Written by Louis Andracchio
Delicate fronds of a water hornfern reach out to the edges of the archival paper. A dark cluster of ginger flowers float silently between two green blades of leaves. A golden bunch of rice stalks fan out as if caught in a breeze. Safely kept through decades of storage in the Penn Museum basement labs, an important ethnobotanical collection has finally been brought back to life at the Academy.
The Ban Chiang Collection
The Ban Chiang collection has its origins in 1978 when Joyce White, PhD, executive director of the Institute for Southeast Asian Archaeology, began an acquisition of more than 1,000 botanical specimens in the Udon Thani province of Thailand with the support of the Penn Museum. With a sensitive and considerate approach in mind, even in 1980s, many of the labels and descriptors on the items were written in the Ban Chiang area’s Thai dialects. This required data collection from local Thai indigenous experts and ensured that no traditional or culturally important specimen data was lost along the way.
The pressed botanical collection was sent back to Philly in 1981 and had been virtually untouched since it was collected. Still delicately layered with 40-year-old, age-yellowed Thai newspapers, and having endured multiple relocations over the years, the diligently safeguarded specimens have now been sorted, mounted and cataloged, and are currently in the process of being accessioned to the Academy’s famed Herbarium.
Enhancing and Embracing Ethnobotany
Recognizing the significance of this collection, the Academy gladly agreed to house these unique specimens from Southeast Asia in its prestigious Herbarium. The Herbarium is the ninth largest in the U.S. and the oldest in the western hemisphere and boasts an impressive collection of 1.4 million specimens dating from the late 17th century to modern times.
The Ban Chiang ethnobotanical collection fits well, offering a rich repository of botanical specimens that provide invaluable insights into ancient and modern agricultural practices, indigenous plant knowledge and plant-human interactions in Southeast Asia. As the collection’s data will ultimately be available online, the effort also supports the Academy’s commitment to the continuous repatriation of data from its historical specimens to the communities from which these plants were originally acquired. This initiative is part of a broader goal to decolonize, while conscientiously and ethically expanding the collection.
Once fully accessioned, the Ban Chiang ethnobotanical collection will significantly enhance the Academy’s holdings from Thailand. With unusual strength in data concerning cultural knowledge and practices, the collection deepens the Academy’s ongoing discussions of global foodways and plant material culture practices, while the original data in Thai language is preserved in various associated datasets.
Year of Botany
White developed this special accession project — called Year of Botany — into a multi-national effort to identify, study and digitize this collection, which has included over thirty-six participants, from volunteers to field experts, such as Thai botanist Sasivimon Swangpol, PhD, of Mahidol University in Bangkok.
To facilitate the proper identification and cataloging of the collection, Swangpol identified several Thai botanists who could help. Five of these Thai experts — ethnobotanist Varangrat Nguanchoo, PhD; taxonomist Prachaya Srisanga, PhD; material culture specialist Nichanan Klangwichai, and two Thai botany students — visited Philadelphia, spending a few months to assist with curating the collection. Joined by archaeobotanist, Cristiana Castillo, PhD, from London, the collaboration has ensured the credible and objective curation of the Ban Chiang collection throughout the process.
Some Thai experts even enthusiastically maintained ongoing communication with their colleagues and relatives in Thailand, helping with local specimen names and verifying certain botanical information. This constant dialogue added an invaluable layer of authenticity to the project.
Two Academy herbarium volunteers, Steve Leonard and Emily Davis, also helped with an essential curation step for botanical specimens: mounting. They worked with the Thai botanists and other volunteers, carefully teaching them to mount the specimens using time-honored, specific protocols, as well as glue, linen tape, thread and acid-free herbarium sheets. Herbarium labels were also created by Nguanchoo and affixed to the specimens, providing essential data such as scientific name, collector, taxonomy and other details.
It Takes a Village
A dense and thorough digitized collection of over 1,000 specimens, which significantly enhances global knowledge of the plant species of the region, the Ban Chiang project is commended by the Academy for White’s sensitive approach to collection, verification and cataloging.
The ongoing Year of Botany project and the collaborative accessioning of the Ban Chiang ethnobotanical collection in the Academy’s Herbarium highlights the global commitment to inclusivity and authenticity in herbarium collection practices. By incorporating Thai and international experts and preserving indigenous knowledge, down to the Thai letter, the project demonstrates a dedication to ethical collection and the evolving practice of decolonization, fully exemplifying something White has often commented throughout: “It takes a village.”
This project not only enhances our understanding of global plant diversity and cultural practices, but also upholds the standard for responsible and equitable curation in the future. The Ban Chiang collection is a testament to the responsibility of honoring both scientific and cultural values — ensuring they are respected and celebrated for years to come.
Read more about how White is studying ancient seeds through archaeobotanical research or cultivating the Ban Chiang special collection.
You can support the Academy’s research efforts to understand the natural world and inspire everyone to care for it by becoming a member or donating to our scientific collections.
Tú también puedes apoyar los proyectos de investigación de la Academia, y así ayudar a entender y proteger la riqueza natural convirtiéndote en miembro o haciendo una donación a nuestras colecciones científicas.