Nancy Turner Explained

Nancy Turner
Birth Name:Nancy Jean Turner
Birth Place:Berkeley, California, U.S.
Citizenship:Canada
Nationality:Canadian
Fields:Ethnobiology
Ethnobotany
Workplaces:School of Environmental Studies,
University of Victoria;
Department of Botany,
University of British Columbia (adjunct)
Alma Mater:University of British Columbia
Thesis Title:Plant taxonomic systems and ethnobotany of three contemporary Indian groups of the Pacific Northwest (Haida, Bella Coola, and Lillooet)
Thesis Url:https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0107164
Thesis Year:1973
Known For:compendium of aboriginal culture
and plant lore in British Columbia
Awards:R.E. Schultes Award (1997)
Order of British Columbia (1999)
Canadian Botanical Association’s
Lawson Medal (2002)
William L. Brown Award (2008)
Order of Canada (2009)

Nancy Jean Turner (born 1947) is a Canadian ethnobiologist, originally qualified in botany, who has done extensive research work with the indigenous peoples of British Columbia, the results of which she has documented in a number of books and numerous articles.

Life

Turner was born in Berkeley in California in 1947 but moved to British Columbia when she was five. She obtained her doctorate in Ethnobotany after studying the Bella Coola, Haida and Lillooet indigenous groups of the Pacific North-West. She works by interviewing the groups' elder members to identify their names for plants and their uses. Comparison and scientific analysis of this data has enabled her to draw conclusions.[1] Turner's research identified not only the role that plants have had in these group's culture but also the effects that indigenous people have had historically on the landscape of Canada.[2]

Order of British Columbia

The Government of British Columbia admitted Nancy Turner to the Order of British Columbia in 1999 and describe her, her work, and her contributions as follows:[3]

Nancy J. Turner ... is an internationally-distinguished scholar and scientist who has devoted her life to documenting the endangered knowledge of First Nations. As a pioneer in ethnobiology, her more than 25 years of research have focused on the diverse interactions of First Peoples in British Columbia with the ecosystems they depended on and the critical role of plant resources for foods, medicines and materials. Her research will be seen as a most valuable compendium of aboriginal culture and plant lore in British Columbia.

Bibliography

Books written

Books edited

Articles online

Distinctions

External links

References

  1. http://web.uvic.ca/enweb/people/faculty/turner.php University of British Columbia's Department of Botany webpage
  2. http://podtail.com/podcast/deconstructing-dinner/exploring-ethnobiology-ii-nancy-turner/ "Exploring Ethnobiology II: Nancy Turner"
  3. http://www.orderofbc.gov.bc.ca/members/obc-1999/1999-nancy-turner/ 1999 Recipient: Nancy J. Turner – Victoria | Order of BC
  4. Review of Plants of Haida Gwaii by N.J. Turner. Deur, Douglas. Summer 2004. BC Studies. 209–301. 142–143.
  5. http://communications.uvic.ca/releases/release.php?display=release&id=797 University of Victoria Media Release
  6. Web site: Member Directory The Royal Society of Canada . 2022-09-28 . rsc-src.ca.
  7. Web site: The 2008 William L. Brown Award. . 2014. William L. Brown Center for Plant Genetic Resources. Missouri Botanical Garden. 31 March 2014.
  8. Web site: Ms. Nancy Turner . 2022-09-28 . The Governor General of Canada.