Myaamia Ethnobotanical Research for Cultural Revitalization

This presentation describes the process related to revitalizing traditional plant knowledge of the Myaamia community of the upper Midwest U.S., Oklahoma, and Kansas. This process will be illustrated using three plants: myaamia miincipi (Corn, Zea mays), leninsi (Common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca), and ahsapa (Indian hemp, Apocynum cannabinum).  Process steps will be covered, including: (1) Prioritization of myaamia community research needs regarding traditional plants, (2) Traditional knowledge gathering methods, including examination of historical language documents, participatory research, and direct interviews with tribal members, (3) Working with myaamia linguists to understand and reconstruct traditional plant knowledge from historic documents, and (4) Application of gathered knowledge to language revitalization and re-engagement of community members with the land.