Seeing the Possibilities

Recycle Craft - Candy Wrapper Flowers

Regardless of ancestry, our forebears were not wasteful people. Though necessity, they saw endless possibilities in the cast-off waste items, such as corn husks, wheat stalks, or deer hooves.

The Seneca used the inedible dry corn husks to create dolls, mats, containers, and more. The Europeans used wheat and oat straw for similar purposes. Go the world over and you will find countless other such examples of this inventive re-purposing.

And in looking around the world, you will also find that many of these examples of re-purposing have grown not only into cherished traditional crafts and arts, they have become elements of the culture that created them. Many have created dolls from dried plant materials to be sure, but what is more Haudenosaunee than a faceless cornhusk doll? 

Whether it was generations of farming traditions or grandparents living through hard times like the Depression and post-WWI Germany, the "do-it-yourself" and "waste-nothing" attitudes were deeply ingrained in me while growing up. Being wasteful was just behind poor hospitality and dishonesty as sins in my house. Saving things that could some day be used was expected.

Many people in both my extended and immediate family have artistic and musical talents - with many varied paths of expression though. I'm no exception to my family and have my own talents. While I certainly can draw and paint, it is not my forte or my greatest love. But crafts - and I have tried many, are. I have tried so many different arts that I usually tell people that blowing glass and casting metal are two of the only ones I haven't tried.

I started my own journey as a craftsman and artisan at 8 years old. In those days, I had no money and no access to craft stores even if I did. So in a day when no one recycled, I did. I saw the possibilities in items destined for the garbage can. I saved them and literally had boxes of those "recycled" supplies.

Now many decades later with access to craft stores and the money for supplies, I still see with those same eyes. I can still see the possibilities lying below the surface of what others would call trash. Perhaps you can too. Here are the instructions for creating a whole bouquet of candy wrapper flowers that I came up with on Valentine's Day a few years ago. I hope you enjoy this and start your own eyes looking for those possibilities!

-kim

Creator’s Garden Medicine Plants: Da'ja's

Creator's Garden in Winter

If you've visited the Ganondagan State Historic Site, you have most likely have seen or taken a tour of the Bark Longhouse. What you may not have realized is that the garden beds arranged in a circle next to the Longhouse are a themed garden. This garden is called the Creator's Garden. It is a medicine wheel garden and it features plants that have traditionally been used by the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) people in healing.

Many of the plants in the garden are labeled so visitors may tour the garden on their own. The labels include the English, Seneca, and botanical name for the plants. (Note: the signage is usually stored for the winter.)

One of the plants you will find in the Creator's Garden is a matched pair (male and female) of the native shrub, the spicebush.  


Da’ ja’s (Spicebush, Lindera benzoin)
Da’ja’s (Seneca name) or spicebush is a medium-sized shrub (16’) that is often found in the shady, forest understory. Its foliage is aromatic with a unique scent that is somewhat like a cross between lemons and sassafras. The spicebush is dioecious (individual plants are either male or female) and so a pair of these plants is necessary to produce berries with a viable seed.

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)

The berries turn scarlet in autumn and have been used as an allspice substitute. The leaves, twigs, and bark can be steeped to make a pleasant tea. Besides uses for tea and seasoning, this plant has also been used medicinally. The Haudenosaunee traditionally used this plant in remedies for colds, venereal disease, fevers, and measles [1].

The spicebush is the favorite host plant for the Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) and the Promethea Silkmoth (Callosamia promethea).

The spicebush, native to North America, makes a wonderful specimen plant to add to your own landscaping. While it is typically an understory plant growing in full-shade, it grows quite nicely in the full-sun - as it does in the Creator's Garden. This hardy and pest-free plant requires no pruning or maintenance of any kind once established. Add multiple plants (at least 1 male and 1 female plant) if you are interested in having berries on the female plant.  It is a wonderful alternative to exotic, hard-to-keep, and/or invasive ornamental shrubs.

1. Iroquois Medical Botany by James W. Herrick


-kim

Botanical Medicine Certificate Program - Part II

Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Many people this time of the year have New Year's resolutions that focus on improving their health and well-being in the upcoming year. Perhaps the upcoming herbal medicine course taught by our friend Dr. Les Moore will help you to meet your resolutions!

Please contact Classical Formulas for more information or to register!


-kim

Botanical Medicine Certificate Program
Medical Herbalism Part II
January 12 – February 9th, 2012  

This Course is the second in a series of three herbal study programs to be offered at Clifton Springs Hospital through the Integrative Medicine department, The Botanical Medicine Institute, and Classical Formulas. While each series has a similar format, they will contain different information. These classes are appropriate for health care providers, people employed in health related businesses or anyone interested in Herbalism.

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)

Dr. Moore and herbalists from Classical Formulas Herbal Medicinary will instruct these classes.  Dr. Moore has a life-long interest and extensive education in the field of Herbalism, both Western and Eastern.

You may register for the whole series or at the beginning of each class.  Students may begin ANY series at ANY time with no prerequisites of the previous series. Each series is a stand-alone module.  Students completing all three of the series (Parts I, II & III) will receive a certificate upon course completion.  To be certain you have a place in class please register early, as class size is limited.

Holy Basil (Tulsi or Ocimum sanctum)

Tuition is $120 or $25 per class. Contact Classical Formulas for Registration at 315-462-0190 by January 11th.

PLEASE NOTE: All classes are held on Thursdays at Clifton Springs Hospital from 6:30-8:30 pm with the exception of the herb walk on Saturday January 28th, 2012 held at Lamberton Conservatory at 10:00am.


Course Descriptions

Rose - "Alba" (Rosa rugosa)

Class 1 – Botanical Medicine/Single Herbs–January 12th, 2012
Learn about herbs and homeopathy used for stress, immune stimulation and for combating specifically colds and influenza. Will also cover single herbs from traditional Indian medicine, (Ayurvedic Medicine).

Class 2 – Herbal Medicine Making – January 19th, 2012
Learn how herbs are used to create various herbal therapeutics.  Participate in some hands on preparation of herbal formulas.

Class 3 – Herb Pairs/Drug Interaction – January 26th, 2012
This class will focus on paired herbs that are therapeutic for specific conditions.  Information on interactions that can occur between medicines and herbs will also be discussed as well as herbal dosages for children. Will also cover Tibetan herbal medicine.

Osage Orange Maclura pomifera

Class 4 – Plant Identification/Herb Walk – January 28th, 2012
This class will be a 3+ hour walk to identify plants in the Lamberton Conservatory located in Highland Park.  This is essentially a green house so the temperature will be comfortable without a heavy jacket.  There will also be an additional $3 fee per person for admission to the conservatory, $2 for anyone under 18.

Class 5 – Herbal Formulas/Modifications – February 2nd, 2012
This class will focus on herbal formulas and how the herbs in each formulas work on the body and how they can be modified to fit a specific condition or person.  Discussion of how the pulse and tongue can be used to diagnose a condition.  Will also cover Ayurvedic herbal formulas.

Class 6 – Homeopathy and First Aid – February 9th, 2012
Learn how homeopathic remedies are used for first aid, and many other conditions.  Will also cover first aid from Ayurvedic medicine.

Welcome the Return of the Sun

Late Fall Sunrise

The Winter Solstice will visit us in the Northern Hemisphere on December 22 at 12:30 am (EST). The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and longest night in our planet's yearly trip about the Sun. After the 22nd, our days will again lengthen and stretch. Like so many other people, I welcome and celebrate the return of the light!

On most Solstices, I like to share an article here on the solar cycle and how you might mark the specialness of the day in your own way. While the Equinoxes are just as important of a milestone in the solar cycle, they don't pull me in the same way as the Summer and Winter Solstices do. I suspect it is because the Summer and Winter Solstices are so opposite from each other. Light and dark. Warm and cold. Verdant, alive and brown, barren. 

On December 22, the Sun will rise at Ganondagan at 7:40 am (EST). It is an easy time to be up - many are up for work and school already. Look to the east, greet the rising Sun. Give your thanks for the blessing of life that the Sun's rays and warmth bring to you and all life on Earth. (The sunrise time may vary depending upon your location so check local listings.)

May the Sun's rays fill and warm your heart always. 

-kim

ps....as a gift for you to help you celebrate the return of the Sun, I have created an article on our website. It is about winter sowing seeds - seed starting in the cold of winter. The Winter Solstice is a perfect time to start winter sowing!

Many of our most beautiful and rare native plants respond well to this seed-starting technique. May you try it and dream about the wonderful warm days of summer filled with dancing butterflies and flowers!

Native History Month

In honor of Native History Month, our public television station WXXI-TV is airing an extraordinary range of programming throughout November, featuring the men and women who shaped the Native American experience. We’d like to share these opportunities with you.  For complete details, please visit: http://interactive.wxxi.org/native-american

If you are not in the Greater Rochester, NY television viewing area, please see the listings of your local PBS station for possible air dates of these programs.

• History Detectives. Friday, November 18 at 6 pm on WXXI World (cable 524/DT21.2) In California, a History Detectives viewer owns an American Indian pipe that family legend suggests was given to her ancestor by the famous warrior Chief Red Cloud.
• We Shall Remain: American Experience: After the Mayflower. Friday, November 18 at 7 pm on WXXI World. This groundbreaking mini-series establishes Native history as an essential part of American history. Four 90-minute documentaries spanning 300 years tell the story of pivotal moments in U.S. history from the Native-American perspective. This first episode explores the polar strategies — peaceful diplomacy and warfare — the Wampanoag people employed in their struggle to maintain their identity.
• We Shall Remain: American Experience: Tucumseh’s Vision. Friday, November 18 at 8:30 pm on WXXI World, part two of four features Shawnee warrior Tecumseh, who rose to become one of the greatest American leaders of all time.
• INDEPENDENT LENS: We Are Still Here – Âs Nutayuneân. Sunday, November 20 at 11 pm on WXXI-TV/HD. This tells the remarkable story of the recent cultural and linguistic revival of the Wampanoag tribe of Southeastern Massachusetts. Their ancestors ensured the survival of the Pilgrims — and lived to regret it. Now they are bringing their language home again.
• Before There Were Parks: Yellowstone & Glacier Through Native Eyes. Sunday, November 20 at 11:30 pm on WXXI World. This film explores modern indigenous perspectives on the great wilderness areas now called Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks that go far beyond their recent status as National Parks.
• Columbus Day Legacy. Sunday night, November 20 at 12:30 am on WXXI-TV. Navajo filmmaker Bennie Klain explores the quintessential American issues of free speech and ethnic pride against the backdrop of the ongoing Columbus Day parade controversy in Denver, Colorado. 
• History Detectives. Tuesday, November 22 at 9:00 pm on WXXI World. A mysterious bible laced with Cherokee writing provides insight to the "Trail of Tears" march.
• We Shall Remain: American Experience: Trail of Tears. Friday, November 25 at 7 pm on WXXI World, part three of four. Despite decades of struggle to keep their land, in 1838 thousands of Cherokee were forced from their homes in the southeastern United States and driven to Oklahoma. More than 4,000 died of disease and starvation along the way.
• We Shall Remain: American Experience: Geronimo. Friday, November 25 at 8:30 p.m. on WXXI World, part four of four. An indomitable Chiricahua Apache warrior and medicine man, Geronimo remains one of the most complex historical figures of the American West.
• Smokin' Fish. Saturday, November 26 at 1 pm on WXXI World. Cory Mann, A young Tlingit man makes a pilgrimage to his ancestral home and is forced to confront the dichotomy between his history and the world he lives in.
• Aleut Story. Saturday, November 26 at 10 pm on WXXI World. The incredible, untold story of Aleut Americans' decades-long struggle for human and civil rights, this story was developed, researched, filmed and edited for national television over five years.
• Unconquered Seminoles. Saturday, November 26 at 11:30 pm on WXXI World. This film traces the history and identity of Florida's resilient Seminole tribe, one deeply rooted in a pattern of obstacle and challenge, survival and success.
• Independent Lens: Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian. Sunday, November 27 at 11:30 pm on WXXI-TV/HD. Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond takes an entertaining, insightful, and often humorous look at the Hollywood Indian, exploring the portrayal of North American Natives through a century of cinema and examining the ways that the myth of “the Injun” has influenced the world’s understanding—and misunderstanding—of Natives.
• The Long Walk: Tears of the Navajo. Tuesday, November 29 at 7 pm on WXXI World.  In a lost chapter of our nation’s history, 8,000 Navajo men, women and children were marched at gunpoint through the scorched desert of the American Southwest to a barren reservation along the Texas border in a 300-mile forced relocation during which hundreds died.
• Choctaw Code Talkers. Tuesday, November 29 at 8 pm on WXXI World. Called by some the "original Code Talkers," this is the story of the important role Choctaw soldiers played in WWI in using their Native language as a powerful tool against the German Forces.
• Contrary Warrior: The Life and Times of Adam Fortunate Eagle. Wednesday, November 30 at 7 pm on WXXI World. The story of Adam Fortunate Eagle, a contemporary activist, artist, author, ceremonial leader.

The Great Pumpkin Sacrifice

Over the weekend we made our "sacrifice" to the pumpkin gods and carved up our pumpkins for Halloween. What would Halloween be with out the carved jack-o-lantern? Not the same to be sure, but the pumpkin is a New World addition to the Halloween traditions that originated in Europe. Before the pumpkin, turnips or rutabagas were carved into the vegetable lanterns.

The pumpkin is a New World vegetable that has been cultivated by the Native peoples of the Americas since ancient times. While the exact origins of the pumpkin are not known, pumpkin-like seeds have been found in Mexico dating back to 7000 and 5500 BCE. With what the pumpkin has to offer why wouldn't it be grown for thousands of years? It is a very easy to grow plant that provides copious amounts of nutritious, long-keeping food (both the flesh of the pumpkin and its seeds.) And as with many food plants, there are medicinal uses and healthful qualities beyond the simple nutrition it provides.

Back to our carving of the pumpkins, not all of our parings went into the compost bin. We saved the seeds for toasting and the pieces carved out for roasting. Some like the pumpkin flesh roasted with salt and olive oil. In my opinion that would work well with a pie pumpkin but not so with the bland flesh of pumpkin grown for carving. (What's the difference?) A little salt, black pepper, butter, and brown sugar is the way to go - you have to give it some flavor and my favorite way to cook a variety of winter squashes fits the bill.

And if you have never toasted the seeds, what are you waiting for? These are truly divine! Here's a recipe for toasting your Halloween pumpkin's seeds:

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

• 2 c. Raw, whole pumpkin seeds
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• Salt to taste

Wash the pumpkin seeds and drain well. Toss seeds with butter and salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes in an oven preheated to 300 degrees. Be sure to stir occasionally and toast until golden brown.

I hope you enjoyed this look at the pumpkin and perhaps you may now consider it to be more than just something for decoration and pies. I wish you a happy Halloween and a wonderful Samhain!

-kim

Faceless Cork Husk Dolls

Corn husk dolls made by Ronnie Reitter

For a Ganondagan Brand Development workshop at the Rochester Ad Council recently, we were asked to "bring a physical object [we] feel represents Ganondagan and be prepared to tell the group why". I reflected quite a bit on my assignment and kept coming back to my faceless corn husk doll. It captures so much for me about Ganondagan. The story is often told at Ganondagan events. I first heard Ronnie Reitter tell it- about the girl who was so vain she repeatedly got distracted from the Creator's message to watch over the children because she was gazing at her own reflected image. She ignored the Creator's repeated warnings. Finally, the Creator took her face away so she wouldn't be self-absorbed and distracted from her community role anymore. That is why corn husk dolls are made faceless to this day, as a reminder of our community responsibility to care for others and that "we are all equal".

Good toys teach, and this one teaches a powerful lesson of our responsibility to the community and to the next generation. Corn is one of the Three Sisters' food staples; and every part of what is taken from the natural world is put to good use-including corn husks. Dolls are just one thing that can be made from corn husks. This children's toy is made without money from materials readily available in the natural world. It is a sustainable toy and easily returns to Mother Earth. It reminds me, too, of Ganondagan's efforts to bring back good, healthy traditional corn through the White Corn project.  And the dolls can be made at Ganondagan and sold in our Gift Shop to help support Ganondagan while educating others.

Anyone can learn to make this toy, including me- who has no talent for crafts. Ronnie Reitter taught me to make mine as part of Ganondagan staff's commitment to sharing their knowledge of traditional values and crafts. The relationship with Ronnie as teacher makes mine special for me. But mine is unfinished- she is not yet "dressed", marking the time when trade came, and scrapes of trade goods started being used to put traditional "outfits" on the dolls. For me, this awareness is connected to my wish to learn more. There is so much I don't know or understand. I am hoping for a workshop on corn husk doll dressing and its meanings.    

Mattie Schmitt
Ganondagan Board Member