Free Admission this Summer at Institute for American Indian Studies Funding Provided by a Grant from CT Humanities

 

The Institute for American Indian Studies was awarded a grant from CT Humanities for participating in Connecticut Summer at the Museum 2023 initiative. This program invites Connecticut children ages 18 and under plus one accompanying Connecticut resident adult to visit participating museums free of charge from July 1 through September 4, 2023. 

CT Humanities is honored to partner with the CT Office of the Arts again to administer the CT Summer at the Museum Initiative in 2023. The Department of Economic and Community Development, in partnership with the Office of the Governor, Connecticut State Department of Education, Office of Early Childhood, and Connecticut Humanities, will deliver these financially accessible summer enrichment opportunities to families and children of all ages using funding provided through ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act). 

 “The Summer at the Museum program in 2022 was very successful. We were delighted to be able to introduce so many new children to Native American culture and history and can’t wait to do it again this summer. We are very proud to be among the grant recipients,” said Chris Combs, Executive Director of the Institute for American Indian Studies. “This grant program allows us to expand our reach and also helps us achieve our mission of education by introducing children from Connecticut to the 12,000-year-old history of eastern woodland Native Americans,” Combs continued. 

Children are welcome to explore the Institute’s galleries that trace the 12,000-yearlong stories of Connecticut’s Native American peoples from the distant past to their lives and culture today. The core exhibit takes children from a time at the end of the Ice Age to modern times. A second gallery presents artifacts, images, and themes reflecting both early colonial and modern tribal lifestyles across North America. The Children’s Discovery Room is an interactive space that shows children what life would have been like if they were a Native American living 600 years ago. An indoor longhouse is an elongated wigwam that contains both original and replicated artifacts and provides an immersive experience. A highlight of any visit is taking the trail to the replicated Algonkian Village that depicts life common to an Algonkian village of 350 to 1000 years ago. 

About The Institute for American Indian Studies 

Located on 15 acres of woodland acres, the Institute For American Indian Studies preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. They have a 16th c. Algonquian Village, Award-Winning Wigwam Escape, and a museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located at 38 Curtis Road, in Washington, Connecticut. 

About Connecticut Humanities 

CT Humanities (CTH) is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs. State and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources support CTH projects, administration, and program development. Learn more by visiting cthumanities.org. 

 About Connecticut Office of the Arts 

 The Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) is the state agency charged with fostering the health of Connecticut’s creative economy. The State of Connecticut as well as the National Endowment fund part of the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development, the COA for the Arts.

Medicinal Monday... Stinking Benjamin

Purple Trillium is a perennial native wildflower that gives off a foul order resembling rotting meat, perhaps it's a way of fending off pollinators. It is native to the east and northeastern parts of North America and can be found in Connecticut. One of its most common nicknames is Stinking Benjamin. Native American communities found medicinal uses for many regional plants including this spring ephemeral!

About Stinking Benjamin

This flower blooms in early spring in rich, well-drained, deciduous woods. It is shade tolerant and is often found under deciduous trees in hardwood and mixed-wood forests. This perennial wildflower grows from a single smooth purple-green central stem with three hairless diamond-shaped leaves, there are also three whorled leaves that grow from the base of the flower stalk. The maroon-colored flowers have lance-shaped petals and bloom on a curved stalk about four inches above the leaves. The flowers have three green sepals and six stamens. When the flowers wither they leave a berry-shaped fruit that starts off green and changes to purple as it matures and eventually drops to the ground. The flowers bloom in May and June. 

Medicinal Uses

The best known Native American use for the root of this plant was as an aid to childbirth. The entire plant was also made into a poultice and used to treat tumors, ulcers, and inflammation. Specifically, records show that the  Cherokee made a poultice of this plant to treat cancer, they made a decoction and took it for coughs, and they made an infusion to help with hemorrhages and the change of life. The Iroquois made an infusion of the roots and flowers and used it to treat sunburn and skin eruptions.

Edible use of this plant was limited although several sources have noted that the leaves were gathered before the plant flowered and cooked like vegetables.

Did You Know...

The genus name Trillium is derived from the Latin word "tres" for three which refers to the flower petals as well as the leaves that grow in threes.

An alternate name for this plant is Bethroot, a misspelling of the word "birth root." 

It is threatened in Rhode Island and vulnerable in New York State.

This plant is not essential in the diet of wildlife.

Medicinal Monday - Heartleaf Foamflower

Heartleaf Foamflowers are delightful plants with flowers composed of scores of short, straight off-white spikes tinged with pink that gives them an attractive frothy appearance. Native American communities found many uses for this plant which has airy clouds of dainty flowers. It is one of the showiest plants in the early summer in the woodlands of the eastern United States and Canada.

About Heartleaf Foamflowers

Tiarella cordifolia, or heartleaf foamflower is a shade loving perennial that is native throughout the eastern United States and Canada, including Connecticut. In the wild, it appears as a low-growing mound found on the banks of streams in conifer and mixed hardwood forests and in northern hardwood forests. The lobed, sharply toothed heart-shaped leaves are green in the spring and summer and turn red and bronze in the fall. Small, star-shaped feathery flowers stand above the foliage on 6-12  inch stems rising above a mound of attractive, lobed leaves. The long slender stamens give the flowers a frothy appearance.  The plant usually begins to bloom in late May. This plant spreads by underground stems that form colonies. The flowers mature into small black seeds.

Medicinal Uses

Heartleaf Foamflower has no known edible uses. This plant was used as an oral and pediatric aid by many Native American communities.  The Cherokee, for example, held an infusion made from this plant in their mouth to remove the white coat from their tongues. The Iroquois made a poultice of smashed roots and applied the mixture to wounds. They made an infusion of roots and leaves and gave it to children to fatten them up. An infusion of dried leaves was used as eye drops to treat sore eyes and an infusion of smashed roots was given to babies with sores in their mouths. The Malecite and the Micmac made an infusion of the roots to treat children and adults with diarrhea. The Iroquois also made a decoction of the entire plant and washed their rifles with this solution believing it to be a  hunting medicine. 

Did You Know...

Its botanical name, Tiarella means little crown, in reference to the Greek word tiara and is a reference to the shape of its seeds. 

Cordifolia means heart-shaped and refers to the shape of the leaves.

Heartleaf Foamflower is a genus of flowering plants in the family Saxifragaceae.

Worldwide there are seven species of this flower, one in Eastern Asia, one in North America, and five species in Eastern North America.

Today, Heartleaf Foamflowers are popular ground covers in shade gardens.

The scent of Heartleaf Foam flowers attracts bees and other pollinators.

Other names include False Miterwort because it resembles Miterwort

Medicinal Monday - Bishop's Cap

Two Leaf Miterwort is also known as Bishop's Cap because its seeds resemble the hats (known as miters) worn by Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church. Bishop's Cap is a slender woodland plant that can be found in Connecticut. It usually blooms in May and June and has several interesting medicinal uses.

About Bishop's Cap

This delicate two-leaved wildflower is found growing in clumps in rich deciduous woodlands. It is native to the northeast and midwest regions of North America. The two "stem" leaves are located mid-way up the stem and are opposite one another. The basal leaves are coarsely toothed and arranged in a rosette. The flowers rise above the single paired leaves in clusters of up to 20 flowers. Each flower is white, bell-shaped, and delicately fringed with ten yellow stamens. They develop into unusual cup-like fruits with seeds nestled inside. The fruit splits open to form a cup to release the seeds. The shiny black seeds are dispersed when the rain hits the open capsule. This plant grows from a rhizomatous root system composed of fibrous roots.

Medicinal Uses

The Menominee considered the seeds sacred and used them in their medicine dance. A decoction of this plant was used by many communities as an emetic, as a body wash, and as a gun cleaner. A tea was made from the leaves to treat fevers, and an infusion of this plant was used as eye drops to treat sore eyes.

Did You Know...

The flowers produce both pollen and nectar. Because they are small they are mainly visited by small bees like sweat bees, short-tongued bees, and Halicite bees.

The Latin name is Mitella diphylla. The Latin specific name, diphylla means two leaves and refers to its non-basal leaves. The generic name Mitella is "little mitre" and refers to the hat of a Bishop.

Other names for this plant are Fairy Cup, Crystal Fringe Cup, Snowflake, Gem Fruit, and Coolwort.

Rooted in Tradition: Giving Thanks To the Strawberry - June 17

Traditionally, Native American communities tracked time by observing the change of seasons and following the lunar full moon cycle. Native American named each full moon cycle after activities or events that they associated with that time of year. Colonial Americans adopted some of the Native American full moon names and applied them to their own calendars. These descriptive names are still in use today. 

The Algonquian’s of Connecticut named June's full moon the "Strawberry Moon" because this is the time of year when the wild red strawberries began to ripen. To celebrate this treasured fruit, the Institute for American Indian Studies located at 38 Curtis Road in Washington, Connecticut is hosting a family-friendly series of activities honoring the gifts and the significance this fruit has to many Native American communities. This fun-filled cultural event is being held on Saturday, June 17 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 

Most of us would agree that it is difficult to resist a perfectly ripe strawberry, which is one of the most popular fruits in the world! At this event, guests will learn how strawberries were used as a medicine, in cuisine, and in ceremonies. Visitors of all ages will enjoy strawberry refreshments as they listen to traditional Native American stories. A high point of the afternoon will be a guided plant walk along the museum’s trails with Jesse Rose Komaromi, a member of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation. Along the way, guests will learn about reclaiming relationships with the natural world as seen through an Indigenous lens. A takeaway from this experience is that this humble fruit represents life, good health and so much more. 

Pre-registration for this event is advised because space is limited on the walk. To register, visit https://www.iaismuseum.org, email events@iaismuseum.org, or call 860-868-0518, ext. 453. The price to participate is $15 for non-members, $5 for members, and an additional $5 for the guided forest walk. 

About The Institute for American Indian Studies 

Located on 15 acres of woodland acres, the Institute For American Indian Studies preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. They have a 16th c. Algonquian Village, Award-Winning Wigwam Escape, and a museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located at 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.

Medicinal Monday Cutleaf Toothwort!

Cardamine concatenata or Cutleaf Toothwort is a lovely spring perennial that has charming clusters of small, four-petaled, white flowers. It is native to much of the eastern half of North America including Connecticut and can be found as far west as the Dakotas. Several Native American communities have found medicinal uses for this plant.

About Toothwort

Cutleaf toothwort is in the Brassicaceae family, meaning that it is related to broccoli, turnips, horseradish, and mustard greens. It gets its name, Cutleaf toothwort from its deeply lobbed leaves and tooth-shaped projections on its rhizomes. This plant rises from rhizomes and grows up with a single straight stem with short stalks and clusters of white flowers that open from the bottom up. Six stamens, of different heights and one long slender pistil, surround the yellowish center of this four-petaled flower. As the flowers die down the fruit of this plant is a long bean-like pod with a narrow tip. The stem is smooth below the leaves and hairy above the leaves. The leaves grow from the base of the stem and are deeply cut. Cutleaf toothwort spreads by underground rhizomes. It is found in moist woodland forests where there is deep leaf litter. It is a true spring ephemeral that blooms in the spring and all the above-ground vegetation disappears by July.

Medicinal  & Culinary Uses

This plant is edible and has a taste similar to horseradish. The leaves and the root are consumed in stews and salads.

The name toothwort comes from the supposed similarity of its bumpy rhizome to the root of a tooth and many Native American communities used this plant to treat dental issues. One of the most common uses of this plant was to pulverize the root and make it into a poultice and apply the mixture to the head to treat a headache. The Iroquois used this plant to stimulate appetite, regulate the stomach, and treat colds. The roots were also used in several ways to treat heart palpitations. 

The Iroquois used this plant in two unusual ways. They used this plant as both a love medicine and hunting medicine by placing a piece of root in their mouth to attract a woman and by rubbing the roots on traps and fishing lines or hooks to attract fish.  

Did You Know...

Other names for Cardamine concatenate are crow's toes, pepper root, and purple-flowered toothwort.

The species name, concatenate means linking together and refers to the appearance of the rhizomes. 

Sometimes this plant is chopped and ground into vinegar and used as a substitute for horseradish.

The flower provides nectar and pollen to bees, which are this flower's main pollinators.

West Virginia's White and Mustard White Butterflies depend on this plant to grow. The butterflies lay their eggs on it and the caterpillars eat the leaves to grow.