Botanic studies Ethnographic experiences
1. Most primitive, least evolved: cyanobacteria [algae] More complex, more evolved 2. Primitive plants Mosses: spore capsules, spores, sperm, eggs Seedless Vascular Plants psilotum: cones, spores, sperm, eggs lycopodium: cones, spores, sperm, eggs ferns: sori, spores, sperm, eggs 4. Seeded non-flowering plants (cone bearing plants): gymnosperms: cones, pollen, naked seeds Most complex, evolved Seeded flowering plants angiosperms: 6. vegetative morphology: leaf shapes 8. floral morphology: flower shapes 9. fruits 3. Healing plants Plants that heal us 5. Food plants Plants that feed us 7. Material culture plants Plants that provide shelter, transportation, clothing, and that decorate our bodies, homes, and gardens 10. Sacred plants Plants that entertain, inspirit , and enrapture us, plants that inspire legends.
Wk Day Date Area Topic
0 Thurs 16 Aug Introduction 1. Introduction to Ethnobotany. Cyanobacteria.
1 Tues 21 Aug Botany 2. Outdoor primitive and less complex plants field hike: Mosses, Seedless Vascular Plants (SVP): psilotum, lycopodium, selaginella, ferns. WET MUDDY STEEP.
1 Thurs 23 Aug Ethnogarden Outdoor: Finding the plants of fall 2006: Tall razor grass will cut your legs and hands. Merremia peltata will stain your clothes. Machetes will be used. Sweaty. Hot. Wet. Muddy. 1. First the class will tour the garden as a group to learn the locations of the plants in the garden and to cover the garden cleaning ground rules. At the Palikir National Plants of Micronesia ethnobotanical garden the threat to the collection is primarily an invasive sun-loving grass (Ichaemum polystachum, reh padil) and an aggressive native vine (Merremia peltata, iohl, puhlah). Thus the following guidelines to cleaning garden: Retain as much shade as possible. Do not cut Premna obtusifolia (fienkack, topwuk, nior, niyóór, liorr, arr), Morinda citrifolia (noni, ii, weipwul, nopwur, mangal'wag, Campnosperma brevipetiolata (elahk, dohng, ramluw, rramllaw), or other small trees that provide shade. Retain, to the extent possible, ferns. The bulk of the ferns in the garden are native to Pohnpei and should be encouraged to grow. Clear carefully around all ferns and other seedless vascular plants. 2. Then the class will clean-up around the plants planted by students in previous terms. 3. Start thinking about what unique plant you could contribute to the garden at term's end. Prepare for an initial submission of your proposed plant addition on 09 October.
2 Tues 28 Aug Ethnography Preparation for group presentations on cyanobacteria, mosses, SVPs.
2 Thurs 30 Aug Ethnography Group presentations cyanobacteria, mosses (bryophytes), lycopodium, selaginella, ferns.
3 Tues 04 Sep Test One
3 Thurs 06 Sep Ethnography 3. Outdoor field trip: Plants that heal us. Traditional and medicinal plants of Pohnpei field trip to Pohnpei state campus. Read People, Plants, and Culture chapter two. Plants that heal lecture. Public versus private knowledge.
4 Tues 11 Sep Holiday Pohnpei Liberation Day
4 Thurs 13 Sep Botany Plant collecting process. Herbarium specimens.
5 Tues 18 Sep Ethnography Healing plant individual presentations
5 Thurs 20 Sep Ethnography Healing plant individual presentations
6 Tues 25 Sep Botany 4. Outdoor field trip: Gymnosperms and plants with economic value. Pohnpei Pwunso Kolonia botanic garden road trip and walk.
6 Thurs 27 Sep Botany Preparation for gymnosperm presentations
7 Tues 02 Oct Botany Group presentations: gymnosperms
7 Thurs 04 Oct Midterm
8 Tues 09 Oct Ethnogarden Outdoor: Cleaning up the garden, submission of your proposed plant addition to the ethnogarden. What unique, culturally significant plant will you add at term's end? A paper will accompany the plant explaining why the plant is in the garden. The paper will be submitted electronically and maintained on the ethnobotany web site for future reference! Sweaty. Hot. Wet. Muddy.
8 Thurs 11 Oct Ethnography 5. Outdoor: Read Balick chapter three. Plants that feed us. Food plants of Haruki walk. Planning session for Thursday. A walk and talk on campus.
9 Tues 16 Oct Ethnography Plants as food: Each cultural group brings a traditional food to share. Group presentation with food.
9 Thurs 18 Oct Botany 6. Outdoor field walk: Angiosperms: Vegetative morphology
10 Tues 23 Oct Ethnography 7. Balick four. Material culture: Plants that shelter us, transport us, and decorate our bodies, homes, and gardens. At the hut near the gym.
10 Thurs 25 Oct Ethnography Field trip: Marekeiso production
11 Tues 30 Oct Ethnography Material culture individual presentations
11 Thurs 01 Nov Ethnography Material culture individual presentations
12 Tues 06 Nov Test Two
12 Thurs 08 Nov Holiday Pohnpei Constitution Day
13 Tues 13 Nov Botany 8. Outdoor field walk: Angiosperms: Floral morphology. Sketch flowers. [Reminder: one week to share a story]
13 Thurs 15 Nov Botany 9. Let 'em eat fruit! Bring an edible fruit to share with the class. Angiosperms: fruits. The third morphological component in the trio leaves, flowers, and fruit.
14 Tues 20 Nov Ethnography Share a story about a plant. The story could be a legend, a personal experience where a plant played an central role, or the story of the history of how plant came to your island. Any kind of plant story that can be shared.
14 Thurs 22 Nov Ethnography 10. Balick five. Plants that entertain us. Memes and Areca catechu. Entering other worlds lecture: Five types of psychoactive substances.
15 Tues 27 Nov Ethnography Piper methysticum: Chemistry and Uses, Legends
15 Thurs 29 Nov Ethnography Field Trip: Kava cultural ceremony
16 Tues 04 Dec Ethnogarden Outdoor work with dirt: Ethnobotanical garden clean-up. Tall razor grass will cut your legs and hands. Merremia peltata will stain your clothes. Sharp knives will be used. Sweaty. Hot. Wet. Muddy.
16 Thurs 06 Dec Ethnogarden Outdoor work with dirt: Sweaty. Hot. Wet. Muddy.Outdoor work with dirt: Ethnobotanical garden BRING YOUR PLANT TO PLANT! Turn in your final draft of your essay on why the plant you've added should be in the ethnobotanical garden. Take Home Final
17 Mon 10 Dec Ethnography Take home final examination due by 5:00 P.M.