Australian Tropical Herbarium Research and Programs Tropical Indigenous Ethnobotany Centre (TIEC)
Tropical Indigenous Ethnobotany Centre (TIEC)
- Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in Marine Science
- Courses
- Future Students
- Current Students
- Research and Teaching
- Partners and Community
- About JCU
- Reputation and Experience
- Celebrating 50 Years
- Academy
- Anthropological Laboratory for Tropical Audiovisual Research (ALTAR)
- Anton Breinl Research Centre
- Agriculture Technology and Adoption Centre
- Living on Campus
- Advanced Prawn Breeding Research Hub
- Advanced Analytical Centre
- Applying to JCU
- Alumni
- AMHHEC
- JCU Aquaculture Solutions
- AusAsian Mental Health Research Group
- ARCSTA
- Area 61
- Association of Australian University Secretaries
- Australian/NZ Students
- Australian Lions Stinger Research
- Boating and Diving
- JCU-CSIRO Partnership
- Employability Edge
- Career Ready Plan
-
Australian Tropical Herbarium
- About the Herbarium
-
Research and Programs
- Theme 1 – Tropical Biodiversity Science
- Theme 2 – Education, Knowledge Capture and Translation, Expert Advice
- Theme 3 –Biodiversity in a Changing World
- Theme 4 – Economic Botany
- Theme 5 – Tropical Biosecurity
- Tropical Indigenous Ethnobotany Centre (TIEC)
- Publications
- Online Keys to Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants
- Plant Identification Workshops
- Public Reference Collection
- Herbarium Staff
- Careers at JCU
- Careers and Employability
- Australian Quantum & Classical Transport Physics Group
- Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology
- CITBA
- Chancellery
- CMT
- CASE
- College of Business, Law and Governance
- College of Healthcare Sciences
- WHOCC for N&M Education and Research
- College of Medicine and Dentistry
- College of Science and Engineering
- CPHMVS
- COVID-19 Advice
- Centre for Disaster Solutions
- CSTFA
- Cyclone Testing Station
- The Centre for Disaster Studies
- Daintree Rainforest Observatory
- Diploma of Higher Education
- Discover Nature at JCU
- Research Division
- Services and Resources Division
- Education Division
- Division of Tropical Environments and Societies
- Division of Tropical Health and Medicine
- Economic Geology Research Centre
- Elite Athletes
- eResearch
- Environmental Research Complex [ERC]
- Estate
- Financial and Business Services Office
- Fletcherview
- Foundation for Australian Literary Studies
- Gender Equity Action and Research
- GetReady4Uni
- Give to JCU
- Governance
- Information for JCU Cairns Graduates
- Graduate Research School
- Graduation
- Indigenous Education and Research Centre
- Indigenous Engagement
- Indigenous Legal Needs Project
- Inherent Requirements
- IsoTropics Geochemistry Lab
- IT Services
- International Schools
- International Students
- Research and Innovation Services
- JCU Eduquarium
- JCU Events
- JCU Global Experience
- JCU Ideas Lab
- JCU Job Ready
- JCU Motorsports
- JCU Prizes
- JCU Sport
- JCU Turtle Health Research
- Language and Culture Research Centre
- CEE
- LearnJCU
- Library
- Mabo Decision: 30 years on
- National Reconciliation Week
- MARF
- Marine Geophysics Laboratory
- New students
- Off-Campus Students
- Office of the Vice Chancellor and President
- Virtual Open Day
- Orpheus
- Outstanding Alumni
- Parents and Partners
- Pathways to university
- Planning for your future
- Placements
- Policy
- PAHL
- Publications
- Professional Experience Placement
- Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease
- Rapid Assessment Unit
- RDIM
- Researcher Development Portal
- Safety and Wellbeing
- Scholarships
- Contextual Science for Tropical Coastal Ecosystems
- Staff
- State of the Tropics
- Strategic Procurement
- Student Equity and Wellbeing
- Student profiles
- SWIRLnet
- TARL
- TESS
- TREAD
- TropEco
- TQ Maths Hub
- TUDLab
- Unicare Centre and Unicampus Kids
- UAV
- VAVS Home
- Work Health and Safety
- WHOCC for Vector-borne & NTDs
- Media
- Copyright and Terms of Use
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine
Ethnobotany is the study of cultural plant use and perception of plants. Indigenous Australians have used plants for food, medicine, tools, utensils, weapons, etc. for thousands of years. However, since the arrival of Europeans, a lot of traditional plant use knowledge has been lost.
One principal aim of the Tropical Indigenous Ethnobotanical Centre (TIEC) is to record, document and research cultural plant use knowledge, which could be of mutual benefit to traditional Owners and their partners. The TIEC is a partnership between the Australian Tropical Herbarium, Traditional Owners, the Department of Environment and Science (DES), CSIRO and the Cairns Institute.
The TIEC aims to empower Indigenous people to renew and strengthen their cultural knowledge and practices about plants. Many Traditional Owners believe that keeping their knowledge alive and passing it on to the next generation is very important. The TIEC supports Traditional Owner information sharing, practice and collaboration, and also keeps plant collections and data for Traditional Owners through shared protocols and agreements.
Further details can be found on the TIEC website - https://www.tiec.org.au/
Functions of TIEC include:
Supporting Indigenous decision-making about plants and plant knowledge
Keeping traditional and cultural knowledge alive
Protection of Indigenous intellectual and cultural property rights over plants
Passing it on the younger generation
Focusing on building up trust with Traditional Owners before involving other agencies
Getting information back into the community
The development of the Tropical Indigenous Ethnobotany Centre is being led by ethnobotanist Mr Gerry Turpin (DES/ATH), an Mbabaram elder.
Ethnobotanist Gerry Turpin
In this video Ethnobotanist Gerry Turpin explains his role at the Tropical Indigenous Ethnobotany Centre, and his work with Traditional Owners in north Queensland.
Olkola people
The Olkola people of Cape York Peninsula have been preparing for their traditional lands handback in 2014. This video shows highlights of a recent Physical and Biological Research Field Trip on Kimba Plateau, Olkola Country, September 2014. [Watch Video]