- William Balée
Dr. William Balée (1954- ) is a professor of
anthropology andenvironmental studies atTulane University inNew Orleans ,Louisiana .He was born in the Miami, Florida area and educated at the
University of Florida ,Gainesville , where he received a B.A. in Anthropology before moving on toColumbia University inNew York City where he earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology.After earning his Ph.D., Balée worked for the
New York Botanical Garden , collecting plants for anethnobotany project sponsored by aNoble Grant . Later he took up a job with the Museu Goeldi inBelém , Brazil.His primary ethnographic work was with the
Ka'apor indigenous culture ofMaranhão ,Brazil (Balée 1994). During his time in Brazil, however, he also carried out fieldwork with theTembe , theAsurini of theXingu river , theArawete of theIpishuna , which is also a tributary of the Xingu, and theGuaja .However, he is most renowned as a proponent and foremost expert of
historical ecology (Balée 1998).Currently, he is undertaking ethnographic fieldwork studying the historical ecology and legal activities of the
Sirionó people in easternBolivia .Bibliography
*Balée, William 1994 "Footprints of the Forest: Ka’apor Ethnobotany—the Historical Ecology of Plant Utilization by an Amazonian People." New York: Columbia University Press.
*Balée, William (editor) 1998 "Advances in Historical Ecology." Historical Ecology Series, New York: Columbia University Press.
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