This episode is all about where, how and why primates got their names!
No, we won't be talking about popular primates like Kanzi the bonobo or Pan-kun (if you're in Japan), but rather the terms we use for the common and scientific names of primates across their taxonomy.
Dr. Elaine Guevara is a Lecturer in Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University's Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, and in 2021, she coauthored a study published in the International Journal of Primatology called “Whom do primate names honor: rethinking primate eponyms” (Open Access), along with Chloe Chen-Kraus, Casey Farmer, Katherine Meier, David P. Watts & Jane Widness.
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Eponym (noun): one for whom or which something is or is believed to be named.
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In the interview, we do a deep dive into primate names and the various contexts within which they are given. Key topics of discussion include:
- colonial roots of primate naming
- honorifics, hero worship and challenge of getting it right
- decolonizing science and having dialogues toward greater inclusivity in science and society
- Verreaux's sifaka, Geoffroy's spider monkey, Dian's tarsier and the Bemaraha woolly monkey (a.k.a. Avahi cleesei), whose epithet (species name) honors John Cleese!
- pronunciation and the challenge of Anglicization
- better ways to name as conceived by the international primatological community
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CORRECTION
At 1:00:02 of the interview Elaine notes that the term 'maias' - suggested by JM Rubis (2020) to replace the established common name orangutan - is an indigenous Malay term, when in fact it is the term used by the Iban, a group indigenous to the island of Borneo.
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For more information, and to contribute to understanding primate names and what we should do about them, explore these links!
- Primate Eponyms website - learn more about primate namesakes and contribute if information for your species is missing!
- Survey for primatologists (at all career stages!) where you can provide your thoughts on primate eponyms. CLICK HERE!
- The orang utan is not an indigenous name: knowing and naming the maias as a decolonizing epistemology (Paywall) by Jane M. Rubis (2020).
- Decolonizing the Ourang-Outang (Open Access) by Maeve Fairbanks, Luke D. Fannin & Nathaniel J. Dominy (2022) published in the International Journal of Primatology.
The PrimateCast is hosted and produced by Andrew MacIntosh. Artwork by Chris Martin. Music by Andre Goncalves.
Here's what you can do to get in touch!
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