Plants and People is a close examination of the ways in which plant life and human life are intertwined in two rural villages of Hassan District, Karnataka State, India, via the symbolic uses of plants in of rites of passage. After presenting a general overview of South Asian cultural traditions related to symbolic uses of plants and basic ethnobotany concepts, the book describes rites of passage of multiple castes – birth, maturation, marriage, pregnancy, death, and rituals for ancestors ...

This is an ethnographic study of rituals and myths as celebrated by multiple castes in two Karnataka villages. Four types of rituals are described and analysed: some by and for married women, some for restless and dangerous goddesses endangering whole families, ancestor rites, and ant-hill festivals for cobra deities. Numerous photos have been added to the original text, which got good reviews.Meanings of the myths and rituals are interpreted -- using structuraliism and other method...

"Water is life" in Bangladesh. Based on five researchers' long-term involvement with water development projects in eight districts, this book introduces the reader to the vast range of meanings that water has in Bangladesh, where ordinary villagers struggle daily for access to safe supplies. Mythology, ancient sciences, folklore, and language provide a cultural foundation for water's uses in the home. large numbers of people fact the daaunting challenge of arsenic in their water supply. Re...

This is a close examination of the ways in which plant life and human life are symbolically intertwined in two rural villages of Hassan District, Karnataka State, India. After presenting a general overview of South Asian cultural traditions related to symbolic uses of plants, the author shares results of an in-depth study of the ways that plants have been used in rites of passage by multiple castes. The author, her partner, and a local team conducted detailed interviews and observations on...