Midwest SOARRING
WINGS
Winter 1997
The Newsletter of
Midwest Save Our Ancestors Remains & Resources Indigenous Network Group
A Child Cries, Waiting
Thoughts From the
President...
Grundy County
Courthouse Shame
Homecoming and
A Vigil: Celebrating the New Year
URGENT CALL
TO ACTION
The
Unconquerable Kickapoo
Interview
with Pemina Yellow Bird
The Pure,
The Spoiled & The CMC
Herban Thymes:
Surviving the Change of Seasons
Remembering
the Song of Old Woman, Part II
Bringing the
Plants Out of Exile
A Child Cries, Waiting
The curation and study of hundreds of thousands of ancestral remains has been national policy for well over a century. Since the passing of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) in 1990, and the closing of Dickson Mounds near Lewistown, Illinois, the public display of these remains in Illinois has become a disgrace of the past--at least almost. In December of 1997, Midwest SOARRING learned that the Grundy County Courthouse in Morris, Illinois, had a partial skull of a Native American child and a braid of hair in a glass case for public viewing.
In the 1920’s, former President, William E. Walsh, of the Grundy County Historical Society had donated these remains, reportedly found in a mound in the Channahon area, to the society’s artifact collection, and they have been on display since that time. NAGPRA required that all federal, state and local government agencies and institutions of higher learning, as well as any private institution that received federal funds, prepare an inventory of their ancestral remains and cultural items by November of 1993. In 1992, the Illinois State Museum had sponsored workshops to inform small museums of their possible need to comply. Michael Wiant, from the State Museum, instructed the Grundy County Historical Society at this time that the remains should, out of respect, be removed from display as soon as possible. While this Society is private and probably received no federal funding, representatives chose to submit an inventory in the spirit of the law. They proceeded to notify the nations that had resided in the Channahon region of the remains, inviting a reply for possible repatriation. An answer on file is from David Lee Smith, Cultural Preservation Officer of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, who is also one of the Board Advisors of Midwest SOARRING.
No action was taken to expedite the removal of these remains until Joe Standing Bear of SOARRING spoke with the newly-elected President, Verna Purdue, in December. He explained the unnegotiable necessity of relieving this child’s spirit from the shame of treatment as an object for public scrutiny. He stressed, as well, the spiritual need that the remains be repatriated so that he or she could continue the journey into the next world.
SOARRING sought advice from Patrick Jennings, head of the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston, Illinois, recognized for his sympathetic approach to Native concerns. He stated that the Illinois State Museum curates remains for study, while the Mitchell Museum retains them without study until and if the descendents can claim them according to NAGPRA. He advised that if the fragment and braid were given to the State Museum, an agreement should be signed that it would not subjected to scientific analysis, thus following the general desire of Indians regarding their ancestors. Upon discussion with Mike Wiant, it was learned that destructive analysis was not the usual policy of the State Museum, and that this particular fragment would probably not be considered eligible for study of any kind.
After further discussion with Mike Wiant, the Society agreed to have the skull and braid taken out of the glass case in the near future, according to the proper ceremony as directed by Midwest SOARRING’s advisors. It will be held by the Illinois State Museum until repatriation is possible.
This is the last of the known ancestral remains on display in the state of Illinois, and its removal is a great victory for the people. Complete success, however, is still out of reach. Due to the difficulty of proving ancestry, these remains will probably be classified as unaffiliated, and the law requires that they be retained by a museum until the section of NAGPRA dealing with unaffiliated remains is completed (see Wings 8, Spring, 1997, page 1).
Midwest SOARRING extends a plea to every private museum and collector across Illinois and the Midwest that has not revealed its holdings of ancestral remains to contact us. Let our people go; it is time to send them home.
Thoughts From the President...
Aanii, boozhoo,
Looking back a number of years, over the struggles we have gone through to achieve respect and freedom for our ancestors, I ponder for a moment to consider those yet to come. You will read in this issue about the Grundy County Courthouse struggle, and wonder why a lone child was imprisoned in a glass case in a house of justice, a house that had no justice or heart for that child. Why did it take over 70 years to correct this injustice? The answer lies perhaps in the hearts and spirits of those many thousands of people who gazed at that lonely child during those long years, but failed to hear that child weeping within, "I want to go home." I give thanks to the Creator for the awakening of the hearts necessary for the coming freedom of that young one from the glass case. But I suspect there will still be weeping in the hearts of some who have walked past that case, who remember and ask, "Why?" I wonder in my heart how many more such prisons exist in this state and beyond. The glass in itself may be transparent, but the lack of respect is not. The genocide this represents is one of the darkest clouds on the human horizon. It does not matter that the child is red, white, black or yellow, four years old or four thousand, it is a child of the Creator and deserves respect in the journey into the spirit world.
Note: since I began to write this, we have been in contact with Mike Wiant at the Illinois State Museum. He has informed us that to his present knowledge, this is the last of our ancestral remains still on display to the general public in this state. It would be hard for me to express the emotions within my heart and spirit at the writing of these words, the warm tears welling in my eyes, to know that this may represent an end to an era of public viewing of our remains in this state. It is a clear sign that perhaps some of the seeds of respect are breaking through the crust of human consciousness of those who have held our ancestors’ remains captive these many years. I think of the many who have worked hard and long across our country for the day when our remains are not only removed from view, but have also been returned, with their grave goods, with respect and honor to their living children across our country. We will then have the long-awaited reburial so that their journey may continue.
With this in my heart, I now speak of something very important in that continuing process. Midwest SOARRING has recently obtained the permit for a prayer vigil on National Prayer Day, May 2, 1998, to begin at the Illinois State Museum, then to proceed with a walk over to the State Capitol for a massive prayer circle. The reason for the vigil is the three R’s--respect, repatriation and reburial. I personally invite all people of good heart to be part of that historic day. I strongly urge all of our people within this state and beyond, their families, friends, supporters, veterans and religious people of all faiths to come share their hearts, spirits and prayers.
We pray for the NAGPRA committee who are working on the section regarding unaffiliated remains to reach consensus in the near future on a plan that will provide all our ancestors with the greatest respect. We pray that they show wisdom, courage and good judgment in their decisions. We want you to know that our peoples across this country are looking and waiting for that long overdue return of our ancestors and their grave goods.
I strongly embrace you,
Joseph Standing Bear
773-585-8613
Grundy County Courthouse
Shame
by Joseph Standing Bear
Did you hear the little child cry? Within the locked glass case, Did you ever stop and wonder why? Within the locked glass case, Did you ever think of the pain this causes and where we go when we die? Within the locked glass case, Did you think this was okay knowing in your heart it was a lie Within the locked glass case, Did you know our people wait, with sacred wraps to tie Within the locked glass case, Did you not hear the young one say, "Let me go home," with a weeping sigh? Within the locked glass case. Did you not want to run and grab some sort of pry? Within the locked glass case, Did you know your hearts hold the key? Feel freedom’s tears from the sky, Within the locked glass case.
Homecoming and A Vigil:
Celebrating the New Year
by Clare Farrell
Western-thinking society has altered many natural patterns as it sought to define, and therefore control, life. The winter solstice has been glossed over with the rituals, both religious and secular, of a holiday season, combining adoration, celebration and gift-giving into a segregated compartment of time. The history of this development has many facets, but a notable beginning is the intention of the Christian church to replace earth-centered celebrations related to the solstice. The addition of a "new year"-- beginning at a time when the standing peoples are naked of leaves, the plant nation sleeps within life-enclosed seeds, and animal nations huddle close to the earth or fly to warmer havens--is an obvious sign of a mentality disconnected from the realities of earthly life.
For many Native peoples, the new year begins in Spring, as the earth in all her expressions awakens to a new growing season. It has traditionally been a time to come home to the summer camp-- for some, to prepare for planting, and for others, to reap the blessings of hunting and gathering.
Midwest SOARRING will celebrate the new year this May with two events that will truly usher in a new season. First, the Prayer Vigil on May 2, 1998, is dedicated to the "3 R’s" critical to Native sovereignty and esteem: Respect, Repatriation and Reburial. These three words form the foundation of enduring Native American life on this sacred land. Our roots come from the ancestors, and our lives today and the generations to come for all time emerge from these roots. A broken and ravaged foundation can barely sustain even a weak nation, therefore we must have a repatriation system in place that will give all the ancestral remains back for reburial, and land in which to bury them. Respect will be the key that will open those two doors. This is a matter of life and death--the new life of a new year of justice, replacing the ongoing death of racism against Native peoples. We will be joined by the American Indian Council of Illinois and many other groups--Native, minority, denominational, and multicultural--as many people of good heart support the rights of the People. We extend the invitation to all.
Our second event will be the symbolic homecoming of the Kickapoo Nation park dedication and pow wow on May 30 and 31. We will honor the nation that has endured with invincible strength through the times of invasion, deception and displacement (see The Unconquerable Kickapoo, this issue). This event has meaning on many levels: the coming home of a consciousness--the re-placement of a reality known to the very soil of Illinois land, almost a setting of time in reverse when the land recognized the presence of her children, and now reclaims their familiar footsteps. Finally, it is the return of natural order in a state where thousands of ancestors have been torn from their mother’s breast, thousands more have been exiled, and countless children, forced to be born outside her boundaries, have never known her welcoming beauty.
Join us as Illinois enters a new era.
~~~~~Happy New Year~~~~~
URGENT CALL TO ACTION
Join us--
May 2, 1998--National Prayer Day
Springfield, IL
2 PM - 4 PM
Meet at the Illinois State Museum steps
to walk to the Capitol Building for a Prayer Vigil
We ask for the 3 R’s--Respect, Repatriation & Reburial
In honor of the Ancestors
In preparation for the event on May 30 and 31, 1998, at the site of the Grand Village of the Kickapoo, we are printing a brief history, post-contact period, of the Kickapoo Nation, a proud and enduring people who persist as one of the most traditional of the original Native Nations on Turtle Island.
In this issue, we’ll cover general national information, and in the next issue, we’ll focus on the Kickapoo in Illinois.
The Unconquerable
Kickapoo
by Clare Farrell
Before we can set out on the road to success, we have to know where we are going, and before we can know that, we must determine where we have been in the past. It seems a basic requirement to study the history of our Indian people. America has much to learn about the heritage of our American Indians. Only through this study can we as a nation do what must be done if our treatment of the American Indians is not to be marked down for all times as a national disgrace.
John F. Kennedy 1961
In the early 1600’s, French administrators posted military and commercial depots in the Algonquian heartland, extending from the triangle point of the eastern Great Lakes westward to the Mississippi, flanked on the north by the lakes and on the south by the Ohio River. Merchants flooded the area with European goods to exchange in the lucrative fur trade. The twenty or so Native Nations in the area were encouraged to settle near trading posts, abandoning their traditional self-sufficiency. Missionaries attempted to Christianize the people, which made them more amenable to French exploitation. With the influx of knives, hatchets and guns, the novelty of blankets and fabrics, and the persuasion of brandy dispensed by the French during council, many of the Algonquians acceded with little initial resistance to the encroaching settlement.
The Kickapoo, however, were a notable exception. Receiving their name from the Algonquian Kiwigapawa, which means "he moves about," this people ranged from the Great Lakes states to the Gulf of Mexico, extending as far east as New York, north as Wisconsin, west as Missouri, and south to northern Mexico. Almost from the beginning of European contact, the tribe exhibited a determined independence and a marked hostility toward acculturation. They refused to accept the economic, political and religious doctrines of the three successive invaders--French, British, and later, the Americans. They joined their neighbors, the Mascoutens and the Meskwaki, to become the leaders in a constant harassment of the intended "new" French Empire in America.
By 1685, the Kickapoo Confederacy attained a power equal to the Iroquois and Sioux, and were considered the firebrands of the Northwest Territory. During this era, the Kickapoo used the Illinois region more as hunting grounds than for permanent residence. They were noted for their tactics and endurance, but the French also recognized the deep concern of the Kickapoo warriors for their women and children, using this trait to ensure Kickapoo compliance. They proceeded to hold many women and children hostage until agreements were reached and an era of alliance with the French began.
In 1763, the Treaty of Paris transferred title to the French-occupied lands of the Algonquian Nations to Great Britain. British appearance in Kickapoo country, which now included Illinois, brought newly-enforced resistance to this invader. But as the strength of British occupation became apparent, it was politically advantageous for the Kickapoo to establish friendly relations. They did not become staunch allies until after the American War of Independence. The rapid encroachment on the Algonquian range, including Illinois, by American politicians and land speculators after 1783 produced a Kickapoo loyalty to the British that lasted until 1832. The common thread linking a half century of resistance to the American influx of white settlers was the loss of hunting grounds and the assertion of Indian ownership of these lands.
The rise of Indian nationalism as directed by Tecumseh and his brother, The Prophet, of Shawnee-Creek parentage, found ready acceptance by the Kickapoo Nation. The Kickapoo promoted substantially the same ideals, rejecting the use of alcohol and encouraging a return to old tribal customs. The death of Tecumseh during the War of 1812, and the victory of the Americans, however, brought no respite for American settlements in Illinois as the Kickapoo continued to defend their tribal grounds.
With characteristic independent thinking, a faction developed within the tribe soon after 1812 led by Kennekuk, the Kickapoo Prophet. He espoused peace with the Americans and the acceptance of learning agriculture and the white man’s ways. Yet whether the Kickapoo were hostile or friendly did not stem the American gluttony for land. With the formal hostilities between the British and Americans over, the British encouraged the Kickapoo to make peace with the Americans as well. The Kickapoo suspected that a treaty with the "Big Knives" would mean a surrender of more land, but they were persuaded that the Americans only wanted an affirmation of peace, and they signed a treaty in 1815, with each party pledging "perpetual peace and friendship." Soon after returning to their villages on the Illinois River, however, they found that settlement in their territory, delayed for three years by the war, was moving ahead rapidly. Over two million acres between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers had been reserved by Congress for war bounties, and surveys were begun before the ink on the treaty was dry. The hunting grounds of the Kickapoos, Potawatomis and Miamis were soon enclosed by the new settlements, and the US began negotiations in 1816 to extinguish all Indian land title in the Northwest, and to remove all the tribes west of the Mississippi.
The Kickapoo tried to raise a united Indian front against this advance, but they were unable to recruit a warrior force strong enough, therefore some of the Kickapoo chiefs finally considered removal across the Mississippi River. For over three years, US Commissioners encouraged the Kickapoo to surrender their lands, until finally the Treaty of Edwardsville, signed on July 30, 1819, exchanged tribal lands in Illinois for land on the Osage River in Missouri. By 1832, all the Kickapoo bands had been relocated.
In like manner with the other Native Nations of this land, the Kickapoo struggled with broken promises, land swindles, forced allotment policies and racial intolerance. During the reservation era from 1874 to 1895, probably no other tribe in the history of American Indian policy caused as much difficulty for the Indian agents who sought to assimilate them.
Today, the Kickapoo live in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and northern Mexico. Many of the people continue to live according to the traditional religion and customs, including seasonal residence patterns in the same style dwelling from as far back as can be remembered: the summer house, otenikani, and the winter house, apacoaikani, with their lashed sapling frames covered with sewn cattail mats. The state of Oklahoma wanted all federally-recognized tribes to have their tribal flags flown on the state capitol grounds. Only the Kickapoo refused. The reason: when the day comes that the Kickapoo have a tribal flag, that will denote surrender.
Adhering to the ways of their ancestors and protective of their culture, the Kickapoo remain unconquered, and their continuing staunch independence supports as pure an Indian culture as exists within the boundaries of the US today.
References:
The Kickapoos: Lords of the Middle Border, by Arrell M. Gibson, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK, 1963
Indian Villages of the Illinois Country, by Wayne C. Temple, Illinois State Museum Scientific Papers, Vol. 2, Part 2, Springfield, IL 1966
The Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, McLoud, OK
For over a decade, Pemina Yellow Bird has been a leading figure in the campaign to return ancestral remains and sacred and funerary object to tribes. Pemina is a citizen of the Sahnish and Hidatsa First Nations of Fort Berthhold Reservation, North Dakota. For the past 12 years, she has been a member of the North Dakota Intertribal Reinternment Committee (NDIRC), acting as one of the three official NAGPRA representatives for her tribe. In 1992, the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission recognized her as the "Indian Citizen of the Year."
Midwest SOARRING begins the first segment of a series based on an interview with Pemina regarding key repatriation concerns today. When asked how she would like to begin this series, she replied with the following statement:
To all those who read these words, I say thank you for your interest and commitment to protecting the places which cradle the bodies of our ancestors. Though we have been able to pass laws which protect the self-evident human right to rest in peace for Native people, the struggle continues because the attacks continue. Please ask your Congressman/woman for a copy of HR2893, and do what you can to prevent its passage. This bill will do great damage to federal reburial law, if passed. And on behalf of our ancestors themselves, I say thank you for all and whatever you can do to help us."
Interview with Pemina
Yellow Bird
1/2/98
SOARRING: Did you have a part in the formation of the Native American Graves Repatriation and Protection Act of 1990?
Pemina: Yes, our Committee was part of a national coalition put together by the Native American Rights Fund and different individuals who were getting input from tribes on what they wanted in NAGPRA. Because of that we were able to get in some really important language.
SOARRING: We understand that the NDIRC has retrieved and reburied about 5000 of the ancestors.
Pemina: Yes, right around that mark, more correctly 4800 something. They represent all of the tribes currently found in North Dakota.
SOARRING: You speak of protecting intellectual cultural property rights, and how these are not respected when a tribe makes a claim to cultural property under NAGPRA requirements. How detailed does NAGPRA require an explanation to be?
Pemina: It appears that individual museums and federal agencies and universities get to decide that. They have already sent out their summaries, saying this is what we have that belongs to you that we think is repatriatable under NAGPRA. Right there, that sets up the first problem, that the museum and science industries and universities get to decide what constitutes a sacred object. Let’s say they have 20,000 artifacts in their possession, and of that 20,000, they have decided that maybe 5 are repatriatable under NAGPRA. Tribes don’t know what the other 15,000 are, unless they go through the whole collection themselves. And out of that 5, let’s say 4 of them are bundles, and one of them is a pipe that belongs to a particular clan or band in a particular tribe. The tribe has to locate elders who know about those 4 bundles and that pipe. And then they have to provide travel money for those elders to go to that museum and identify them. The elders must be able to say, "We know what those are," and what they’re used for. but they do not have to agree to have their words recorded, whether in written, audio or video format. If the tribe does not wish their sacred, cultural and intellectual property to become the museum’s property (which it will if recording is allowed), all they have to do is say ‘no.’
SOARRING: You have said that not even everyone in a tribe will know some of these things about a particular object.
Pemina: That’s very true. In the case of a lot of Arikara ceremonial things, for instance, only certain individuals have the right to know and discuss certain things. This is not for everyone to know, but the dominant society does not understand this value that we have, and insists on knowing everything and publishing everything. If something sacred like this gets published, whether academically or commercially, sooner or later it ends up in the wrong hands, being used for the wrong purposes--it’s happened before.
It’s really unfortunate but there’s a district court in the state of Hawaii that was asked to make a determination on whether or not information gathered under NAGPRA should be protected under the Freedom of Information Act. And his decision was that it’s not protectable under FOIA. It was a real blow to Native people’s interest, particularly on the issue of sacred and cultural property rights.
Continued in the next issue.
The struggle to stop the proposed Exxon/Rio Algom sulfide mine in Crandon, Wisconsin, continues, now entering its 12th year (see Wings, Summer, 1996 and Wings, Spring, 1997). Reports from those for and against the mine have flooded the media, and Exxon continues to justify its plan with the use of numerical jargon designed to appear harmless to the public. John Fuhler, independent researcher, has translated some of this data into statistics* that explain real life effects.
The Pure, The Spoiled
& The CMC
by John Thomas Fuhler
Imagine yourself walking through a forest in northern Wisconsin at the height of summer. The oak and maple trees tower overhead, glittering in early morning sunlight. Here and there, birch and tamarack trees huddle together, and intense silence wraps itself around you, mingled with the scent of white pine carried on the pristine Northwoods breeze. You come upon a wild and scenic river, here smooth as a mirror, there gushing and frothing over rapids and through dells of polished, pink granite. Eagles glide high overhead, casually shopping for a fresh catch, while the great blue heron builds its rookery down below. In the river team rainbow, brook and brown trout, with black bear and white tail deer hidden in the dense foliage. This is Menominee County, where life exists in a balance as it has for millennia...
...and as it may not be allowed to continue, if the Crandon Mining Company (CMC) has its way. Formed by a partnership between Exxon Minerals and Rio Algom, the Crandon sulfide mine will exchange 300 generations of environmental degradation for one generation of profits. In order to keep the proposed sulfide mine dry, they plan to pump out more than one million gallons of water per day for twenty-eight years into the Wisconsin River. Despite a studied argument for the safety borne of dilution, this waste water would be contaminated, and while the numbers come in parts per million, the ultimate effects on life can only be calculated in the negative. Over the 28-year-period of the mine’s operation, the waste water will contain:
There will also be measurable amounts of the toxic metals antimony, cadmium and lead.
Astonishingly, all of these concentrations are within the standards tolerated by the EPA. These metals would concentrate in Lakes Alice and Mohawksin, two flowages created by dams just south of Rhinelander, thereby increasing the risk of serious chronic and acute illnesses for lakeside residents.
Some of the specific effects known, include:
The fine tailings from the mine would be stored in a pond 340 football fields in area and 90 feet deep. In order to prevent unwary birds and deer from drinking the toxic waste, Crandon Mining Company plans to put a lid over this pond. Although this sounds good, the technology required to safely store such toxic waste is lacking; leakages are inevitable. If this waste entered the Wolf River Watershed, the heavy metals will destroy the ecology of the river, and the unfortunate ‘canaries in the mine’--the fish--will die. ALL THOSE WHO LIVE ALONG THE RIVER WOULD BE AT RISK FOR THESE SAME ILLNESSES.
In December 1997, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources ruled against stronger groundwater standards. On March 11, 1997, the Wisconsin State Senate passed The Mining Moratorium Bill that requires mining companies to demonstrate environmentally safe sulfide mines. The State Assembly Environmental Committee passed that bill without change. After this issue of Wings goes to print, the bill will go to the whole Assembly for consideration.
There are major questions that must be asked: does any multinational corporation have the right to endanger even one life? Can we place value on the assurances of safety espoused by companies that have a proven track record for damaging the environment? What do the people who live there want and need--the 2-leggeds, 4-leggeds, wingeds and all the crawling peoples who call this area home? As a tourist, do you want to take the chance that your favorite cross country skiing, snowmobiling, hunting, fishing and recreational spots may soon be perilous to your health?
This paradise can easily be devoured by the stroke of a pen, unless the public responds vigorously. For more information, contact the Wolf Watershed Educational Project (800) 445-8615. Ask the Wisconsin Department of Tourism at (608) 266-2345, or from the Chicago area, phone the Wisconsin Travel Information Center, and ask them to protect the tourism economy from sulfide mining.
*Based on OSHA, EPA and Health & Human Services guidelines, using the accepted LD 50’s standard by which lethal dosages are based on epidemiological studies.
Our traditional natural healing series is written by herbalist Cindy Bloom, Cherokee, currently serving as Vice President of Midwest SOARRING.
Herban Thymes:
Surviving the Change of Seasons
by Cindy Bloom
A long time ago, when the plants and animals were first created, the Great Spirit asked them to stay awake for seven nights. For this sacrifice, they would receive a powerful gift. The first and second nights passed, and most of the plants and animals found it easy enough to stay awake. On the third, fourth and fifth nights, less and less of them were able to stay awake, and by the seventh night, only a few were still awake and observant. The owl and panther were among the animals that were. These were given the power to see in the dark, and with this advantage, they could forage for food at night with little competition. Among the plants that stayed awake were the cedar, pine and holly. For their great sacrifice, they were given a gift of powerful medicine and the ability to stay green all year.
Today, our people fast and pray, and they must stay awake and alert for several nights to receive their medicine. Without this sacrifice, one does not receive a vision.
The life cycle of animals and plants have adaptive strategies for surviving the change of seasons. In all regions of the Americas, some migrate, some are dormant and some remain very active. For the 2-legged, winter is a time of storytelling, introspection and sharing in ritual and prayer that provide methods to go within oneself. The heartbeat of all winter inhabitants slows, awaiting the spring time awakening when the seeds of life will become active once again.
The two-leggeds have lost some of their innate ability to deal with these seasonal changes. In winter particularly, we suffer from anxiety, stress and depression. Let’s keep in mind that the circle is the source of all life and nourishment as I discuss the true essence of a plant known scientifically as Hypericum perforatum, commonly known as St. John’s Wort.
This is many people’s herb of choice for mild and moderate depression. To know this plant is to understand its relationship to everything in creation, and this aids us in comprehending its complex nature as a medicine. The outer layer of the seed contains a pigment which prohibits germination unless exposed to light during this phase of development. Animals have developed phototoxicity from ingesting too much of this plant, and areas exposed to a lot of sunlight produce blistering. The oil glands on the leaves, however, have flavonoids which promote rapid healing from burns, including sunburn. Most herbal oils are macerated in the dark, but not St. John’s Wort. Its process is done in the sun, with the result that solar preparation provides greater wound healing properties and larger quantities of antibiotic agents. St. John’s Wort oils and tinctures should have a reddish-purple pigment, which contains multiple bioactive compounds. If the store-bought preparation lacks this pigment, it has been improperly prepared or harvested at the wrong time.
The history of the plant’s name involves a variety of traditions. The word hypericum was derived from the Greek, meaning "over an apparition," which alludes to its use as a protection against evil spirits. Perferatum refers to the oil glands that are visible as transparent dots when you hold a leaf up to the sun. The flowers are bright yellow, but if you rub them between your fingers, you get the characteristic brilliant reddish-purple pigment. This pigment was associated with the blood of the Christian saint, John the Baptist, and the twelfth century Benedictine monks Christianized the plant’s name because it blooms during the time of St. John’s Feast Day on June 24th.
Ancient herbalists, including Hippocrates, Pliny and Galen, wrote about this plant’s medicine. It appeared in the first Pharmacopoeian Londonensis in 1618. Brought to the US by Europeans, it was made popular by modern Homeopathic practitioners. The genus Hypericum is listed in the Pharmacopoeia of many countries. By the early 19th century, its common use was as a nervine and pain killer. The particular species, perforatum, is native to Europe and western Asia, but has become naturalized in North and South America. There are actually over 300 species of Hypericum worldwide, including one that is native to North America. This is not, however, the herb used in the treatments covered in this article.
The use of St. John’s Wort for depression has been practiced in Europe over the last five decades. It is also used for a wide variety of neurologic conditions including anxiety, insomnia and neuralgia. It has a mood elevating effect without impairing motor or mental skills. It increases the ability to concentrate and cope with stress.
The dosage of St. John’s Wort for most adults in 40 drops of high quality extract of flowers and leaves three times a day. The effects are felt immediately for some, while for others it takes ten to fourteen days. Hypericum is one of the leading psychotherapeutic phytomedicines, for treating mild and moderate depression. The exact pharmacological action is unknown, as in other psychotherapeutic agents used in treatment. Studies at this time indicate that it doesn’t seem to be effective in treating manic depression, however.
We must not neglect the beneficial use of St. John’s Wort as an oil that can be used externally. It has powerful healing ability in treating burns and injured nerve tissue, including the spinal cord.
In our belief in the continuing circle of life, we know the wholeness contained and integrated in a single seed. It is the seed that produces a plant with the medicines we need; it is the seed that knows the intricate weave of the body, mind and Spirit of nature interacting together. And it is the blessing of the seed that creates the gift of health on every level we need.
Warning: Wildcrafting (harvesting) plants on your own can be dangerous, as there are look-alike plants that contain toxic components. It is recommended that you buy already-processed herbs at a reputable herbal store. Presented herbal information is not intended to treat, diagnose or prescribe. Seek medical attention when necessary.
This article is the second of a 3-part series on Native women--their reality, role and position in traditional Native culture.
Remembering the Song of
Old Woman, Part II
by Cindy Bloom
All of the women I speak of are Old Woman, but this is a song about ordinary women who have been taught by these extraordinary females. The Wise Way or Path they follow and teach is dictated by the Natural Law, the way we were intended to live. These ways are part of all that women do and perceive. It is the wise women who share the values of the earth, and the wisdom and medicine of the Ancient Ones. This esoteric knowledge permeates the sisterhood of all women of Turtle Island, their homeland.
None of this information, however, implies a uniform belief across all the Native Nations.
Women played a much greater role in ceremony than most historians acknowledge. In medieval Europe, however, the religious male hierarchy dominated women, and the medicine women and "witches" were tortured and killed. The dominant patriarchal mentality was then brought to North America, and the importance of women in tribal life was ignored. Native people saw a direct correlation between the lack of female representation in this foreign culture and its violent behavior and ideas of private land ownership.
The female is most important in many American Indian ceremonies. Since ancient times, the women have been there to open and handle the sacred objects of the medicine bundles for she helped evoke the spirits. The different nations have their own particular stories that explain the centrality of the woman.
For the Lakota Nation, the White Buffalo Calf Woman brought the sacred pipe and seven of their most sacred ceremonies. In a time long past, she entered a camp of the people and announced that she had been sent by the Buffalo people. At this time, the people were starving, and she taught them how to pray with the pipe to ask for food and other needs. When you pray in this way, she instructed, you will receive what you need, and by this pipe, the people shall live.
For the Apache and Navajo Nations, Changing Woman gave the people the Blessing Healing Ceremony and, impregnated by the Sun, she is the progenitor of all humans. She and her sons prepared the earth for the People. During the puberty ceremony, a young girl becomes Changing Woman, and with her power the girl can cure those blessing her.
Self-sacrifice is an important aspect of traditional Indian life, and the woman was the example of natural self-giving. Monthly, she gives of her life during her menstrual flow or "moon time," and she sustains the nation through the sacrifice of blood and pain during childbirth. While the woman is always present at the Sundance, traditionally she never danced since she already gave her blood in these ways. The piercing ceremony during the Sundance is a way for the men to know the sacrifice and pain that women go through giving birth. Selu, the Cherokee corn maiden, is also a life-giver through her sacrifice. Her story tells of secretions flowing down her legs from her womb onto the earth, producing maize, and from her breasts come beans to feed the people. The way of sacrifice is still a part of the Native lifestyle, yet this is often viewed as a feminine trait that is undesirable in the modern dominant society.
The value of the woman is recognized and honored in American Indian societies, with her physical cycles expressing her power. The Native menstrual taboos regarding women during their moon time, for example, show an understanding of her esteemed position. Women in moon time have heightened power, strong enough to weaken the power of sacred objects such as pipes and medicine bundles, as well as of men. It is a time for a woman to participate in women’s ceremony for her own benefit. Post-menopausal women are honored as holy people and medicine women. They are honored for their wisdom and gifts of knowledge that are then shared with the people. It was the elder women who founded the American Indian Movement in the late 1960’s which stands for self-determination and the right to tribal sovereignty. On the other hand, European ideas have attributed the physical quality and functions of being female as evidence of weakness, and in some Christian traditions, a sign of uncleanness and lack of worth.
Women form the strongest thread in the fabric of Indian society. The White Mountain Apache describe the women as the trunk of the family tree, their children its branches, and their husbands are sometimes described as leaves. The Apaches say: "The leaves may drop off, but the trunk and the branches never break."
References: Grandmothers of the Light, A Medicine Woman’s Sourcebook, by Paula Gunn Allen, Beacon Press, Boston, MA, 1991
Selu, Seeking the Corn Mother’s Wisdom, by Marilou Awiakta, Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, CO, 1993
The People, Indians of the American Southwest, by Stephen Trimble, SAR Press, Santa Fe, NM, 1993
Ivan Dozier, a regular contributor to Wings, serves as the District Conservationist for The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Macoupin County (Carlinville), Illinois.
Ivan has recently been appointed as American Indian Liaison and Special Emphasis Program Manager for Illinois by the NRCS.
Bringing the Plants Out
of Exile
by Ivan Dozier
Just before I returned home from holiday, visiting at my parents’, I took the time to dig a few of the crisp tubers that grow at the base of a native sunflower, commonly known as Jerusalem Artichoke. I intended to eat some and use the rest to help expand my wild "garden." These plants were growing beside a storage shed behind my parents’ house in extreme southeastern Illinois. My mother had transplanted them there many years ago. Jerusalem Artichokes are only part of an assortment of wild perennial plants which we have moved closer to the house from surrounding fields and forests. These plants are not in the garden with the other typical annual crops and they don’t require much care. Though my family doesn’t gather them as the staples they once were, we now use these plants for special occasions or as treats, so it’s convenient to have them near the house.
When I have the time, it is still nice to take a long walk around my parents’ place. No matter the time of year, there is always something to nibble on. I never realized what a luxury it was to step out the back door on a cool spring morning to gather wild raspberries to top my breakfast cereal. In the fall, there are plenty of persimmons to gather for bread and pudding. Even in the dead of winter, I still find tart sumac berries to pop in my mouth. When I was younger, gathering wild plants was a much more important part of our lives, and I consider myself blessed by the experience of growing up the way I did. Although I didn’t fully understand the significance of having those plants around then, I now recognize there was a greater purpose than either their food or medicinal utility: the plants kept us connected to the old way of life.
As usual, I didn’t come to this realization until I moved away from home and lived in an apartment. I still got to partake in the fruits of wild harvests on visits home, but I missed the total experience. Now that I have a small plot of land, I am finally able to bring in some of the native plants which are special to me.
This personal satisfaction is diminished when I think of the People who were removed from this region. Not only did they suffer much personal hardship, but the culture has suffered a physical disconnect from nature. Relocation forced Native American people outside the range of many of the plants and animals which were ingrained in the life ways of their society. Some of the People remained on the fringes of their native habitat range, but they did not have the land area to support the great variety of species which was so important to their culture. This lack of access can still be a concern on National or Tribal lands. Those Native American people who are returning--or never left--the Midwest, face a much different landscape than that of their ancestors. The vast majority of land is in private ownership now, and there are few natural areas left. I can attest that a window box or a small backyard can’t fulfill the need of staying connected to the land.
With that in mind, I have asked The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to explore modifying their plant materials program in the Midwest. The current program was established to identify, propagate and evaluate plants for conservation use. When a particular plant shows utility for a conservation practice, it is propagated and released to the public.
In some states, the program has already been modified to include plants of cultural significance to Native Americans. For example, if livestock have direct access to a natural spring, they often trample the site and contaminate the water. To restore and protect the site, NRCS would typically recommend fencing out the animals, installing a trough to collect the runoff from the spring, and then revegetating the trampled area. On Blackfeet lands in Montana, NRCS has taken spring restoration a step farther by considering the special needs of the local people. Sweetgrass is now being used as one of the plants to revegetate damaged springs. Sweetgrass is well-suited to wet areas, so it’s good for conservation, and the Blackfeet people can harvest the grass for religious ceremonies.
If there is interest, NRCS can activate the same program on Tribal or National lands here in the Midwest. Many farmers and other landowners have portions of their property which could be used to grow a variety of plant species. I believe we could establish a network of private landowners who would be willing to grow plants of cultural significance to Native Americans. NRCS would provide the plant stock and give advice on proper growing conditions, and could also help coordinate the harvest and distribution of the plants.
I see this program as an opportunity for the Midwest to give something back to the People. I am excited about the possibilities offered by this new program, but I need to hear from people who are interested in participating. I have already been approached by several landowners who are willing to offer the use of their land. That kind of support is encouraging, but I have little opportunity for personal contact with Tribal leaders or other Native American people--that’s why I’m asking for some feedback now. Let me know what you think. Does this program have value in the Midwest, or is there something else NRCS needs to be working on? I welcome any and all comments. You can contact me through Midwest SOARRING, or reach me directly by writing to USDA/NRCS, 300 Carlinville Plaza, Carlinville, IL 62626, or phoning 217-854-2628. My E-mail address is soilsurfers@ctnet.net.
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