The Science Museum of Minnesota maintains and stewards over 2 million objects in its collections, spanning millions of years and from all over the world. Some of these objects are made with poisonous plants that can pose a hazard to staff, volunteers, and researchers if they were to accidentally come into contact with them. Using ethnobotany, the study of the relationships between people and plants, we developed the Oh No! Ethnobotany program to keep the people who interact with these objects safe and to provide training resources and safety strategies to other museums with similar collections.
The Oh No! Ethnobotany program was developed in 2001 by Collections Technician Rose Kubiatowicz with funding in part from the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections. It features standardized protocol for how to clearly label objects, drawers, and cabinets that contain poisonous plant materials, how to store poisonous objects, and how to safely handle these objects as needed.
These objects are labeled with a three-part approach: on the cabinets in which the objects are stored, on the drawer where the object is, and on the object mount itself. These labels contain strong visuals and language warning the user that there are poisonous materials present, designed and drawn by the late artist and Museum volunteer Verne Anderson. On the object mount, we use data sheets that are similar to material safety data sheets (MSDS) that are, required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for employers to post for workplace hazardous chemicals use and storage. These data sheets, however, have information for precatory pea, barbasco, curare, and ayahuasca.
All objects containing poisonous materials are stored in custom-made enclosed boxes with a clear plastic window on top, so you can see the object inside without having to open the box — and potentially expose yourself to toxic materials.
One example of an object containing poisonous plant materials is this dart quiver , made by a Chachi (also known as Cayapa) person in Ecuador. This anaconda snakeskin quiver is adorned with animal mandible bones, claws, and feathers, and contains several short reed darts. The darts are believed to be dipped in curare poison, used for hunting and medicines by many Indigenous groups in Central and South America. Curare is made by boiling one of dozens of different plant sources down to a thick paste, which can then be applied to the tips of darts or arrows. Curare exposure to the bloodstream can result in paralysis and asphyxiation.
Dart quiver (A76:2:606) with curare-dipped darts stored in a custom-made storage box featuring a window to see the object without having to open the box.
Oh No! Ethnobotany warning label on the object’s box with information about the specific poison associated with the object.
The underlying purpose of Oh No! Ethnobotany is to reduce the incidence of illnesses and injuries related to poisonous plants in Museum collections. Through this program, staff, volunteers, and visiting researchers are aware of when they are interacting with objects containing poisonous plants, how to safely work with the objects, and how to follow appropriate protective measures.
A piranha mandible from the Aguaruna people in Peru dipped in curare poison, stored in an enclosed box with Oh No! Ethnobotany label. 
Barbasco vine (Lonchocarpus urucu) is used by the Shuar people in Ecuador in dammed sections of rivers to poison fish so they can be caught more easily. 
Bamboo quiver with blowgun darts dipped in curare poison, made by the Shuar people in Ecuador. The gourd holds kapok, a protective, absorbent material.
