Botany & Ethnobotany :International Plants Identification and Categorization

Botany and Ethnobotany Ethnobotany is the investigation of how individuals of a specific culture and district utilize native (local) plants. Plants give food, medication, cover, colors, filaments, oils, saps, gums, cleansers, waxes, plastic, tannins, and even add to the air we relax.What is ethnobotany and what difference does it make? Ethno (as in 'ethnic') alludes to individuals, culture, a culture's aggregate group of convictions, tasteful, language, information, and practice. Natural science is the investigation of plants — from the smallest greenery or piece of turf to the tallest or most established tree. Also The California Tribes of California Native American tribes are native to California and shaman life pertaining to medicinal plants This vast territory includes: Bear River, Mattale, Lassick, Nogatl, Wintun, Yana, Yahi, Maidu, Wintun, Sinkyone, Wailaki, Kato, Yuki, Pomo, Lake Miwok, Wappo, Coast Miwok, Interior Miwok, Wappo, Coast Miwok, Interior Miwok, Monache, Yokuts, Costanoan, Esselen, Salinan and Tubatulabal tribes. Shamanism, the supposed individual control of the supernatural through a personally acquired power of communication with the spirit world, rests upon much the same basis in California as elsewhere in North America. In general among uncivilized tribes the simpler the stage of culture the more important the shaman. It is as if he constituted an element that remained nearly constant in quantity of effect, as it is fundamentally unvarying in form, through all successive periods of civilization to the highest; but that as increase in degree of civilization brought with it ever more and more new elements, religious and otherwise, and these unfolded in ever expanding complexity, he became, relatively to the total mass of thought and action of a people, less and less important.

植物学与民族植物学
民族植物学（Ethnobotany）是研究特定文化与区域的人群如何利用本土植物的学科。植物可为人类提供食物、药物、遮蔽材料、染料、纤维、油脂、树液、树胶、清洁剂、蜡质、塑料、单宁，甚至参与构成我们呼吸的空气。

何为民族植物学，其研究价值何在？“民族（Ethno，源自“ethnic”）”指代特定人群、文化，以及某一文化群体的整体信仰体系、审美取向、语言、知识与实践体系。而植物学（Botany）则是针对植物的研究学科，研究范畴涵盖从最微小的绿植或草皮，到最高大或最古老的树木。

此外，加利福尼亚本土印第安部落均世居该州，其萨满文化与药用植物的使用密切相关。这片广袤的分布区域涵盖：贝尔河部落（Bear River）、马塔莱部落（Mattale）、拉西克部落（Lassick）、诺加特尔部落（Nogatl）、温顿部落（Wintun）、亚纳部落（Yana）、亚希部落（Yahi）、迈杜部落（Maidu）、温顿部落（Wintun）、辛基约内部落（Sinkyone）、瓦拉基部落（Wailaki）、卡托部落（Kato）、尤基部落（Yuki）、波莫部落（Pomo）、湖米沃克部落（Lake Miwok）、瓦波部落（Wappo）、海岸米沃克部落（Coast Miwok）、内陆米沃克部落（Interior Miwok）、瓦波部落（Wappo）、海岸米沃克部落（Coast Miwok）、内陆米沃克部落（Interior Miwok）、莫纳切部落（Monache）、尤克特斯部落（Yokuts）、科斯坦诺安部落（Costanoan）、埃瑟伦部落（Esselen）、萨利南部落（Salinan）以及图巴图拉巴尔部落（Tubatulabal）。

萨满教（Shamanism）是指通过个体习得的与灵界沟通的能力以掌控超自然力量的信仰体系，其在加利福尼亚州的存在基础与北美其他地区大体一致。一般而言，在原始部落中，文化发展阶段越原始，萨满的地位便越重要。这仿佛意味着，萨满作为一种社会要素，其影响力的总量几乎保持恒定——其形式本质上从未改变，贯穿文明发展的各个阶段直至最高阶段；但随着文明程度提升，宗教与其他领域不断涌现新的要素，且这些要素的复杂度持续扩张，相较于一个民族整体的思想与行为体系，萨满的重要性便会日益降低。