Hidden Garden has created a circle of plants which are all of African origin or of great importance in Afro-Costa Rican ethnobotany. For many years we have been researching the ethnobotanical experience of the Afro-Latino Diaspora and hearing stories of interdependent survival. Based on years of research here at the garden and the revolutionary book, In The Shadow of Slavery: Africa’s Botanical Legacy in the Atlantic World, we have a growing list of important medicinal, food and spiritual plants that came here from Africa over the past 500 years. These plants are organized into a ceremonial space, using the Sacred Grove model from West Africa (see Ormsby & Egbeako ) in which plant conservation areas serve as grounds for other wellness and spiritual traditions to take place.
We have started with a list of plants that are either of African origin or have been integral to the survival of Africans in the Atlantic Diaspora. The list is a work in progress and features particularly those plants which can potentially grow in lowland Caribbean tropics. Those which have a number are already in our garden and the others are on our wish list (those marked with P are priority).
Afro Botany Research Topics
All research done in collaboration with the Afro Botany Research Center at Hidden Garden, will be made available online for all, free of charge or by donation. Contact Rachel Thomas, info@hiddengarden.co
| Create an Afro Botanical list for your bio region. Include common names, ethnobotanical references, personal stories & your best estimate as to the correct scientific name. | ||
| Review Afro Botanical literature & media to identify primary terminology endemic to the ethnobotany and ethnomedicine of the African Diaspora | ||
| Create a social media to translate any of these research topics into formats that can enter popular culture | ||
| Review examples of public health policies or projects which integrate Africana ethnomedicine | ||
| Create an outline of Africana ethnomedicine for your region, to include all components of a holistic wellness system | ||
| Choose one bio region and compare the Indigenous Botany with the Africana Ethnobotany | ||
| Create a list of plants used for beauty throughout the African Diaspora | ||
| Create a list of plants used for spiritual connection throughout the African Diaspora or in one specific eco-region | ||
| Create a small garden at your institution which reflects the Africana Ethnobotany of the region, establishing an herbarium and ethnobotanical information sharing system for visiting elders & community members to contribute their knowledge |
