colonial taxonomy

Not long ago every tree here on my kibbutz had a name tag lovingly crafted and hand lettered byY,D (R.I.P).The latin and Hebrew names for each tree were memorized by many of the children and members, but time took its toll and only a handful of the originals remained.In a  recent community based project I ordered twelve new name signs – only this time with the addition of the  Arabic name for each tree as well ,hinting at the presence of previous inhabitants of this valley.! On a recent holiday the oldest members together with the youngest placed the markers below the appropriate trees.