This study explores traditional adhesives using an ethnobiological approach within a multisocioecological context in Zambia. Through semi-structured interviews, videotaped demonstrations, and herbarium collections, we investigated the traditional adhesives people know and use, the flexibility of production processes, resource usage, and knowledge transmission in adhesive production. Our findings reveal flexibility in adhesive production systems. People use a wide range of organic and inorganic materials in their adhesive recipes. Recipes are flexible, demonstrating the ability to adapt to changes and substitute materials as needed to achieve the desired end product. Additionally, our study reveals a variety of redundant pathways for knowledge transmission typically confined within individual population groups. These include same-sex vertical transmission and distinct learning spaces and processes. Also, we identified material procurement zones showing that people are prepared to travel 70 km for ingredients. We use our findings to review the archaeology and we discuss the identification of archaeological adhesives, the functional roles of adhesive materials, adhesive storage, and the sustained human interaction with species from families such as Euphorbiaceae and Apiade. Our findings underscore the diversity and adaptability of traditional adhesive production and suggest that further research on adhesives would reveal similar diversity within the archaeological record.

中文翻译：

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赞比亚传统的粘合剂生产系统及其考古意义


本研究在赞比亚的多社会生态背景下使用民族生物学方法探索传统粘合剂。通过半结构化访谈、录像演示和植物标本馆藏品，我们调查了人们所了解和使用的传统胶粘剂、生产工艺的灵活性、资源利用以及胶粘剂生产中的知识传播。我们的研究结果揭示了粘合剂生产系统的灵活性。人们在粘合剂配方中使用各种有机和无机材料。配方是灵活的，展示了适应变化和根据需要替换材料以实现所需的最终产品的能力。此外，我们的研究揭示了通常局限于个体人群的各种冗余知识传播途径。其中包括同性垂直传播以及独特的学习空间和过程。此外，我们还确定了材料采购区，表明人们已经准备好长途跋涉 70 公里来采购原料。我们利用我们的发现来回顾考古学，并讨论考古粘合剂的鉴定、粘合剂材料的功能作用、粘合剂储存以及人类与大戟科和蜜蜂科等物种的持续相互作用。我们的研究结果强调了传统粘合剂生产的多样性和适应性，并表明对粘合剂的进一步研究将揭示考古记录中类似的多样性。