The current popular trend for small sustainable gardens filled
with heirloom seedlings and native plants is nothing new, it is simply a return
to our roots.
Archaeologists carefully examine the botanical remains recovered
during excavation in determining what plants were utilized in the prehistoric
and historic landscape. Plants were utilized for medicinal practices and were
important in making cordage, basketry and mats. Seeds and plant fibers recovered in flotation
and charred residues on pottery all provide an opportunity to assemble a list
of plants, nuts and berries utilized by peoples in the past and assemble a list
of food resources. Several of our
previous blogs have addressed the processes for recovering botanicals and their
subsequent analysis which has yielded important information on their role in
the prehistoric diet.
Anthropologists consider
the ethnographic documentation and the oral traditions or ceremonial practices
of native groups in conjunction with this archaeological evidence to enhance
our understanding of the use of many of these plants.
During the Woodland Period
(2,900 BP.- 1550 AD) population increases escalated the dependency on the
natural resources necessary for survival and as previously addressed on our
blog, the development of agriculture during this period as well. Domestication of native plants such as
Chenopodium (lamb’s quarters or goosefoot and other plants of the Eastern
Agricultural Complex) knotweed and little barley began in the Middle Woodland as
tribes had more people to tend the garden and the environment was conducive to
horticulture.
Chenopodium
little barley
Ceremonies surrounding the planting or gathering of plants supported
the significance of these resources. In Iroquois culture the Thanksgiving
address or prayer usually began and ended every ceremony associated with
planting or harvesting. The prayer gave thanks to the earth, water, food
plants, medicinal plants, trees, animals, fish, birds, winds, sun, moon, stars
and the teachers. The appreciation for and understanding of nature and the
balance of these elements is important for gardeners and for society in
general. Understanding that your
survival is dependent on these resources and respecting and honoring them as
valuable was important for native peoples and why many of us today are working to
conserve, restore and respect our remaining natural resources.
There is much to celebrate after a long winter and the coming of
fresh plants in the spring and summer had to have been extremely important to
native groups as well as early settlers.
Many of the plants native people were consuming are considered weeds
today. I think of the dandelion plant which is not native to North America and is
the curse of many a landscaper, but is considered a food resource utilized by
many. My grandfather’s dandelion wine
was family lore and I recall many a dish of cooked dandelion on their farm
table. The emerging plants of spring and
the lunar calendar have guided planting time for many generations and
ceremonies such as the Planting Ceremony marked the beginning of the summer
growing season.
Timucua Indians preparing land and sowing seeds, engraving by Theodor
de Bry from a drawing by Jacques Le Moyne, c. 1564; first published in 1591.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. LC-USZ62-31869)
)B
The Strawberry ceremony which honors the native species (Fragaria
virginiana) in Iroquois culture celebrates the native strawberry, a plant much
different than the commercially grown gigantic berries available at the
grocery. The small sweet berry was
symbolic of early summer and community gathering. Archaeologically, the
strawberry seed is one of the more frequently recovered berries followed later
in the season by raspberries. If you’ve
never had wild strawberry jelly, plan to forage fields and hedge rows in early June
to gather this delicious fruit. If this
isn’t an option, then plan to attend a local strawberry festival and enjoy the
domesticated berries produced locally.
Wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
No matter how you choose to enjoy the native plants in our
landscapes either for their aesthetic beauty, their medicinal benefits or their
food resource, we hope you will consider their value and significance on the
landscape. These native plants have
survived and adapted to climatic conditions and may be the resource we will
turn to in the future as climate change and environmental factors impact our
ability to grow food crops. Help us to
preserve the past for the future and leave native plants in their natural
habitat, so that they can be enjoyed for many more generations.
Indian Pipe plant (Monotropa uniflora)
Indian Pipe is a
woodland plant found in wet, damp areas of the forest. Used as a pain reliever
as one of its main constituents is salicylic acid, which is a base for aspirin.
Additional Resources
Gladys Tantaquidgcon, Folk Medicine of the Delaware and Related Algonkian Indians,
Anthropological Series Number 3, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission, 1995.
Foxfire 2, spring
wild plant foods, Anchor books edition:1973.
Dean R. Snow, The Iroquois, Blackwell Publishers,
Inc. 1996.
Web sites;
For more information, visit PAarchaeology.state.pa.us or the Hall of Anthropology and Archaeology at The State Museum of Pennsylvania .
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