Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2010 Nov 4;6:31. doi: 10.1186/1746-4269-6-31.
Nepal is small in size but rich in bio-cultural diversity. The rugged terrain of the country is home to a number of unique assemblages of fauna, some of which are endemic. Not only faunal resources the country also harbors some very ancient populations whose interrelationship with these diverse faunal resources is very intimate and thus demands scientific study. Animals play important role in both material and spiritual spheres of their life. There are more than hundred groups of such populations in the country and the group Tamang is one of these. The present paper studies Tamang-animal relationships in central Nepal. There is a growing trend of scientific ethnozoological studies all across the globe, but this field is yet in its infancy in Nepal. The country is losing important fauna as well as ancient human cultures at the advent of development processes. As a result, ethnozoological knowledge is also teetering on the brink of extinction.
Ethnozoological data were collected by applying different participatory approaches techniques such as semi-structured interviews, participatory rural appraisal, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Quantitative data were obtained by employing a household level questionnaire survey. Data were collected from the period of September 2004 to August 2005. Most of the animals were identified up to the species level with the help of standard taxonomic keys.
The Tamang community treasures knowledge on various uses of 41 genera belonging to 28 families. Out of total number of animals, 14.6% belong to the Invertebrate group and the rest to the Vertebrate group. Of the total uses 58% fall in the food and medicinal use category, 16% in the magico-religious use category, 18% in the category of omen indication, and 2% each in the categories such as weather forecasting, trophy, ethnomusical and taboos.
The Tamang maintain strong ties with animals both at a material as well as spiritual level. While some animals are the sources of important traditional medicines, others are omen indicators and weather forecasters. High priority should be given in conservation of those animals which are of high consensus value to the community.
尼泊尔面积虽小，但拥有丰富的生物文化多样性。该国崎岖的地形是许多独特的动物群的家园，其中一些是特有种。不仅是动物资源，这个国家还拥有一些非常古老的人群，他们与这些多样化的动物资源有着非常密切的关系，因此需要进行科学研究。动物在他们生活的物质和精神领域都扮演着重要的角色。这个国家有一百多个这样的群体，塔芒族就是其中之一。本文研究了尼泊尔中部的塔芒族与动物的关系。在全球范围内，科学民族动物学研究的趋势日益增长，但在尼泊尔，这个领域仍处于起步阶段。随着发展进程的到来，尼泊尔正在失去重要的动物群和古老的人类文化。因此，民族动物学知识也濒临灭绝。
采用半结构访谈、参与式农村评估、关键知情人访谈和焦点小组讨论等不同的参与式方法收集民族动物学数据。通过家庭层面的问卷调查获得定量数据。数据收集时间为 2004 年 9 月至 2005 年 8 月。在标准分类学的帮助下，大多数动物被鉴定到种的水平。
塔芒社区珍视对 28 个科 41 属的各种用途的知识。在总共的动物中，14.6%属于无脊椎动物，其余属于脊椎动物。在所有用途中，58%属于食物和药用用途，16%属于魔法宗教用途，18%属于预兆指示用途，2%分别属于天气预报、战利品、民族音乐和禁忌用途。
塔芒族人与动物在物质和精神层面上都保持着紧密的联系。一些动物是重要传统药物的来源，而另一些动物则是预兆指标和天气预报员。对于那些对社区具有高度共识价值的动物，应给予高度重视，以进行保护。
