Botanical sketches

The crew of the Endeavour sketched, described and assembled an array of specimens of the natural world during their eight day stay in Kamay. They were able to classify these specimens according to a European scientific framework, but they had little understanding of the complex relationships between the land, ecosystems and cultures in Gweagal life. The Gweagal people had important uses for the plants and animals that grew in abundance around them. They lived their lives with a high level of sustainability and respect for the bounty provided by nature/Country/the land.  

Before sophisticated modern cameras, the only way to record the way an event or object looked was to draw it.  

The scientists on board the Endeavour had highly developed observation and drawing skills to capture the tiniest details of the specimens they collected and observed. They had a whole set of ideas as to how, scientifically, specimens fitted into the world. However, these ideas were based on what they knew about, and most of what they knew was from Europe, where animals and plants were very different to those they saw in Kamay. Looking at specimens in Kamay using only their European knowledge meant they learnt very little about the significance of each of the specimens to the Gweagal people. 

View the images created by Endeavour botanical artist Sydney Parkinson, here.  

Collect or take photographs of botanical specimens from your local area, backyard, balcony or footpath. This may include leaves, flowers, seeds or roots. 

Sketch your specimen as if you were a botanist or scientist, just like Sydney Parkinson and Hermann Sporing on board the Endeavour. Make sure you look carefully at all parts of the plant. 

Develop your sketches into a detailed, precise drawing or painting. 

Label the parts of the specimens you have drawn/painted (eg for plants, label things like stem, leaf, root, flower and seed, and for animals, you will need to research and name the body parts.) 

Cut up cardboard to give yourself a deck of 12 equally sized blank cards (like a deck of playing cards) 

Choose six different specimen drawings created by Sydney Parkinson, seen in the exhibition, Eight Days in Kamay, here.  

If you click on each of the images of your chosen specimens, in the online exhibition, and then click “show more”, you will see information about what the plant is called, as well as either what the Gweagal people used it for or what the Endeavour crew observed.  

Print two copies of each of your chosen specimen drawings. 

For each print-out, glue the image onto one side of a card.  

You will now have six sets of two identical cards, with blank backs.  

For each set of two cards, on the back, add: 

• Card 1: The name of the specimen 
• Card 2: The uses or observations about the specimen 

To play the game, mix up all the cards and give half to each person. Without looking, take it in turns to add a card onto the pile drawing side up. You can say ‘snap’ when you see two of the same plant in a row. However, unlike snap, this game has a twist! Whoever snaps the cards needs to either recall (without looking at the information on the back) the name of the specimen or what it was used for/what was observed by the Endeavour crew. 

Did you know this learning activity was just one in a series? To find more, click here.