Presenting the Cultural Significance Index of Plants in the Muara Lawa, Kutai Barat District

Abstract

The use of cultural significance index (CSI), as a tool to calculate the use value of plants, is a growing trend in quantitative ethnobotany research. This study was aimed to measure the CSI of  24 edible plants species, using the valuation method of "Cultural Food Significance Index, CFSI by Pieroni (2001)”, to indigenous people in Muara Lawa, Kutai Barat district. The main plant species measured were 20 fruit plants and four other plants namely 2 vegetables plants and 2 palms were also measured as a comparison. The result showed that the type of fruit plants is relatively lower than or become suborninate role of four other plants. Only 40% of the total of 20 plant types of fruits that have CSI > 100 or as much as 60% of fruits plants with CSI <100. For analysis and presentation, we applyed cluster analysis and factor analysis, and showed a proper function, as well as providing additional information, such as the classification of groups of plants based on similar ​​of the cultural significance, and identify groups of subindex variables are dominant in determining the score of CSI.

Key words :, Cultural significance, Fruit plants, Muara Lawa, Kutai Barat.