For thousands of years, mysterious sea coconuts washed up along the coasts of East Africa, India, and Southeast Asia - without a single human on earth knowing where they originate from. In fact, the modern western name for these nuts is the Coco DeMer, French for Coconut of the Ocean, because it was believed by French colonialists that the treetops of the mythic palms could be glimpsed growing just under the ocean's surface, before mysteriously fading into the water to avoid detection. Due to their rarity and mysterious nature, many of the cultures that came upon these giant, hollow shells ascribed both great monetary and spiritual value to them. Over its hundreds of years of transoceanic influence, the Coco DeMer gained symbolic spiritual significance to certain sects of Hinduism, Islam, and even Christianity, and a mythic status as one of the rarest and most potent ingredients in all of traditional Chinese medicine. The nuts themselves, now known to be endemic to only two isolated islands of the Seychelles, have become a symbol of national pride and conservation efforts. Despite now knowing of their place of origin, the Coco DeMer still captures the imagination of many - in no small part due to its suggestively erotic shape. This class will teach the history of the Coco DeMer and its influence on humanity, as well as the bizarre biology of the tree that produces it. Afterwards, I hope to have an open conversation about nature's effect on human culture and expression.

Zoom link: https://reed-edu.zoom.us/j/96406880435

Instructors: Joseph Tally