The Inheritance of Island Yi and the Acculturation of Maritime Fan in the Han People on Southeast Coast of China

The Han people of southern China living in the coastal regions lying to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River show a series of distinctive essences of physique, language or dialect, lifestyle and economic pattern, religion and worship of supernatural spirits, cultural orientations to the oceans and maritime character and so on. The maritime orientation of “living on boats as home, depending on sea as lifestyle, trading with Maritime Fan (诸番) ” was the most prominent characters of the Han people in south of China, especially in the southeast coast in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong. The accumulation and assimilation of the prehistoric and early indigenous Bai Yue (百越), Island Yi (岛夷) and proto-Austronesian of the Maritime Region of Southeastern Asia, as well as the immigration and acculturation of the overseas ethnic groups of foreign Maritime Fan since the medieval ages, were the two main sources of the formation and development of the unique maritime cultural character of the Han people in southeast coast of China.

The Indigenous Paleolithic Cultural Inheritance in the “Maritime Region of Southeastern Asia” During the Early Neolithization Around 10,000 Years Ago

The “Maritime Region of Southeastern Asia” between the south coast of China and Southeast Asia was once an important cross-border community in the multicultural lineages of human history. During the Mesolithic age around ten thousand years ago and the era of synchronically global and tremendous cultural change in human prehistory, the indigenous cultural connotation in this region and its unique model of cultural evolution along with both inheritance, continuation, and innovation between the Paleolithic and Neolithic age, are of great significance in the cultural history of humankind and Asia–Pacific ethno-history.

Étude ethnobotanique des plantes alimentaires utilisées en médecine traditionnelle dans la région Maritime du Togo

Les plantes alimentaires contiennent des principes actifs doués de diverses propriétés médicinales pouvant intervenir dans le traitement de nombreuses maladies. Cette étude est consacrée au recensement des plantes ayant des potentiels nutritionnel et thérapeutique dans la région Maritime du Togo, dans le but de la valorisation de ces plantes. De juin à septembre 2017, une enquête ethnobotanique, basée sur l’utilisation des interviews individuelles à l'aide d'un questionnaire semi-structuré, a été réalisée auprès de 101 Praticiens de la Médecine Traditionnelle. Au total 86 espèces végétales appartenant à 72 genres et 36 familles ont été identifiées. Les Fabaceae et les Solanaceae (7 espèces chacune) ont été les plus représentées. Les espèces les plus citées ont été Ocimum gratissimum L. (10,48%), Vernonia amygdalina Delile (6,71%), Lactuca taraxacifolia (Willd.) Schum. (6,08%) et Heliotropium indicum L. (5,66%). Les feuilles (77,85%), les fruits (5,63%) et les racines (4,26%) sont les organes les plus utilisées sur 799 recettes inventoriées. La principale forme galénique reste la sauce (51,19%) et le mode principal d’administration est la voie orale (90,74%). Concernant les maladies traitées, les affections du tube digestif sont au premier rang (43,80%) suivies par des affections cardiovasculaires (13,52%). Cette étude fournie une base de données sur des plantes ayant des potentiels nutritionnel et thérapeutique au Togo.Mots clés : Alicaments, potentiels nutritionnel et thérapeutique, sécurité alimentaire, Togo. English title: Ethnobotanical study of some food plants used in traditional medicine in the Maritime region of TogoFood plants contain active substances with various medicinal properties that can be used to treat many diseases. This study is devoted to the inventory of plants with nutritional and therapeutic potential in Maritime region of Togo, with the aim of promoting these plants. From June to September 2017, an ethnobotanical survey was conducted among 101 Traditional Medicine Practitioners through individual interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. A total of 86 plants species belonging to 72 genera and 36 families were identified. Fabaceae and Solanaceae (7 species each) were the most represented. The most cited species were Ocimum gratissimum L. (10.48%), Vernonia amygdalina Delile (6.71%), Lactuca taraxacifolia (Willd.) Schum. (6.08%) and Heliotropium indicum L. (5.66%). The leaves (77.85%), fruits (5.63%) and roots (4.26%) were the most plant parts used out of 799 inventoried recipes. The main dosage form remains the sauce (51.19%) and the main mode of administration is the oral route (90.74%). Regarding the treated diseases, the digestive disorders are in first place (43.80%), followed by cardiovascular diseases (13.52%). This study provides a database of plants with nutritional and therapeutic potential in Togo.Keywords: Food plants, nutritional and therapeutic potentials, food security, Togo.