Evon Hekkala

Evon Hekkala uses ancient and archival genomic methods to identify biological materials and to track their use and meaning at various points in history. Most recently, she is working with natural history collections to uplift Indigenous taxonomies and knowledge systems. Her current research is primarily focused on analyzing genomic data from archival and ancient biomaterials in combination with historical documentary resources to better understand species specific responses to anthropogenically and naturally induced environmental change. She works with communities to explore both formal and colloquial natural histories to decolonize our understanding of sources and meaning of the cultural heritage and natural history objects in museums.