Our proposed Ethnobotany Certificate Program will either directly foster and enhance the six goals set by the Kuskokwim Campus in its Accreditation Unit Self-Study or integrate strongly with other programs that do.

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of Alaska (our KuC service area) represents one of the most culturally intact indigenous populations in Alaska and, indeed, in the United States as a whole. Our population is mostly subsistence-based, both in spirit and in economy.

People of our region are still considered traditionalists and are communities / villages of hunters and gatherers. Indigenous plants play a major role in the everyday lives of all of our people. While the western term “ethnobotany” may not be recognized by many of these traditionalists, the importance of indigenous plants and the crucial roles that the flora of our region plays in food, medicine, and community well-being are recognized by all.

KuC's curriculum development efforts for this certificate program will integrate with our plans to ultimately offer an Ethnobotany Specialization for a proposed Associate of Science Degree that is currently in the approval process.

Our Ethnobotany Certificate Program is designed to meet four major academic goals:

1. To integrate “indigenous knowledge” of plants and their environments with “traditional science” into the core life science curriculum at KuC.
2. To provide young students with an attractive, culturally-relevant curriculum and an intermediate step in entering the traditional baccalaureate academic pathway in the sciences.
3. To provide culturally-relevant research opportunities for KuC students and faculty in the life sciences. Partnerships developed will include organizations such as Georgeson Botanical Gardens, UAF's Institute for Arctic Biology, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Nunivak Island Mekoryak, Alaska (NIMA) Corporation, University of Hawaii, the Pacific Alliance, Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP), etc.
4. To model efforts supporting the development of regional economic ethnobotany initiatives and indigenous knowledge-based economies in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

Proposed New Course Titles

Floral Ecology of the Yukon- Kuskokwim Delta – will explore how the ecological roles and characteristics of local plants relate to the principles of both modern ecology and indigenous culture.

Ethnobotanical Chemistry – will examine the chemical characteristics of the local flora, including study areas such as medicinal and pharmacological properties, fragrance characteristics, pollutant and contaminant concentration and processing, nutritional and dietary properties, etc.

Economic Ethnobotany – will explore the current and potential economic and cultural importance and usages of indigenous plants.

Outreach Activities

KuC's Summer Science Field Program on Nunivak Island is an outreach program that offers a collegiate experience (including UAF credits, exposure to faculty, field-based science curriculum, etc.) to a cohort of YK Delta high school juniors and seniors.

View the Ethnobotany Program Brochure [pdf]