Ethnobotanical Study Of Ewenki Nationality In Hulun Buir

Ethnobotanical knowledge which result from interrelationship between Ewenki nationality in Hulun Buir and plants are including the indigenous knowledge of food and drink, medicinal, forage, daily life and cultural use of wild plants. The wild plants related with food and drink of Ewenki including 25 species of wild vegetables, five species of condiments, 15 species of wild fruits and 7 species of wild beverage plants. Among them, such as the species of Allium ramosum, Artemisia integrifolia, Epilobium angustifolium, Hemerocallis minor, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Vaccinium uliginosum, Ribes procumbens, Lonicera caerulea var. edulis, Betula platyphylla and Polygonum divaricatum are more important to the subsistence economy of ethnic group as well as to the utilizatioan and exploitation. There are 20 species of wild plants used for medicine by indigenous Ewenki people. The species of Empetrum nigrum var. japonicum, Centianella acuta, Thymus serpyllum var.asiaticus and Artemisia frigida play an important role in the folk medical treatment. At present, the traditional medical treatment modes that combined with Shamanism and medicine has been disappeared from Ewenki nationality. There are 18 species and other two genera of wild plants regarded as the more important forage by the indigenous Ewenki people in grassland area. It indicates that traditional knowledge on forage plants of Ewenki people learned from the Mongolians after they move in grassland area more or less. However, "onko"which is folk name of Cladina stellaris, regarded as the most important forage for reindeer by the indigenous Ewenki people in the forest. There are 8 species of wild plants used as building materials, and 11 species belongs to ethnical timber of Ewenki people. The raw materials used to build lodgings and to make articles for daily use almost completely derived from wild plants. Religious belief, funeral custom and folk arts of Ewenki also related to wild plants, which have a value of bio-cultural diversity and utilization. Among the all of wild plants used by Ewenki people, Betula platyphylla is the most important species. The plant is concernd with material culture and spiritual culture of Ewenki nationality. In consideration of the true reasons, the Betula platyphylla is regarded as a symbol plant of Ewenki nationality. At present, Ewenki people still attach importance to these wild plants. Traditional botanical knowledge is still passing on by from mouth to mouth and hand to hand between oldest and young Ewenki people.The convenient of modernization and the changes of living environment make the Ewenki people far away from wild plant more and more, related traditional knowledge on use of plants are rapidly disappearing.Traditional knowledge and relevant culture on plants of Ewenki nationality is an important parts of human natural culture. It has a existence value and protection value as a components of cultural diversity.Traditional knowledge and relevant culture on plants of Ewenki nationality have substantial contents of scientific, rationality and practicability, the further research and application will be needed.