ETHNOGEOLOGY IN PUERTO RICO AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: THE USE OF LOCAL CULTURAL MODELS FOR THE INTERPRETATION OF GEOLOGICAL FEATURES AND PROCESSES

Indigenous senses of place, teaching philosophies, and empirical knowledge of surrounding Earth systems (also known as ethnogeology) can be used to enrich local geological observations and interpretations in place-based geoscience teaching. Ethnogeological interpretations coming from indigenous or historically resident people may differ from those of conventional mainstream geoscience, but they are validated by their direct relevance to long-term cultural and environmental resilience and sustainability, typically in challenging environments. Observations of natural phenomena tends to be more holistic and culturally framed, constructing unique cultural models.

Ethnogeological research blends methods from field geology with methods from field ethnography that include participatory observation, free-listing, participatory mapping, and cultural consensus analysis. Our objective was to develop a cultural consensus model (CCM) that integrates observation and interpretation of local geology such as: speleothem formation in nearby caves and river geomorphology among local indigenous communities such as the Boricua jíbaro and the Dominican campesino. Results from applied focused ethnographic fieldwork suggest a good fit for the CCM about geological processes among culturally expert consultants in Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, as well as a competence average with values above 0.6 in both cases. We will present and discuss the CCM for the domain of karst (in its majority) that is shared between cultural consultants that is in the form of metaphors. Additional data in support of the CCM include stories, family history using participant observation, and participatory mapping. These results are applicable to locally place- based geoscience teaching.