Book Details How Kumeyaay Use Indigenous Plants

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Photo credit: Courtesy of Sunbelt Publications

The cover of "Kumeyaay Ethnobotany: Shared Heritage of the Californias" is pictured.

The Kumeyaay Nation was once a vast territory, spanning the U.S.-Mexico border. For thousands of years, native peoples lived close to the land and learned to use indigenous plants for food, clothing, protection and medicine.

Some of that knowledge has been lost to time, but a surprising amount of it has been preserved in the memory of elders and now in a book by Cal State San Marcos anthropology professor Michael Wilken-Robertson.

"Kumeyaay Ethnobotany: Shared Heritage of the Californias" explores the plants the Kumeyaay use to make food, medicine and traditional arts.

Wilken-Robertson is giving a lecture and will be signing books on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Bonita Museum and Cultural Center, 4355 Bonita Road. The event is free.

Wilken-Robertson joins Midday Edition on Tuesday.

Aired 1/23/18 on KPBS Midday Edition

Book Details How Kumeyaay Use Indigenous Plants

GUEST:

Michael Wilken-Robertson, author, "Kumeyaay Ethnobotany: Shared Heritage of the Californias"

Transcript for audioclip 38361

FEATURED PODCAST

KPBS' daily news podcast covering local politics, education, health, environment, the border and more. New episodes are ready weekday mornings so you can listen on your morning commute.