With thanks to Director Weilbacher and Totoa Fetalai-Currie, the SC/SS 115 Ethnobotany class enjoyed a excellent introduction to the unit on healing plants.
The students glance over the hand-out which is a condensed Pohnpeian flora of the plants in the garden. The list contains 117 plants. Where the latin binomial or names for a plant from other islands is known, that is included as well.
The field trip replaces what used to be an in-class lecture. The same basic material is now delivered more in the lecture manner of the Peripatetic school of Aristotle - while walking and pausing along the paths of a garden and using the plants as the examples. Garry pauses at Cinnamomum carolinense, madeu. The plant provides an opportunity to explain indigenous versus native plants.
As the photographer is kept busy explaining, asking questions, and answering queries, few photos tend to get taken.
At the end of the class Divine Grace asked for a photo of her in the traditional hut.
