What I presented was just a power point presentation with some of our initial findings and some fun stories about birds as omens, etc.  We’re working on a journal article and will share it when we have it all put together.  

One interesting anecdote, at one point we were looking at an Acorn Woodpecker high up in a snag and handed the binoculars to our main informant.  It really shook him up.  He said he felt like he was flying.  I suppose in his experience, the only way he could get that close to the bird would be to hover up high in the air.  He was much more comfortable just hearing the birds, or dealing with those that he could see without binoculars.

Anyway, I’m really interested in expanding this to the K’eqchi area of the Alta Vera Paz, where there are local villagers trained to conduct point counts in the lands around their villages.  Lots of cool stuff there.

-----Original Message-----
From: Ethnoornithology@... [mailto:Ethnoornithology@...] On Behalf Of Leonardo Cabrera
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2006 10:39 AM
To: Ethnoornithology@...
Subject: [Ethnoornithology] Re: Abstract - Human - Bird relationships among the Ch'orti' Mayans of Guatemala

Hi Rob,

Would you share your presentation to the list? a paper you may have?
I am very interested in your research at Guatemala.
Thank you

Leonardo Cabrera


--- In Ethnoornithology@..., "Robert Gosford"
<kamibob1@h...> wrote:
>
> A recent presentation by Rob Fergisat the Middle States Division of
> the Association of American Geographers 2006 Annual Conference
> October 13-14, Rutgers University in the United States
>
>
> 2,000 YEARS OF BECOMING-BIRD: CH'ORTI' MAYA ETHNOORNITHOLOGY AND
> HUMAN-BIRD
> RELATIONSHIPS
> Rob Fergus
> Urban Bird Conservation
> National Audubon Society
> Ivyland PA 18974
> ABSTRACT The Ch'orti' Maya of Jocotán, Guatemala descend from Pre-
> Classic and Classic Mayan ancestors that depended
> on birds and bird plumages to legitimize and maintain their
> political order. Over the course of two millennia, birds have
> remained important to the Ch'orti', though changing technologies,
> political structures, local ecology, and traditions have altered
> many ancient relationships with birds, as well as created new ways
> of relating to birds. This paper reports on recent field work
> conducted in Jocotán, and explores the various ways that Ch'orti'
> individuals create relationships with birds, as well as how these
> human-bird assemblages reflect or contrast with human-bird
> relationships documented in the Mayan archaeological,
> ethnohistoric, and ancient textual records.
>