Barona Cultural Center & Museum

In 2018, the seventh and eighth graders' Heritage Project focused on ethnobotany (the science of cultural plant use) using specimens from the 1978-1982 Elizabeth Windsong Barona Indian Reservation Natural History Collection. Students learned "herbarium standards" (proper care for a collection of preserved plant specimens) and techniques to preserve plant specimens while researching and writing about traditional uses of plants for dietary, medicinal, and utilitarian purposes.

Heritage Project classes were held from March 1, 2018 to April 19, 2018. Classes met for forty-five minutes on a weekly basis. Each of the participating students was assigned one plant specimen from the Elizabeth Windsong Collection. Jennifer Stone (Assistant Curator) and Therese Chung (Collections Manager) instructed the students in museum object handling and the re-housing of preserved specimens. In addition to this, the students also learned about the importance of Nature Journaling. Each student made their own journal out of a recycled book and guest lecturer Barbara Tagami taught them about observation in the field and the wonders of nature.

Acknowledgements:

Lucy Ferguson, 7th and 8th Grade Teacher

Austin McKeever, Barona Indian Charter School Principal
 

Barbara Tagami, Naturalist
 

IT/Site Design:  Erin Payne

7th Grade Students: Sofia Banegas, Marshal Mair, Luis Osuna, Jr., Jared Painter, and Malia Richardson.

8th Grade Students: Jordan Buban, Indiana Cook, Angel Gutierrez-Silva, Emiley Holsbo, Jonathan Klingman, Cooper Maio, Justin Mair, William Martin, Garrett Pekelder, and Akaylah Ramirez.

Barona Museum Staff:  Jennifer Stone, Therese Chung