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 14 Aug Introduction 1. Introduction to Ethnobotany. Cyanobacteria.
1 Tues 19 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 21 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. Need a ground orchid in the garden. 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 26 Aug Ethnography Preparation for group presentations on cyanobacteria, mosses, SVPs.
2 Thurs 28 Aug Ethnography Group presentations cyanobacteria, mosses (bryophytes), lycopodium, selaginella, ferns.
3 Tues 02 Sep Test One
3 Thurs 04 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 09 Sep Botany Plant collecting process. Herbarium specimens.
4 Thurs 11 Sep
Liberation day
5 Tues 16 Sep Ethnography Healing plant individual presentations
5 Thurs 18 Sep Ethnography Healing plant individual presentations
6 Tues 23 Sep Botany 4. Outdoor field trip: Gymnosperms and plants with economic value. Pohnpei Pwunso Kolonia botanic garden road trip and walk.
6 Thurs 25 Sep Botany Preparation for gymnosperm presentations
7 Tues 30 Sep Botany Group presentations: gymnosperms
7 Thurs 02 Oct Midterm
8 Tues 07 Oct Ethnogarden Outdoor: Cleaning up the garden! A chance to learn about the plants and make decisions on what culturally meaningful plant you can contribute to the garden at the end of the term. The plant you do eventually bring will have to be a new addition to the garden – either a new variety of an existing plant or a new species. Sweaty. Hot. Wet. Muddy.
8 Thurs 09 Oct Ethnography 5. Outdoor: Plants that feed us. Food plants of Haruki walk. Planning session for Thursday. A walk and talk on campus. Is there a field trip option here with Lois and Island Foods? Mark spoke on bananas
9 Tues 14 Oct Ethnography Plants as food: Each cultural group brings a traditional food to share. Group presentation with food.
9 Thurs 16 Oct Botany 6. Outdoor field walk: Angiosperms: Vegetative morphology in the Palikir ethnobotanical garden. Also a chance to learn the plants of the garden. [Add a ground orchid to the garden for linear venation and floral morphology. Use hill south of pineapple]
10 Tues 21 Oct Ethnography 7. Material culture: Plants that shelter us, transport us, and decorate our bodies, homes, and gardens. At the hut near the gym.
10 Thurs 23 Oct Ethnography Traditional materials experience: thatching
11 Tues 28 Oct Ethnography Tentative ethnomusicology presentation
11 Thurs 30 Oct Ethnography Material culture individual presentations
12 Tues 04 Nov Ethnography Material culture individual presentations
12 Thurs 06 Nov Test Two
13 Tues 11 Nov
Veterans day
13 Thurs 13 Nov Botany 8. Outdoor field walk: Angiosperms: Floral morphology. Sketch flowers. [Reminder: fruit in a week]
14 Tues 18 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. NEW: Banana corm cleaning and bagging day! Bring your corm.
14 Thurs 20 Nov Ethnography 10. Plants that entertain us. Memes and Areca catechu. Entering other worlds lecture: Five types of psychoactive substances.
15 Tues 25 Nov Ethnography Piper methysticum: Chemistry and Uses, Legends
15 Thurs 27 Nov Ethnography Field Trip: Kava cultural ceremony
16 Tues 02 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. Clearing the area for the bananas.
16 Thurs 04 Dec Ethnogarden Outdoor work with dirt: Sweaty. Hot. Wet. Muddy.Outdoor work with dirt: Ethnobotanical garden
17 Mon 08 Dec Ethnography Take home final examination due by 5:00 P.M.