Medicinal Monday - Dogwoods

No taller than 25 feet, the dogwood tree grows from Maine to Florida and as far west as Texas.  For many, it is a symbol of spring with its pink or white blossoms, and to Native Americans, it marks the time when crops can be planted.  Some, consider it to be one of the most beautiful flowering trees in America. Native Americans long recognized the many medicinal attributes of the dogwood tree and use the roots, berries, and leaves of this tree in many ingenious ways.

Distinguishing Characteristics

With its three to five-inch blossoms and graceful form, the dogwood tree, that is native to North America is beautiful year-round.  The dogwood tree usually blossoms in April.   An interesting fact is that the blossoms of this tree are not actually flowers but a type of leaf known as bracts.  The blossoms last for three or four weeks, and the scarlet berries that follow them can linger into the early winter months.  In the summer the dogwood's beautiful green leaves give way to beautiful scarlet fall foliage and the dark mottled pattern of the bark of this tree provides a beautiful contrast to winter snow.  There are eleven species of dogwood trees native to the United States.

Medicinal Uses

Dogwood trees are more than pretty fragrant blossoms to Native Americans who consider these trees as symbols of protection and safety in Southeastern Native American groups.  In some Mohawk communities, the primeval Tree of Life in the Sky World is said to be a giant dogwood tree. In Northwestern tribes such as the Quileute and Makah, the dogwood symbolizes good luck. Tribes with dogwood clans include the Zuni, which is called Pikchikwe.

The bark of dogwood tree is a rich source of bitter-tasting tannins. A tea made from the inner bark is used by Native Americans to treat malaria and fever. This was especially the case during the Civil War.  It is also used to treat pneumonia, colds, and diarrhea; and taken to improve digestion.  The berries and roots of the dogwood tree are also used to make a dye. Berries are eaten and can be put into a stew. Dogwood sap, however, is toxic and it is reported that some groups used this as a poison.

Externally, the inner bark of the dogwood tree is used to heal ulcers and sores. The Cherokee chewed on the bark to relieve a headache and the Arikara mixed it with bearberry.  The inner bark is also mixed with tobacco to be used in sacred pipes.  Another ingenious use of this tree in the early 19th century was that the Native Americans used the twigs of the dogwood tree to clean their teeth as we would use a toothbrush or toothpick today.  

Five Fun Facts About Dogwoods

The English language developed the phrase "dog tree" in 1548.  It derived from the word "dagwood" because its slender stems were used for making narrow items like daggers, arrows, and skewers. The name was changed to dogwood in 1614.

Some believe the name dogwood originated because people would wash their dogs in hot dogwood water to treat skin conditions such as mange. Others thought the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves of a dogwood tree sounded like a pack of dogs barking.

Fruit and seed of the dogwood tree are an important source of food for birds and mammals.

During the Victorian Era, men would give an unmarried woman they wanted to court a dogwood blossom to determine her affection for him.  Acceptance of the flower was a signal that the lady was interested, a flower that was returned was a sign of unrequited love.

Wood from the dogwood  tree is used in the manufacture of roller skates, tool handles, spools, spindles and golf club heads.

About The Institute for American Indian Studies

The Institute for American Indian Studies preserves and educates through discovery and creativity the diverse traditions, vitality, and knowledge of Native American cultures. Through archaeology, the IAIS is able to build new understandings of the world and history of Native Americans, the focus is on stewardship and preservation.  This is achieved through workshops, special events, and education for students of all ages.


 Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS has an outdoor Three Sisters and Healing Plants Gardens as well as a replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village.  Inside the museum, authentic artifacts are displayed in permanent, semi-permanent and temporary exhibits from prehistory to the present that allows visitors a walk through time. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut and can be reached online or by calling 860-868-0518.

Stories in Clay @ Institute for American Indian Studies

Everyone likes a good story and sometimes a story is more than just a story.  In Native American culture,  stories are told to pass on knowledge from generation to generation. This is often referred to as oral tradition. Oral tradition is a record of all the cultural knowledge of a particular group.


In recent years Native American artists have set out on a new updated artistic path using clay to tell the stories of traditional life as a caregiver, mother or father and homemaker.  Helen Cordero, a member of the Cochiti Pueblo, located 55 miles from Albuquerque, New Mexico is a perfect example of the new generation of avant-garde Indian clay artists and the Institute of American Indian Studies in Washington, Connecticut has an excellent collection of her work as well as the work of  many other famous  artists of this genre that have been generously donated to the museum.

This Singing Mother was made by Bonnie Fragua of the Jemez Pueblo. The Fragua family is known for their pottery making, Bonnie studied under Marie Romero, and just a few years after starting won several awards for her pottery. This figure shows the squash-blossom necklace, ceremonial circles painted on her cheeks, and textured hair which the Fragua family made pottery is known for. Donated by Marjorie & Sidney Goldman, Collection of the IAIS.

Helen Cordero - the First Modern Storyteller Dollmaker

The first modern storyteller figure was made in 1964 by Cochiti potter Helen Cordero. Before 1964 there was a tradition of figure pottery in the Pueblo, however, Helen is recognized as the first to create what has become the modern art form of storyteller dolls. Male figures are referred to as Storytellers while Female figures are called Singing Mothers. Both are always accompanied by a number of children and sometimes an animal that is listening to the tale being told.

This Singing Mother  (Figure A) was made by Marilyn Ray of the Acoma Pueblo in 1999. The decorative styles used here date back thousands of years and are traditional to Acoma. Marilyn is known for the intricacy of her figures and the detail displayed in her work. Here she integrates both children and animals into the figure. The Olla held by the Singing Mother is typical of Acoma white and black pottery. Marilyn has won several awards for her pottery and been published in many publications on both Storytellers pottery and Pueblo pottery. Donated by Marjorie & Sidney Goldman, Collection of the IAIS.

Helen worked with her cousin Juanita Arquero making pottery, Juanita was an accomplished potter in her own right making vessels and bowls. But Helen was never happy with how her vessels came out. Undeterred, Helen kept creating. When Helen tried making figure pottery Juanita compared it to “a flower blooming.”

Eventually, Helen was approached by folk art collector Alexander Girard who commissioned her to make a 250 piece nativity set. Appreciating her work, Girard told Helen he would buy larger figures that she created as well.

As the story goes, Helen's commissioned artwork was inspired by her grandfather, Santiago Quintana a well-known storyteller, and the result was the creation of the first modern storyteller figure. “When people ask me what it is, I tell them it’s my grandfather. He’s giving me these. His eyes are closed because he’s thinking and his mouth is open because he’s telling stories. That one, he was a really wise man. He knew so much and he was a really good storyteller. There were always lots of us grandchildren around him, and we’re all there, in the clay.” -Helen Cordero

Though Storyteller and Singing Mothers are a modern art form dating to the 1960s, pottery making itself dates back thousands of years. Today's Native Artists use some of the traditional designs and techniques to make and decorate these modern figures. Figures vary in size, with some pieces having up to 200 children attached to them.

Each figure is unique to the artist using certain colors, symbols, and glazes. Most Storytellers and Singing Mothers are created by artists with Pueblo societies in the American Southwest and are highly collectible.

About The Institute for American Indian Studies
The Institute for American Indian Studies preserves and educates through discovery and creativity the diverse traditions, vitality, and knowledge of Native American cultures. Through archaeology, the IAIS is able to build new understandings of the world and history of Native Americans, the focus is on stewardship and preservation.  

This is achieved through workshops, special events, and education for students of all ages. Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS has an outdoor Three Sisters and Healing Plants Gardens as well as a replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village.  Inside the museum, authentic artifacts are displayed in permanent, semi-permanent and temporary exhibits from prehistory to the present that allows visitors a walk through time. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut and can be reached online or by calling 860-868-0518.

Celebrate Native American Culture @ Maple Sugaring Festival in Washington

Traditions of the Eastern Woodland Indians, who lived in northwestern Connecticut's Litchfield Hills, are kept alive in many fascinating ways at the Institute for American Indian Studies, Curtis Road, Washington, CT.  One of the most interesting Native American traditions is taking place here on March 10, 2018 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. when visitors are invited to an authentic Maple Sugaring Festival.

 Native Americans discovered that sweet sap runs from maple trees in the spring as the days get warmer and the nights stay cold.  They discovered that boiling the sap in a hollowed out log with hot rocks reduced the water like liquid to an amber colored syrup; and that when cooked longer, it would also harden into a brownish colored “sugar”. 

The Native Americans used this precious sap to sweeten and flavor their food, and as a sought after item to barter with. Though today it has been commercialized, Maple Syrup making traces its roots back to Native American food production. 

To sweeten up spring join the staff of the Institute along with primitive technologists Jeff and Judy Kalin in the outdoor  Algonquian  Village for an afternoon celebrating the gift of maple syrup.  The Kalins will demonstrate the traditional technique of collecting sap using only stone and wooden tools that would have been used by Native Americans. They will discuss the importance of maple sugar to the diet of Native Americans as well as its usefulness as an item of trade.

A highlight of this event are the “made from scratch” pancakes served up with local maple syrup, coffee and orange juice. The Maple Syrup Demonstration is noon – 3 pm., the Pancake Brunch is 11 am – 2 pm and children’s activities are 11:30 am – 2:30 pm. The cost is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, children are $10 and members of the museum $5.

About Primitive Technologies

PTI has built nearly 200 aboriginal structures both free standing and congregated in villages using only the tools and practices of the time such as stone axes, flaked hand tools, and fire. In his work, Jeff Kalin, owner of PTI uses only primitive tools that he has made himself.

PTI created the original replicated village for IAIS, then called the American Indian Archaeological Institute in the style of the Eastern Woodland Indians.  This reconstructed village was created to look as it would have in the 16th century prior to European contact.  There are several wigwams and a longhouse in the village.  The structures are covered in thatch or bark. Crafted using traditional techniques, these structures must be replaced every few years. Over the years many primitive technologists including Jim Dina, Jamie Leffler, Andy Dobos, Jeff Gottelib and with the help of many volunteers. 

Mr. Kalin is recognized as an expert in stone tool replication and is a consultant to museum curators and archaeologists in the analysis of artifacts.  He has constructed prehistoric sets for filmmakers and his wood-fired replica pottery hand built from river clay is in private and public collections. 

Native American Stories

 There are many Native American stories concerning maple syrup. As an part of Native American culture maple sugaring is also an important part of oral tradition. 

 Abenaki Oral Tradition 

The Abenaki believed that the Creator gave many gifts to help man during his life and one of these gifts was maple syrup that would flow freely year-round from a broken tree limb.  When the Creator saw the Abenaki not tending to their village or crops and just drinking the sweet sap the creator decided to teach them a lesson by making the sap flow once a year in the spring. The Abenaki learned to honor the creator’s gift by finding that it would now take a lot of work to make the syrup.  To honor this gift they collected sap in birch bark buckets and prepared hot rocks to boil the sap from a thin liquid into a thick syrup.

Mohegan Oral Tradition 

 The Mohegan's believed that the melting snow caused the spring sap to run and considered it to be the dripping oil of the Great Celestial Bear, that was wounded by the winter sky hunters.  The bear that was represented by the Big Dipper was part of their own Pleiades story that weaves its way through many Native American origin stories.

Iroquois Oral Tradition 

 An Iroquois legend tells of Woksis, an Indian chief that pulled his tomahawk from a maple tree while hunting resulting in sap dripping from the tree.  The chief’s squaw noticed the sap dripping from the tree and needing water to make dinner decided to collect the sap from the tree rather than walk all the way to the river.   The sap made the meal very tasty and as a result, the Native Americans decided to tap maple trees.