“Who Eats the Forest?”: From Tradition to Q1 Publication

“We are excited to share that our Prof. K. David Harrison and his student research team have just had their paper ” ‘Who eats the forest?’: Forest animacy among the Bahnar People of Vietnam” accepted to the prestigious Q1 “Journal of Ethnobiology”.

This journey began with their early days visiting the Bahnar ethnic minority in the highlands of Kon Tum, where Professor Harrison’s Anthropology team was initially mistaken for a charity mission.

Sharing from the insider: “They (our colleagues at the university) were surprised when we told them that the ethnic minority people are environmental experts who know more about local biodiversity than scientists know, and we were going to learn from them.” Thanks to the hospitality of the Bahnar community in Kon Tum, the research team had opportunities to engage in many insightful conversations with Bahnar “experts,” immersing themselves in village life to truly understand and learn the culture. The research team collaborated with the villagers to compile a list of local species, with a special focus on culturally significant birds regarded as “messengers of the forest spirits.” Along with that, a Bahnar Talking Dictionary was born.

Interestingly, VinUni students involved in the project had unique opportunities to enthusiastically engage in all aspects of Bahnar village life. They experienced everything from eating insects to navigating canoes, weaving baskets, playing gongs, and harvesting rice. These are unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experiences that will significantly contribute to their lifelong learning journey. Moreover, we believe that much of our students’ adventurous spirit stems from the encouragement of Professor Harrison and the research team, who consistently provide real opportunities and promote hands-on learning. Such experiences are expected to create a solid foundation for a new generation of young researchers in Vietnam.

This hands-on approach and deep engagement with the Bahnar community were key elements in documenting this meaningful and insightful journey. Led by Professor David Harrison and Dr. Tran Hoai with contributions from Professor Ginger Allington, an environmental scientist from Cornell University, the team’s mission was to bridge the knowledge gap and bring local insights to the world. The paper provides a profound description of the spiritual and practical relationships the Bahnar people have with the forest ecosystem and how they are excellent stewards of biodiversity. Despite receiving some critical comments from the reviewers with numerous revisions required, the final result is a well-deserved publication in the Journal of Ethnobiology.

* The Journal of Ethnobiology has been ranked Q1 in Anthropology for nine consecutive years according to the Scimago Journal & Country Rank.
* Q1 is occupied by the top 25% of journals in the list.