Join us for an illuminating keynote presentation by Botany of Nations co-curator Dr. Enrique Salmón, a leading voice in ethnobiology, agroecology and Ancestral Ecological Knowledge.

Many Native worldviews hold the perspective that all life is spiritually and materially interrelated. Kincentricity, the title of Salmón’s forthcoming book, is a term that he coined to convey how American Indians see themselves as part of an extended ecological family, as kin (relatives) to other entities living in a non-hierarchical relationship within the natural world.

In this talk, Salmón will elucidate how this concept lies at the heart of many Indigenous philosophies, shaping Indigenous thought, language and identity and influencing how some Native Nations tend to their homelands.

Salmón will also discuss how the seven plants featured in the Academy’s groundbreaking exhibition, Botany of Nations, serve as portals to Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and kincentric ways of understanding one’s place within the universe.

After his presentation, Salmón will be joined by Botany of Nations contributing ethnobotanist Linda Black Elk for a conversation that expands on these ideas and the two will answer questions from the audience.

The Botany of Nations Symposium was made possible with the generous support of the Arcadia Foundation.

About Enrique Salmón:

Professor and Chair, Department of Ethnic Studies, California State University, East Bay Enrique Salmón is a Rarámuri (Tarahumara). He has dedicated his studies to Ethnobiology, Agroecology and Ancestral Ecological Knowledge to better understand his and other cultural perceptions of culture, landscapes and place. Salmón is the author of Eating the Landscape, which focuses on small-scale Native farmers of the Greater Southwest and their role in maintaining biocultural diversity, and the ethnobotanical book Iwigara: The Kinship of Plants and People. He is currently authoring a new book focused on Kincenteric Ecology and Indigenous plant foods. Salmón has a B.S. from Western New Mexico University, an MAT in Southwestern Studies from Colorado College, and a PhD. in anthropology from Arizona State University. Dr. Salmon is the tribal liaison for CSUEB and the NAGPRA coordinator.

About Linda Black Elk:

Linda Black Elk is a food sovereignty activists and teacher of traditional plant knowledge, gardening, food preservation and foraging. They spend their time collecting and preparing traditional foods and medicines for Indigenous peoples and communities in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and beyond. Linda is a renowned ethnobotanist, author and educator, and she currently serves as the Education Director at North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems. Linda sits on the board of Makoce Ikikcupi, a Dakota-led nonprofit, which is a Reparative Justice project on Dakota lands.

About Botany of Nations:

Co-curated with Enrique Salmón, PhD, an ethnobotanist and author of IWÍGARA: The Kinship of Plants and People, and developed with contributions from Indigenous cultural historians, Botany of Nations offers a culturally layered view of the plants of North America.

Collected on the famous expedition, some of the oldest plant specimens in the country today are housed in the Academy’s own Lewis and Clark Herbarium. Learn how the Native Nations Meriwether Lewis met on the trail shaped America’s plant knowledge long before Western scientists claimed these “discoveries.” Centering the voices of Native Nations who have protected and cared for the lands for thousands of years, Botany of Nations presents plants as portals to Indigenous storytelling and knowledge. You will:

• See 18th and early 19th century scientific instruments, original journals, maps and herbarium sheets that illuminate the role of natural science on the Corps of Discovery.
• View Native American peace pipes as well as Corps of Discovery peace medals.
• Navigate prairie, plains, plateau and Pacific coast landscapes within a model of the trail as you learn about the importance of plants such as tobacco and chokecherry through film, interactive media, cultural artifacts, sensory experiences and contemporary voices.
• Watch a newly produced film about how Indigenous traditional land practices and cultural systems surrounding food provide contemporary solutions to today’s biodiversity and climate challenges.
• Experience a native plant garden on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to learn how you can grow heritage plants that foster biodiversity.