Ethnobotanical knowledge and vitality of Gayo ethnolinguistic in Jabodetabek, Indonesia

Abstract

Each time a language dies, so do certain plant species. Gayo is classified by Ethnologue as an endangered language, yet Gayo Highland of Aceh harbors rich plant diversity. The language vitality would provide insight into the potential plant conservation efforts within the original geographic site. This research documented the ethnobotanical knowledge of the Gayo diaspora residing in the urban cities of Jabodetabek, Indonesia, and assessed the language vitality. Ethnographic interviews were used in a one-day Focus Group Discussion engaging 10 knowledgeable Gayo elders from various backgrounds and 1 Gayo ecolinguistic expert. The plant list was then compared to the Gayo plants identified from various publications. The language vitality was determined using UNESCO Language Vitality Assessment and EGIDS. FGD and in-depth interview documented 143 plant species with 39.5% new addition to the previous 218 species recorded based on literatures. The language intergenerational transmission indicated that most children still speak Gayo as their first language but are restricted to a specific domain. The results of this research confirm the potential role of the Gayo diaspora of Jabodetabek in maintaining and possible revitalization of the Gayo language and is expected to produce an initial step for plant conservation in the Leuser Ecosystem.