dilo oil. It has a disagreeable taste or odour, as it contains some resinous material that can easily be removed by refining. The concentration of resinous substances in the oil varies from 10 to 30%; it may therefore be used as a varnish. Domba oil is of excellent quality for soap manufacture; it is also used as an illuminant and in local medicine. The main compounds of the seed oil are oleic, linoleic, stearic and palmitic acid. Mixed with resin of Vateria indica, the oil is used for caulking boats. Poison: The leaves, containing saponin and hydrocyanic acid, are poisonous to fish. The latex is rich in complex coumarin derivatives, some of which are piscicidal, while others are insecticidal. A considerable variety of xanthones is found in the wood and bark. One of the xanthones, called jacareubin, is nearly always present in Calophyllum but is extremely rare outside this genus. Medicine: Oil extracted from the fruit is employed as a remedy for rheumatism, ulcers and skin diseases. Bark is said to be an astringent. A decoction of the bark and latex is used medicinally: internally against diarrhoea and after childbirth, externally against skin and eye diseases and rheumatism. Leaves, flowers and seeds are sometimes also used in local medicine.

Services
Shade or shelter: The tree is planted for shade and for reforestation and afforestation. It also acts as an efficient shore protector in most places. Soil improver: Remains of the pressed seeds (oil cake) can probably be used as a manure. Ornamental: Although slow growing, C. inophyllum is a popular tree for roadside and avenue planting in India. It is a handsome ornamental, the young foliage being crimson and the flowers scented.

Pests and diseases
Leaves and young shoots are susceptible to attack by various insects. The fungus Fomes dochmius causes brown cuboidal rot in the plant. A fungus identified as Trichocoma spp. has been found to attack and kill trees in India.

Seen at: www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/sea/products/afdbases/af/...

Question by Ashley Lofira: how to take good field notes in anthropology?
For one of my anthropology classes I have to take Field notes on an organization that I am volunteering at. I know very little on how to take good notes and especially notes that are in an academic, professional, anthropological way. Please help…links to web, suggestions, or how to list. What ever you know!

What do you think? Answer below!

Have something to add? Please consider leaving a comment, or if you want to stay updated you can subscribe to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

2 Responses to how to take good field notes in anthropology?

  1. I’ve only been on one real dig, in Jerusalem, and that was busted up by some raving Orthodox fanatics who thought the site was an ancient King Soloman time synagog, so I didn’t get to do much. Still, it sparked my first interest in anthropology.

    Oh, and on top of the kit-list, I would add a tape measure, one of those soft cloth ones.

    I’ve pasted heresome notes from a teacher at the Douglas College Field School, Canada, teaching kids introductory anthropology:

    My invitation to speak to the class came as part of a classroom unit on jobs and the tools people use to do their jobs. As many of you helped me think through how to explain what it is that I do, I thought I’d tell how it went.

    The class has almost twenty energetic and enthusiastic children in it. My son introduced me by name, stated that I was an anthropologist and then asked the class to say the word. I took over and explained that I was often a teacher but that I wanted to talk more about another aspect of my job – the part in which I tried to learn about how other people lived. To start, I showed a picture of a hunter demonstrating how to clean a small animal. The kids tried to guess what kind of animal it was – and no, it was not a hedgehog. I asked about the kind of structure in which the people cleaned the game and the tools they used. We talked about the kinds of meat the students liked – noting that most of us eat and enjoy cow meat. From here, we looked at pictures of animals and talked about the process of making leather from animal skins.

    On your suggestions, I took several things that kids could handle and touch. I asked for help identifying skin scraping tools, thread holders, and the materials in footwear, gloves, and packs. Man, it’s hard not to get caught up in material culture! One of the packs I have are for dogs, and the students couldn’t quite figure that out without being told. No, they weren’t for elephants. The horn of a bighorn sheep was not from a mountain lion. I had a piece of clothing used at special events and asked the students when they dressed up. I was told: halloween, parties, and halloween parties. I suppose it’s reasonable that halloween is still front of mind. The students did not ask too many questions. They were curious about the difference between what I do and what archaeologists do. They were clear with me that archaeologists dig. I had to agree.

    Throughout, I referred to the people with whom I work as friends. I did not use ethnonyms or generalities like native, aboriginal, or Indian. I tried not to talk about age-inappropriate things, all the time wondering if vegan parents would be upset their kids reporting a classroom presentation on hunting, meat, and cleaning skins. I didn’t try to deliver a message directly; rather, my goal was simply to remind students that other people live differently than they do and that such differences are just fine.

    and this is a paste from Field Notes – Savage Minds:

    Old School.

    First, there is the method that no one (including me) on the EASIANTH listserve brought up – pen and notebooks. While I recommend digitized note-taking to my students, I still tell them that they should always carry around a pen and notebook, for those impromptu jottings and diagrams; old school still works!

    Good old MS Word was also recommended by a number of anthropologists, largely because of its wide compatibility. Word documents can always be imported into other analytical software packages, and as David Slater from Sophia University Tokyo pointed out, has a “fields” command that can be used to code fieldnotes.

    Fieldnotes 1.0 programs

    One up on old school, these programs were made specifically to help organize and analyze qualitative data. I think all these programs (except for Filemaker Pro) can only be run on PC’s.

    Anthropac
    Atlas ti
    Ethnograph
    Filemaker Pro. From John McCreery.

    Easy to get started with, dead simple to use, available for both Macs and Windows PCs, and now an extraordinary powerful relational database. You can literally start as simple as creating a new database (just like opening a new file in a world processor), adding the fields you want, and start inputting data. Discover that you need a new field, no problem; just add it to the existing fields.

    Then, moreover, the sky’s the limit. The program has been evolving since its introduction about the same time as MSWord on Macs, has tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of users worldwide, and highly robust and helpful user community.

    QSR’s nVivo: From Joe Bosco, Chinese University of Hong Kong.
    There are many ways to use a program like NVivo, but for me, the main advantage is help in organizing the mass of data we can now collect electronically, and then structuring my work with the texts. The program helps you sort and keep track of files and information, and helps you organize your thoughts and ideas.

    gee bee
    November 12, 2012 at 8:35 pm
    Reply

  2. Observe! Observation is the critical thing to keep in mind. Describe the organization: type(like charity), public works(park volunteer), civic (Habitat for Humanity), government and etc. You get the idea.

    Who are the people there? Not their names but the structure of the organization. Are the positions all volunteer? Is leadership elected? etc.

    What is it that the organization does? How do they do it? (fund raising, grants, government and etc.) Is it civic, private, religious etc?

    Where is the organizations focus?(feed the hungry, government, elderly and etc.)

    Who are the people it serves? (Individuals or groups and etc)

    Location? Interactions between the people in the organization? Do they act personally with their ‘subject’ or do they work with groups?

    Very brief discussion on how you fit into the organization.

    I hope I gave you some ideas. Each professor has his or her order that they like things done. So I would give it in the order the above makes the most sense in your situation. You do it that way so that if you have to verbally defend it what you say will be natural. Some professors like to challenge you just to see if you really wrote what you said.

    So observe! One last thing….if your presence in a situation affects it you should say how but it sounds like you will just be a ‘worker bee’.

    Good luck!

    gentl
    November 12, 2012 at 9:01 pm
    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *