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A free, in-person presentation by Dr. Ed Jolie, ASM's Clara Lee Tanner Associate Curator of Ethnology.
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Often referred to as the devil’s claw or unicorn plant (family Martyniaceae, genus Proboscidea), the appearance of its seed pods with two jet-black curved beak-like extensions or “claws” that terminate in sharp hooks is eye-catching. These common names might be taken to imply cruelty, difficulty, and mischievousness, or something mythical and mysterious. However, the plant’s seemingly enigmatic character is arguably due to a lack of wider awareness about the plant’s venerable relationship with Indigenous peoples and some enduring gaps in scientific knowledge. Drawing on recent archaeological and botanical research, this presentation invites you to open your heart to devil's claw by considering five questions about the plant that you were (maybe) afraid to ask.
Dr. Edward A. Jolie (Lakota/Muscogee) is the Clara Lee Tanner Associate Curator of Ethnology at the Arizona State Museum and an Associate Professor of Anthropology in the School of Anthropology at the University of Arizona. Ed is an anthropologist interested in the Indigenous archaeology and ethnology of the Americas. His research focuses on the study of organic material culture such as textiles, basketry, and related crafts to address a wide range of anthropological questions. His applied scholarship focuses on hands-on work with fiber plant collection, processing, and weaving as part of an effort to find solutions to problems posed by landscape change and raw material inaccessibility among contemporary Indigenous communities.