Rooted in the Land –Ethnobotany in Alaska

It’s time for Movie Monday! Each week, See Stories highlights a film created by students or educators in our programs. These short documentaries reflect the incredible diversity, culture, and history of Alaska through personal stories and powerful visuals. Head to @seestoriesalaska on Facebook and tell us your thoughts on the featured film or leave a comment on this post.

This week, we’re proud to feature a film by educator Alexis Griffee.

🎥 Rooted in the Land – Ethnobotany in Alaska explores the profound relationship between Alaska Native cultures and the plants that sustain them. From medicine to food, this film invites us into the world of ethnobotany—where science and Indigenous knowledge intertwine.

This documentary was produced during the June 2024 Professional Development Retreat for Educators in Homer, Alaska, as part of See Stories’ course Digital Storytelling as a Culturally Responsive Teaching Tool.

📽️ Watch the full film here: Rooted in the Land by Alexis Griffee  or click the still below to watch!

 

 

Discussion Questions

• How do Alaska Native peoples traditionally use and manage plant species, and how does this knowledge contribute to modern scientific understanding of ecosystems?
• What are the ecological roles of native Alaskan plants, and how can understanding these roles inform sustainable environmental practices?
• How does the relationship between humans and plants reflect broader principles of interdependence and sustainability in both traditional and scientific contexts?
• What scientific methods can we use to study native plant species, and how do these methods align with or differ from Alaska Native observational practices and land stewardship?
• How can we best use/leverage technology to document these connections and preserve both scientific information and Alaskan Native ways of knowing?

🌿 Continue the Conversation with Our New Conversation Guides

We’re excited to unveil our new conversation guides—a tool designed to help viewers deepen engagement with the themes explored in See Stories films. These guides provide thoughtful, accessible questions and cultural context to support meaningful dialogue in classrooms, community spaces, or at home.

Developed in partnership with the Alaska Humanities Forum as part of their Kindling Conversation initiative, these guides are a part of a broader effort to foster empathy, connection, and understanding across Alaska.

💬 Explore the new conversation guide for this film and others on our *New* Teacher Tools Community:  Kindling Conversation Guides

We also offer a full lesson plan to accompany the film and a growing library of lesson plans on our Teacher Tools online community. Register today to access for educators who want to bring cultural storytelling into the classroom! If you’re an educator interested in integrating storytelling and cultural preservation into your classroom, check out Teacher Tools—our online community where educators can access free lesson plans, digital storytelling resources, and more.

🔗 Explore more resources and register to join Teacher Tools here: See Stories Teacher Tools Community
🔗Find out more about our new Teacher Tools online community here: What to Expect from Our New Curriculum

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Join us back here for next Movie Monday, a weekly showcase of student- and educator-produced films from our workshops across Alaska. Each film tells a unique story—shedding light on history, cultural traditions, and pressing social issues.