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nomadic_agriculture [2010-02-10 13:06] niknomadic_agriculture [2010-02-11 11:18] (current) 145.50.39.12
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 --Darrell Addison Posey on Kayapó gardening in [[http://books.google.com/books?id=VnO6xr-9LZcC]] --Darrell Addison Posey on Kayapó gardening in [[http://books.google.com/books?id=VnO6xr-9LZcC]]
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 +In a different paper Posey writes about Forest Islands in the Savanna, [[http://www.metafro.be/leisa/1991/7-4-3.pdf]], Amazing:
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 +<blockquote>
 +The creation of forest islands, or Apete, demonstrates to what extent the Kayapo can alter and manage ecosystems to increase biological diversity. Apete begin as small mounds of vegetation, about one to two meters round, created by ant nests in open areas in the field. Slight depressions are usually picked out because they are more likely to retain moisture. Seeds or seedlings are planted in these piles of organic material. The Apete are usually formed in August and September, during the first rains of the wet season, and then nurtured by the Indians as they pass along the savannah trails. As Apete grow, they begin to look like up-turned hats, with higher vegetation in the centre and lower herbs growing in the shaded borders. The Indians usually cut down the highest trees in the centre to create a donut-hole centre that allows the light into older Apete. Thus a full-grown Apete has an architecture that creates zones that vary in shade, light and humidity. These islands become important sources of medicinal and edible plants, as well as places of rest. Palms, which have a variety of uses, prominently figure in Apete, as do shade trees. Even vines that produce drinkable water are transplanted here. Apete look so "natural", however, that until recently scientists in fact did not recognise them as human artefacts. According to informants, of a total of 120 species inventoried in ten Apete, about 75 percent could have been planted. Such ecological engineering requires detailed knowledge of soil fertility, micro-climatic variations, and species niches, as well as the interrelationships among species that are introduced into these human-made communities. </blockquote>
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