An Exploration of Ethnobotanically Significant Plants to the Native American Tribes of Montana

Author

Margaret MageeFollow

Graduation Year

2021

Graduation Month

May

Document Type

Professional Paper

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

School or Department

Environmental Studies

Major

Environmental Studies

Faculty Mentor Department

Biological Sciences, Division of

Faculty Mentor

Marilyn Marler

Keywords

Ethnobotany, Montana, Tribes

Subject Categories

Botany | Indigenous Studies

Abstract

Ethnobotany is the study of the human uses of plants; for the Native Tribes of Montana these uses refer to everything from food, to ceremony, to medicine and everything in between. As a collaboration with the Payne Family Native American Center Ethnobotanical gardens, I conducted research on the various plants and their uses that are of particular significance to the 11 Tribes and 7 reservations across the state of MT. I collected information from first-hand experience working as an intern at the ethnobotanical garden, through discussions lead by Native ethnobotanists, and through extensive exploration of literature and plant identification manuals. The culmination of this project is an webpage accompanying the ethnobotanical gardens on the University of Montana campus that can be used as a resource for those visiting the gardens and for those who just want to know more about the native plants of Montana and their importance to the Native peoples of Montana. It will incorporate plant and Tribal information collected as well as depictions of the Native ranges and location of the reservations across the state of Montana to orient viewers.

Here in Montana, we are surrounded by abundant natural resources, cultures and histories that often go unnoticed and unutilized. The main goal of this project is to inform the larger public about these plants and cultures around them. It offers a unique tool to look at the natural world with a deeper and more meaningful perspective and a way to appreciate and learn from the knowledge and traditions of the Native Tribes of Montana.

Honors College Research Project

Yes

GLI Capstone Project

no

Recommended Citation

Magee, Margaret, "An Exploration of Ethnobotanically Significant Plants to the Native American Tribes of Montana" (2021). Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts. 345.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/utpp/345