People and Plants: reactivating ethnobotanical collections as material archives of indigenous ecological knowledge

许多人类学收藏品中包含的物品通常被认为是植物园或自然历史博物馆的领域。这些民族植物学收藏品可能会因为博物馆专业人员为如何研究和管理它们而苦苦挣扎而萎靡不振。考虑到自然历史和民族志收藏之间的相互作用，该项目建立在对土著生态重新出现的兴趣和民族植物学收藏作为土著生态知识材料档案的价值之上。在当前关于非殖民化博物馆工作的实践和方法的辩论中，该项目旨在建立学者、研究人员、博物馆专业人员、植物学家和土著知识持有者之间的对话，以建立这些藏品在当前的相关性，以及它们在未来的潜在应用。2021年至2022年期间，将在肯特郡的鲍威尔-棉花博物馆、皇家植物园、邱园和苏格兰国家博物馆举行为期两天的研讨会。该项目是这三个组织的研究人员之间的合作项目。该项目还与博物馆人种学家小组（MEG）和自然科学收藏协会（NatSCA）合作，两者都是博物馆部门公认的主题专家网络（SSN）。我们将邀请遗产和环境组织的代表参加，包括巴西的戈尔迪博物馆、澳大利亚国家博物馆、澳大利亚热带植物标本馆，以及英国的NOMAD项目，该项目与索马里社区一起参与遗产项目。该项目将受益于这些ssn、博物馆和社区团体之间的联系，因为他们有能力塑造和告知与这些跨学科藏品相关的博物馆实践。

Many anthropology collections contain objects often considered the domain of botanical gardens or natural history museums. These ethnobotanical collections can languish as museum professionals struggle with how to research and curate them. Considering the interplay between natural history and ethnography collections, this project builds on a re-emerging interest in indigenous ecology and the value of ethnobotanical collections as material archives of indigenous ecological knowledge.Situating itself within current debates on decolonising the practice and method of museum work, this project aims to create a conversation between academics, researchers, museum professionals, botanists, and indigenous knowledge holders to establish the relevance of these collections in the present, and their potential applications for the future.Three two-day workshops will be held during 2021/22 at The Powell-Cotton Museum in Kent, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and National Museums Scotland. The project is a partnership between researchers at these three organisations. The project is also in partnership with the Museum Ethnographers Group (MEG) and the Natural Sciences Collections Association (NatSCA), both recognized subject specialist networks (SSN) within the museum sector. We will involve representatives of heritage and environmental organisations including the Museu Goeldi in Brazil, the National Museum of Australia, the Australian Tropical Herbarium, and NOMAD project in the UK which works with engaging Somali communities in heritage projects. The project will benefit from the connections of these SSNs, museums and community groups through their ability to shape and inform museum practice in relation to these interdisciplinary collections.