Dr. Nancy Turner, OBC Lecture

The Song of the Salmonberry Bird:
Why Diversity Matters in Nature and Culture

Dr. Turner is an ethnobotanist who has collaborated with Saanich First Nations elders to learn about the significance of plants to their culture, and conducted research on plant classification systems among the Haida, Nuxalk (Bella Coola) and Stl`atl`imx (Lillooet) people. Her major research contributions have been in demonstrating the pivotal role of plant resources in past and contemporary aboriginal cultures and languages, as an integral component of traditional knowledge systems, and how traditional management of plant resources has shaped the landscapes and habitats of western Canada. Dr. Turner is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and has received the Lawson Medal for lifetime contributions to Canadian Botany, the Order of British Columbia, and the YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Science, Technology and the Environment.

Background Information

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University of Victoria faculty page

Dr. Turner is an ethnobotanist and professor in the School of Environmental Studies. While working on her thesis, she collaborated with Saanich First Nations elders to learn about the significance of plants to their culture. Her post-graduate work concentrated on plant classification systems among the Haida, Nuxalk (Bella Coola) and Stl`atl`imx (Lillooet) people. Her major research contributions have been in demonstrating the pivotal role of plant resources in past and contemporary aboriginal cultures and languages, as an integral component of traditional knowledge systems, and how traditional management of plant resources has shaped the landscapes and habitats of western Canada. ...

A Passion for Plants

Take a walk outdoors with UVic's Dr. Nancy Turner and you'll enter a whole new realm of awareness about our relationship with plants and the natural world around us. ...

Order of British Columbia award

Nancy J. Turner of Victoria is an internationally-distinguished scholar and scientist who has devoted her life to documenting the endangered knowledge of First Nations. ...

Lecture Synopsis

Stories from First Nations along the coast of British Columbia feature a small brown bird, whose clear, melodic song in the springtime causes the salmonberries to ripen. In some traditions, including the Saanich (Straits Salish) of southern Vancouver Island, the bird - Swainson's thrush to ornithologists - actually sings the names of the different colour forms of salmonberry: golden, red and dark. ...
Salmonberry Bird Song (as a .wav sound file)