Lecture Michelle Piergoelam:
Fourteen Leaves and a cup of water: the hidden botany during the times of slavery in Suriname

Fourteen Leaves and a Cup of Water: hidden plant knowledge from Suriname

Enslaved people possessed extensive knowledge of plants and the natural world. This knowledge was rooted in both lived experience and memories of the forests and savannas of Africa. They understood which plants had medicinal properties, which were edible, and which should be avoided.

In this lecture, you’ll learn how this knowledge played an important role in daily life on plantations, as well as in strategies of resistance and survival. This deep connection to nature provided not only practical tools, but also ways to escape and survive build new lives in Suriname’s rainforest.