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Thomas Malm, Photo.

Thomas Malm

Professor

Thomas Malm, Photo.

Why is the shark not an animal? On the Division of life-form categories in Oceania

Author

  • Thomas Malm

Summary, in English

In Oceania, there is a strong linguistic link between terms for marine resource exploitation and the division of life forms. Aspects of this relationship (especially in Cook Islands and Tonga) are described and discussed in this paper from a cross-cultural perspective. A Polynesian response to the question of why the shark is not an animal shows that modern science, which is a "science of the abstract", has something to learn from traditional taxonomy, which is a "science of the concrete".

Department/s

  • Department of Human Geography

Publishing year

2010

Language

English

Pages

17-22

Publication/Series

SPC Traditional Marine Resource management and Knowledge Information Bulletin

Issue

27

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Secretariat of the Pacific Community

Topic

  • Human Geography

Keywords

  • Polynesia
  • Oceania
  • life-form
  • Ethnobiology
  • ethnotaxonomy
  • Cook Islands
  • Tonga

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1025-7497