Retracing the footsteps of Everard Im Thurn in Guyana
By: Sara Albuquerque - 07/10/2010
The South American country of Guyana (formerly British Guiana) has a rich biological and cultural heritage, well-represented in Kew's Economic Botany Collection. A research project seeks to view the historic collections in the context of today's people and environment.
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For my doctoral research I have been studying the Latin American career of Everard Im Thurn, (1852 – 1932). He was a colonial administrator and polymath: equally capable as a botanist, anthropologist, curator, photographer and ornithologist. An important resource for my project is the artefacts collected by Im Thurn in British Guiana [now Guyana], kept in the Economic Botany Collection at Kew. The objects pictured below were both collected by Im Thurn:
A pot made of clay mixed with burned and powdered Kanto bark (Hirtella americana) by the Arawak Indians (EBC 37797)
A sample of Karamani gum, from the Symphonia globulifera tree, used for cementing arrow heads (EBC 66698)
In October 2010 I am going to Guyana to visit some of the communities (Arawak and Macushi in particular) where Everard Im Thurn collected some 120 years ago. I will also have the opportunity to visit the capital Georgetown and examine the way indigenous artefacts are part of the cultural life of Guyana today.
My main aim is to see how the objects such as necklaces, hammocks, fans and pottery have or have not changed in the intervening period. I wonder if the kinds of objects collected by Im Thurn are still being used by these communities, whether the same species of plants are being used to make the objects, is this knowledge of handcraft is still being passed down through the generations, and to what extent tourism is influencing these communities. Once I return, I will report some of my findings back to the blog.
My research project is funded by an AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award and a studentship from the Portuguese foundation FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), and co-supervised by Dr Luciana Martins (Birkbeck, University of London) and Christopher Mills (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew).
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About Mark Nesbitt
(Photo by London College of Fashion students)
Mark Nesbitt is curator of the Economic Botany Collection at Kew. After studying agricultural botany at Reading University, Mark moved onto the archaeology of plants via a doctorate at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. After 15 years of research in the Near East, he joined Kew in 1999 as a specialist in useful plants both past and present.
At the core of Mark's work is caring for the Collection: adding new specimens (about 800 a year), monitoring environmental conditions, lending to exhibitions, upgrading the Collection database and rehousing specimens. Mark hosts around 500 visitors each year, from many different disciplines, organises conservation, teaching and research projects with collaborators, and carries out research into the history of plant fibres, medicine and colonial botany. A team of 5-6 volunteers, placement students and interns play a vital role in keeping everything going.
Mark's aims are both to ensure the Collection is cared for to modern museum standards, and to help the fascinating stories told by its 85,000 artefacts reach the widest possible audience.
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2 comments on 'The South American country of Guyana (formerly British Guiana) has a rich biological and cultural heritage, well-represented in Kew's Economic Botany Collection. A research project seeks to view the historic collections in the context of today's people and environment.'
Sara Albuquerque says
12/11/2010 12:08:20 PM | Report abuse
Hi Renske,Thank you so much for your comment! I'm sorry to reply just now, it was difficult to have access to internet when I was in Guyana. I'm aware of Tinde van Andel work and after this trip I hope to get in touch with him asap. Thank you! Sara
Renske Ek says
09/10/2010 10:46:46 AM | Report abuse
Hi Sara, Good luck with your research! Sounds great! Suppose you are already in contact with Tinde van Andel? Renske Ek