Native American Ethnobotany

Course | Registration opens 8/4/2025 8:00 AM EDT

Penn State York, 1031 Edgecomb Avenue York, PA 17403-3398 United States
Main Classroom Bldg, Conference Center, 31 B and C
Members and nonmembers
9/1/2025 (one day)
9:00 AM-10:30 AM EDT on Mon
$20.00
$8.00

Native American Ethnobotany

Course | Registration opens 8/4/2025 8:00 AM EDT

Our Indigenous American tribes used literally thousands of different plants for food, medicine, ceremony, containers, shelter, transportation, insecticides, musical instruments, fuel, incense, soap, tools, toys, weapons, smoking, snuff and magic. How have they acquired this encyclopedic knowledge? Part of the answer is the people have a spiritual relationship with the natural world, including plants, in a way most of us do not. In this program we will talk about those spiritual relationships and learn about two dozen plant uses that I found particularly interesting.


Robert Kuhn

*Jeff Kuhn taught biology and ecology for twenty-five years at York Suburban High School and environmental science for a half-dozen years as an adjunct professor at Penn State York. He holds a Ph.D. in ecology from Penn State. He has traveled North America extensively. Through his love of photography, background in ecology, and fascination with Native American culture, he shares his adventures with our OLLI audiences.