The Explanation of the Dezfuli People’s Lived Experience of the Konar Tree

Elements of nature such as the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, water, plants, fire and mountains have always had a special value and prestige among different nations and peoples of the world; To the extent that they considered these manifestations of nature sacred and made symbols and signs for them or attributed gods to them. In ancient Iran, too, plants were highly respected and valued. This study has been done with the aim of explaining the people’s lived experience of the Konar tree in Dezful city. In this qualitative study, researcher used descriptive phenomenology method, purposeful sampling and in-depth interview technique for collecting data with 15 persons who resorted to this tree. Data were analyzed based on a seven-step Colaizzi’s model. The research findings, which are the result of interviews, include twenty concepts and three categories: "resource management", "collective solidarity" and "individual-social control". The results show that the maintenance of the Konar tree via resource management and long-term use of its therapeutic and health properties is related to its material functions, and resorting to and respecting this tree to solve some issues and problems of life that lead to collective solidarity and preservation of social order has spiritual functions.