The human health and conservation relevance of food taboos in northeastern Madagascar

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Anthropologists and ecologists investigating the dialectical relationship between human environments and the cultural practices that shape and are shaped by them have been talking past each other for too long: the one looking purely at metaphor and the other purely at function. Our mixed-method data analysis set out to explore whether it was possible to determine empirically the human health and conservation value of the local Malagasy taboo system. This involved qualitative examination of the content of taboo origin stories collected through ethnographic approaches, when the story was remembered. The ethnographic substance of these stories included historicizing events, accounts of symptoms associated with breaching taboos, and incentives for abiding by taboos. We then used quantitative comparisons in an effort to understand the motivation for adhering to taboos. We provide evidence that the conservation value of taboos may be limited but that the social value of taboos may be rooted in concerted attempts to preserve a physical, spiritual, moral, and cultural immunity. Furthermore, we found that there was a sophisticated traditional etiological knowledge, based in nuanced understandings of ecology and epidemiology, which likely protects local people from zoonotic disease, allergies, and toxins. We suggest that the prohibitions mandated by the traditional taboo system against consuming particular wildlife species is a moral framework, which is driven to a significant degree by personal security and health-related incentives.

Effects of social change on wildlife consumption taboos in northeastern Madagascar

“…§See Golden and Comaroff (2015) for a description of why round items are a common taboo. http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol20/iss2/art41/ Age (yr) −0.08 to −0.01* −0.0008-0.004 †95% confidence intervals.…”

“…Over the course of the last century, migration has increased as the nation has become increasingly connected through a new transportation infrastructure and the burgeoning of regional and international economic opportunities (Zeller et al 1999, UNDESA 2013. In addition, the population is rapidly becoming younger, with high rates of growth expected: 2.7% per year between 2015and 2030(UNDESA 2013. Each of these economic and social transformations could play a major role in altering the constellation of taboos.…”

“…Here, we use a case study of the constellation of taboos in northeastern Madagascar, a critical aspect of Malagasy social life, as a lens through which we investigate the role of social change in affecting the degree of stability of taboos. In the second article (Golden and Comaroff 2015), we explore the possible human health and environmental conservation values of taboos.…”

The Role of Taboos in the Protection and Recovery of Sea Turtles

“…In Madagascar, food taboos regulate wildlife take locally, but state laws are widely known even as they may not be explicitly adhered to (Golden and Comaroff, 2015a). In a separate study, Golden and Comaroff (2015b) point out adherence to taboos is not uniform within cultural groups or even within communities in Madagascar specifically because these taboos are regulators of a very personal narrative. Resource use, therefore, must still be governed by judicial and informal law for conservation to be effective.…”

Synthesis of the silky sifaka’s distribution (<i>Propithecus candidus</i>)

“…)/km² (north-east near Ambodisatrana) and 0.29 indiv./km² (central-east near Camp Indri), though higher in the western extension at 2.59 indiv./km² (south-west near Ampoanaomby). These density estimates are considerably lower than most other eastern sifakas such as P. edwardsi (~4.73 indiv./km²; Wright et al, 2012) The remaining Propithecus candidus population is declining due to hunting; there is no taboo or fady protecting them (Patel et al 2005, Jenkins et al 2011, Golden and Comaroff 2015, Loudon et al 2016; habitat disturbance from slash-and-burn agriculture and selective logging for rosewood, ebony, and other hardwoods (Patel 2007), as well as artisanal mining. Although, they have long been known to inhabit Marojejy NP, Anjanaharibe-Sud SR, as well as the Makira Natural Park; until recently there has been little information on their occurrence in COMATSA (Corridor Marojejy -Anjanaharibe-Sud-Tsaratanana).…”