Exploring the Cultural Roots of Native Plants

Sweetgrass is native to northern North America and Eurasia. It is considered sacred by many indigenous communities. (Photo by Matt Lavin, via Flickr: August 17, 2017; Montana, USA).

Similar to insects, native plants are often overlooked, despite their importance. While their importance is often discussed in terms of supporting ecosystems and biodiversity, native plants also hold deep cultural significance for many communities.

Today I spoke with Katie Fletcher, a member of Mi'kmaq nation and creator of the blog Dawnland Art, about the importance of native plants like sweetgrass, and how non-native invasive species can negatively impact them. Listen to the short podcast below (with animations courtesy of Katie) to learn more!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxeocc1tSIE&time_continue=59&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fkatfle13.dreamhosters.com%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fkatfle13.dreamhosters.com

Ethnobotany:

The study of how people of a particular culture and region make use of indigenous (native) plants.

https://youtu.be/7ExtPh6avOU?si=NQr2ViF-aNanKBq0

This blog post is in collaboration with Dawnland Art, a blog about Wabanaki artists and their mediums. Be sure to check out Katie's blog and Instagram account:

• Blog: Dawnland Art

• Instagram: @dawnland.art

Listen to full podcast here!