For this year's "Ethnobotany" theme, I delved into the plants that indigenous people groups use for dyeing fabric. To narrow the scope, I decided to focus on three specific people groups—Tlingit and Chimmesyan/Tsimshian (Alaska coast and Canada interior), Ohlone/Costanoan (Northern California), and Polynesian/Pacific Islander (Hawaii); and to carry out my research at the survey level rather than the detailed level.
I quickly realized that I had to expand my vision from dyeing fabric with plants, to dyeing and decorating fabric, baskets, and other objects. I also realized that previously my perspective has been on the plant explorers who were learning about dye plants, rather than on the people who were already using them! I thoroughly enjoyed the research and learned so much!
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| A year full of life! |
Ethnobotany
The Learn More sections provide links to additional information, YouTube videos, and other resources.
Ethnobotany and Dyeing With Plants
Ethnobotany: Tlingit's and Dyeing with Plants
Ethnobotany: Muwekma Ohlone Basketry
Ethnobotany: Kanaka Maoli Kapa
Outings in Alaska
I spent six weeks in Alaska with my parents, brother, and a few childhood friends, and enjoyed the beautiful "Great Land". My sister and Aunt Char also travelled to Alaska to visit this beautiful place. Some topics appear in Field Notes.
Death with Dessert, Mendenhall Glacier, and the Boy Scout Trail (Field Notes for April 2025)
Audubon Cruise in Southeast Alaska
Jazz and Classics, Toads and Bears, Hikes and Drives, Jensen-Olson Garden, Capital Killers, and TrollFest (Field Notes for May 2025)
Mom and Marianne at the Glacier and Eagle Beach, and More Family Outings in Juneau (Field Notes for August 2025)
Mom and Aunt Char with Dave at The Hangar (Field Notes for September 2025)
Outings Closer to Home
Visited some diverse gardens here in the Bay Area, and pitched in to help out at the food bank.
The Gardens at Lake Merritt (Field Notes for July 2025)
Alameda County Community Food Bank
Landscaping
Celebrated our new landscape, learned more about its plants, developed a maintenance schedule, and enjoyed the pollinators and birds that visit the space.
Great Backyard Bird Count 2025
Bringing Back the Natives 2025
Mushrooms (Field Notes for January 2025)
Salamander, Heucheras, and California Poppies (Field Notes for April 2025)
Flowers, Weeding, and Birds (Field Notes for June 2025)
Cicadas and More Weeding (Field Notes for July 2025)
Summer Flowers (Field Notes for August 2025)
🌷Spring Watch 🌞Summer Watch 🍂Fall Watch ⛅Winter Watch
Hikes with OTHG (and good places for lunch)
Mari, Gaymond and I explored regional parks all over the Bay Area with the Over-the-Hills-Gang (including cookies at the half-way point—especially the crispy ginger and lemon cookies—but we're not too picky)! The only thing better than hiking with friends, is following it up with lunch and good conversation. Whenever possible, Mari, Gaymond and I tried to find a good place for lunch after our hike.
Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park (Sparky's Giant Burgers)
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline (Richmond Kebab and Gyros)
Ted and Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline Park (Slow Hand BBQ)
Sobrante Ridge Botanical Regional Preserve (The Noodle House)
Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve (Taqueria Las Compadres)
Huckleberry Botanical Regional Preserve (TGI Oni Sushi)
Dotson Family Marsh Richmond (Modu Hawaiian BBQ)
Carquinez Strait (Crocket Cocina)
MLK Shoreline (Dragon Rouge Bistro Alameda)
Tilden Park (potluck)
Road Trip to Mesa Verde
My husband and I always enjoy a good road trip. This time we travelled to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado.
Field Notes 2025
Continued reporting observations and experiences throughout the month. Most entries are about gardens, plants, and nature, but some are about all the life that happens around that.
December
Plant Hunters
On a quest to learn more about plant hunters in the Americas, this time in the Western United States.
Edith Van Allen Murphy (California and the Great Basin)
Isabella Aiona Abbott (Hawaii)
Movies
Went to the movies to learn about embroidery (to enhance our understanding of dyeing with plants) and got some ideas for keeping a dye journal for our projects.
Through the Eye of a Needle: Stories from An Indian Desert
Books
Read a few good books to learn more about plant hunters and historical gardening.
Traditional Hawaiian Uses of Plants
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