Mind Over Materials: Traditional Skills Program April 28 @ Institute for American Indian Studies

 In today’s world where most things are mechanized or electronic, learning traditional skills is meaningful because it takes participants back to a time that they only read about in history books. One of the most amazing things about traditional skills is learning how to transform natural materials into something useful, by hand and sheer human ingenuity. On Sunday, April 28, at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., the Institute for American Indian Studies is offering two 1.5-hour traditional skills programs and walks that will focus on identifying and processing useful local minerals and stones used in tool making.

Join Traditional Skills Expert and IAIS Head of Fabrication and Exhibit Production, Griffin Kalin, for a discussion and walk that will take you back in time where local minerals and stones were used to produce ceramics, stone axes, projectile points, and adzes. This realm of knowledge has ensured the survival of people in the Eastern Woodlands for millenniums, and more importantly, is part of our human heritage.

 

With both a discussion and a short hike, potential participants should keep in mind the second half will require adequate footwear and may not be accessible to those with limited mobility.

 

Space is limited and pre-registration is required for this program. To register visit www.iaismuseum.org, email events@iaismuseum.org, or call 860-868-0517. The price of participation is $10 for members of the Institute and $20 for non-members.

 

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 16^th 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.

 

Medicinal Monday... Colorful Cardinal Flowers

These bright red flowers that grow up to six feet on spikes are hard to miss. This wildflower is native to North America and grows in marshes, along stream banks, and in damp woods. It is a special flower because few native herbaceous perennial plants have such intense color. It is easy to see why Native American communities were attracted to these showy flowers and found ways to use this plant medicinally. 

courtesy Paquet, Mélodie

About Cardinal Flowers 

This flower is a member of the Bluebell Family and is found in much of the United States including Connecticut and eastern Canada. The National Plant Data map shows that it doesn't grow in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, or North and South Dakota. This plant's scientific name is Lobelia cardinalis. It grows from a rhizomatous and fibrous root system and is considered to be a wetland plant. The tubular-shaped scarlet flowers bloom on tall sturdy ridged spikes in the late summer and split into 2 lobs on the top that flare out and three lobs on the bottom of the bloom that droop down. There are five stamens which are joined together forming a red tube around the style. The tube is topped by bearded anthers to form a grayish brush. This plant is pollinated by hummingbirds and bumblebees.  The tapered dark green leaves are lance-shaped, the upper leaves are finely toothed and the lower leaves have more prominent teeth. The seed capsules hold two seeds and open to disperse them to the wind allowing the plant to self-seed. Cardinal flowers bloom until the first frost. 

courtesy Stan Shebs

Medicinal Uses

Red cardinal plants are tricky to use medicinally because their juice is milky and acrid, some people are allergic to the sap if it touches their skin. If eaten in large quantities, all parts of this plant, especially the flowers, are toxic. That said, Native American communities used this plant medicinally. One of the most common uses was to make tea to treat stomach problems and to treat colds, pain, and fever. Traditionally, the Cherokee used this plant as an analgesic and would pound the leaves into a poultice to treat a headache. They also made an infusion of the leaves to treat rheumatism, fever,  colds, and stomach trouble. The roots were pounded and taken to get rid of worms. The Delaware made an infusion from the roots to treat typhoid, while the Iroquois used an infusion or poultice of roots to treat pain, fever sores, and fevers. The Iroquois made a decoction of the plant to treat consumption and stomach troubles and as pain relief for breast trouble, and menstruation. The Zuni used parts of this plant as an ingredient in schumaakwe cakes that were eaten to treat rheumatism and extreme swelling.

courtesy Ayotte Gilles

Special Uses

The Iroquois made an infusion of the roots that was used as a wash for love medicine. The Meskwaki ground the roots of this plant and put it in food to end quarrels and prevent divorce. They also made tea from the root and drank it as a love medicine. The Pawnee made a compound of the roots and flowers and used it as a love charm.

The Iroquois made an infusion of the roots and drank it to treat the trouble caused by witchcraft.

The Iroquois made a special infusion of the flowers and stalks and washed baskets with the mixture.

Red Cardinal is one of North America's most colorful flowers

Did You Know...

The Cardinal Flower was named after Flemish botanist, Matthias de L'Obel who lived from 1538 - 1616. When he moved to England as a doctor to King James I, he changed his name to Matthew Lobel, hence the name of this plant.

Folklore indicates that this plant is named cardinalis for the red color of the robs worn by Cardinals of the Catholic Church.

The flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Cultivated in Europe since the 1600s, the English believed that if an elder woman touched the roots of this plant it would bring love into their lives.

2024 Summer Camp at the Institute for American Indian Studies Registration is Open

Registration is now open for the 2024 summer camp weekly programs for children ages 6 – 12 at the Institute for American Indian Studies at 38 Curtis Road in Washington, Connecticut. The summer camp runs for six consecutive weeks from June 24 through the week of August 5 (excluding the week of July 1), Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Institute’s summer camp programs strive to get children unplugged from indoor activities through exciting hands-on programs that get them outdoors. Weekly programs encourage children to practice team building, make new friends, appreciate nature, and connect with an enriching culture that is more than 12,000 years old. To find out more and to register online visit https://www.iaismuseum.org/summer-camp. For questions call 868-0518 ext. 453 or email gbenjamin@iaismuseum.org. 

Native American history comes alive through the educationally entertaining activities curated by the professional Educational Department of the Institute. Trailblazing through the woods, investigating the natural world, mock archaeological digs, educational games, listening to traditional Native American stories, learning new crafts, and working together to complete a group project are just some of the ways children will enjoy their time at the Institute. Each week the Institute will offer a different series of exciting programs to engage and educate children. 

A connection to nature plays a critical role in a child’s development. Children that want to learn more about the natural environment and how they relate to it might want to register for, “Getting in Touch with Your Senses,” from June 24 – June 28. 

“Planting Seeds for Growth: Project Week,” from July 8-July 12 will teach children invaluable skills that have been passed down through generations of Native American communities. Foraging, building from natural materials, sewing, and weaving, are just some of the topics that will be covered. This program will help build confidence, teach basic survival skills, and enhance understanding of the great outdoors. 

Children that are budding writers, actors, actresses, puzzle solvers, and researchers will enjoy “A Play on Words: Imagination and Learning Through Storytelling,” from July 15- July 19. These programs are finely tuned to help further develop children’s communication skills by sharpening their abilities of recording, passing on, and interpret information in many ways from storytelling to theatrical expression. 

Perfect for children concerned about the environment and how to survive naturally, “Power of the Eighth Generation: Eco-Survival Skills,” from July 22 – July 26 promises to be as fun as it is informative. Campers will practice traditional survival skills like navigation, carving, lashing, and more as they explore technologies that Native Americans used for thousands of years to thrive in the Eastern Woodlands. Through these programs, campers will also learn how we impact our environment. 

For children interested in archeology, “Time Travel: Understanding the Past, Present, and Future,” from July 29 – August 2 is a must. Campers will learn how to put scientific methods into practice and learn the power of oral tradition through games, mock digs, and other activities. 

Ideal for children that have a thirst for knowledge and want a deeper understanding of our natural environment, “Ecological Explorations: Two-Eyed Seeing in the Natural World,” from August 5- August 9, is perfect for them. The programs being offered explore the concept of both traditional indigenous ecological knowledge and western scientific concepts to help children better understand the natural environment from two informative and yet different perspectives. Plant and animal identification, traditional ways Native American communities have used and respected the land and water, animal adaptations, and much more make this a unique educational experience. 

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 that 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 - White Sand Verbena

Abronia elliptica is a lovely fragrant flower found in the high desert of the American Southwest. It is easily identified by its large snowball-like flower head and mass of green leaves. Native American communities found several traditional medicinal uses for this beautiful desert flower. 

Photo Credit: James St. John - Bootleggers Canyon, Utah

About White Sand Verbena

Abronia elliptica is quite common and can be found in the high desert in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. The flowers are made up of round clusters of small white trumpet-shaped flowers that are tinged with pink. White Sand Verbena spreads by rhizomes and sends up shoots of new plants from these underground roots. Stems sprawl on the sand and then grow erect. The stems are hairy and the wavey oblong shaped leaves are quite thick and have hair on their undersides. The black or brown fruit of the flower is egg-shaped and the seed inside is winged. The flowers open in the evening and close in the morning, a characteristic of the Nyctaginaceae family nicknamed four o'clock.

Photo Credit: James St. John - Bootleggers Canyon, Utah

Medicinal Uses

The Indigenous people of the Southwest use this plant traditionally as a wash for sores and insect bites and to treat stomachaches. The Navajo made a poultice of the flowers to treat boils. The Kayenta Navajo used it to treat insect bites and took it to cause sweating as a general panacea. The Ramah Navajo made a lotion for sores or a sore mouth and would bathe sweating feet in the lotion. The Zuni ate the fresh flowers to treat stomachaches and the Hopi placed the flowers on the top of a child's head to help them sleep. The Ute used the roots and flowers to treat stomach trouble. The Keres, Acoma, and Laguna ate the ground roots mixed with cornmeal to gain weight.

Did You Know...

Antoine L. Jussieu named this genus in 1789. He found this flower growing near the Green River in Sweetwater Wyoming.

The genus name Abro is Greek for delicate or pretty and refers to the flowers.

Another name for this flower is snowball and prairie snowball.

This flower is sometimes mistaken as Abronia fragrans. The difference between the two is the shape of the fruit. The shape of the fruit of the A. fragrans is arrowhead-shaped and the shape of the fruit of A. elliptic is heart-shaped.

Sweet sand verbena is grown in gardens to attract butterflies.

Medicinal Monday - Goldilocks Moss

Perhaps part of the name for this moss, Goldilocks comes from what scientists refer to as the Goldilocks Zone which refers to places where water remains liquid. For example, Earth is thought to be in the "Goldilocks Zone" because much of the surface of our planet is covered by water as opposed to Mars which is too cold and whose atmosphere is too thin, or Venus which is too hot. Polytrichum commune or Goldilocks Moss is found in many countries and has numerous medicinal properties. In addition to medicinal uses, the stems were sometimes used to weave baskets or mats.

About Goldilocks Moss

Polytrichum commune, an evergreen perennial, is considered to be very large for moss with stems growing more than 12 inches in height.  It is found in temperate climates and typically grows along wooded slopes, sandy woods, prairies, sandy meadows, and along rivers or in swampy areas. It grows across much of North America and can also be found in Mexico, parts of China, New Zealand, and Australia. It grows in colonies as a dense ground cover that forms a mat. 

credit Stan

Plytrichum commune has an erect unbranched light brown, hairless stem that has small pointed leaves that jut out from the sides of it. The leaves are lance-shaped and serrated along the edge. When the leaves are dry they are erect and when they are moist, the leaves spread out straight. The tips of the leaves are prickly.  It has small thread-like rhizoids that grow from the base of the plant and anchor it to the soil. This moss has egg-bearing female plants and sperm-bearing male plants. The male plants can be identified by their red splash cups made up of a rosette of leaves. This plant is most often cross-fertilized by raindrops when a single spore capsule emerges. This spore is reddish brown and when its hood falls off, a white membrane becomes visible that eventually shrivels into tiny spores that are released to the wind.

Medicinal Uses

Common uses of this moss by Native American communities include making a tea that was used as a rinse to strengthen hair. An infusion was made and taken to aid in dissolving kidney stones or to bring down a fever. Another common use was to make a tea that was given to women to speed up labor during childbirth.

Did You Know...

Other names for this moss include common hair cap, great golden maidenhair, pigeon wheat, or common hair moss.

This moss gets its name from the hairs that cover the cap of its spore case.

In traditional Chinese medicine, this moss was used to treat fever and to treat leukemia.

In New Zealand, this moss is used as a decorative material on Maori cloaks by being woven into the fabric.

Medicinal Monday... the Otherworldly Looking Fever Nut Shrub

Guilandina bonduc also known as  Fever Nut, Yellow Nicker, Grey Nicker, or Hawaiian Pearls, is indigenous to Hawaii. It is part of the subspecies Caesalpinia in the Fabaceae or pea family. Showy yellow flowers that mature into pods with spikes characterize this plant. Today, the seeds are strung together to make a lei that will last longer than those made of flowers. Traditionally,  Hawaiians found several interesting medicinal uses for this sprawling tropical shrub.  

About the Fever Nut Plant

This shrub has vines that can climb over 30 feet engulfing surrounding vegetation. It is like a tropical bramble that is found in colder climates. The woody (liana) stems of this shrub are lined with curved spikes. The flowers are bright yellow and fragrant. After flowering green pods form that are covered in spike - and look almost otherworldly. As the pods ripen and mature they turn from green to brown to almost black and contain one or two hard white-grey seeds.  Fever Nut shrubs are found on Ni'ihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Hawaii, and the Northwest Islands in dry open areas. 

Photo credit Forest and Kim Starr

Medicinal Uses of the Fever Nut Shrub

The beans of this plant were harvested and pounded to produce a liquid that would be taken to purify the blood and clear the chest of fluids and phlegm. The beans also have laxative properties and were ground and taken by adults as well as infants for constipation. A medicine was made of the young leaf buds to treat venereal disease and painful urination. The roots were pounded and made into a poultice and applied to sores and bruises to help healing. A decoction of the leaves is used to treat fevers, sinusitis, and fatigue.

Photo credit James St John

Did You Know...

Traditionally, children would play with the beans much like children today play with marbles. 

Caesalpinia is named for Andrea Cesalpino, an Italian botanist and doctor, who lived from 1519 to 1603.

The name bonduc comes from Arabic and means nut.

The Hawaiian name for this plant is Kākalaioa, which means thorny. Another Hawaiian name is Hihikolo

Today, some people in Hawaii consider the fever nut plant a weed. 

Moccasin Workshop @ Institute for American Indian Studies Moccasins Are More than Just Footwear

The Institute for American Indian Studies located at 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut is holding a Moccasin Making Workshop on Saturday, March 30, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants will not only leave this workshop with a pair of moccasins that they have made, they will also leave with a greater understanding of the cultural significance this footwear has with Native American communities throughout the country.

 

Across the United States, many Native American tribes created different styles of moccasins to suit their environment. The word moccasin itself comes from the Algonkian language - meaning “shoe.” They can be hard or soft-soled, ornately beaded, or plain, fur-lined, or cuffed. In short, the style of moccasins is as diverse as the many different tribes that they originate from. Traditionally, in the Eastern Woodlands, including Connecticut, soft-soled moccasins were commonly made out of a single piece of deer, elk or moose hide, and hand-sewn using sinew. A characteristic making it an Eastern Woodlands moccasin is the center seam that is gathered at the toe giving it a puckered shape. Today, moccasin-inspired shoes find their way into modern designs and fashion statements, even as Native culture keepers continue the centuries-old tradition of moccasin making.

 

This fascinating three-hour workshop, led by Darlene Kascak, Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, and Educational Outreach Ambassador for IAIS promises to be fun and informative. Participants will make a pair of pucker-toe style moccasins out of deer hide while listening to the history of moccasins. It is a powerful feeling to make something that you can use in your everyday life, using methods that people have used for generations.

 

This workshop is recommended for adults and children ages 8 and up due to the dexterity required for sewing. To register for this workshop head to the website The Institute for American Indian Studies Museum & Research Center, call 860-868-0518, or email events@iaismuseum.org. The cost of this workshop, which includes all materials, is $80 for non-members of the museum and $70 for members.

Medicinal Monday - Eastern Red Cedar

The Eastern Red Cedar tree is important to many Native American communities, not only for its medicinal properties but also for its ceremonial and practical uses. From making furniture and carvings from wood to using the bark of this tree as a dye for coloring mats, this tree is useful.

About Eastern Red Cedar

This fragrant evergreen tree can grow up to 90 feet high and is native to eastern North America including Canada. It can be found growing as far south as the Gulf of Mexico and west to the Great Plains. It grows in a conical shape, that almost looks like a pyramid, especially when it is young. The bark is soft and silvery and peels off in long flexible strips. The finely cut leaves of this tree are blue-green to gray-green and branches are red-brown. The paper-like male cones are yellow-brown and female cones are dark blue or blue-purple and look like berries. There are one to three seeds per cone. This tree flowers in March and April and the fruits and seeds are ripe from October through November. Many nations used various parts of this tree in ceremonies. 

Varied Uses

Many Native American communities used the Eastern Red Cedar tree for its fragrance and burned it like incense. The Lakota, for example, burned leaves and twigs at funerals. It was burned in sweat lodges during purification ceremonies. The wood was considered valuable and used to make fence posts, furniture, and carvings. The reddish bark was processed and used as a dye, and many tribes dyed mats. The berries for many Native American communities were used as a source of food. The fruit and leaves were given to horses that were coughing. The Kiowa made love flutes from the scented red heartwood of this tree. The Navajo used the wood to make a wand to carry in certain ceremonies and the Ojibwa used the wood and bark to make dwellings. The Omaha burned parts of this tree and used the smoke in a variety of ceremonies, mostly purification rites. Flutes made from this tree are highly prized, especially by the Cherokee.

Medicinal Uses

The most common use of Eastern Red Cedar was to inhale the smoke of burning leaves and twigs or to make tea from the berries to treat coughs, colds, and sore throats. The Cherokee made an infusion and took it for colds. An ointment was made to treat skin irritations The Chippewa and the Iroquois made a compound decoction of twigs and used the steam to ease the pain of rheumatism. The Comanche burned the wood and inhaled the smoke for purification. The Dakota, Pawnee, Omaha, Seminole, and Iroquois burned twigs and inhaled the smoke to ease colds. The Kiowa chewed the berries to ease the pain of sores in their mouths. The Lakota burned leaves and inhaled the smoke to relieve head colds. They also ate the berries to relieve thirst. The Ojibwa ate the berries and leaves to relieve headaches and the Pawnee inhaled the smoke from burning twigs to treat bad dreams and anxiety. The Ponca made a decoction of the fruits and leaves and took it to stop coughing. The Rappahannock made a compound infusion of berries to treat respiratory illnesses. The Seminole used a combination of leaves to treat headaches and sore eyes.  They also burned leaves to treat dizziness, swollen legs, and sore muscles and joints. Some women drank red cedar tea to help them with childbirth.

Did You Know...

The Eastern Red Cedar Tree is also known as red cedar, savin, cedar apple, Virginia juniper, and eastern juniper.

The Eastern Red Cedar Tree is technically a juniper, as indicated by its name, Juniperus virginiana.

The largest known Eastern Red Cedar Tree is 75 feet wide and 57 feet tall. It is located in Georgia.

Wildlife is attracted to the blue-colored berries and some birds use the tree for their nests because it provides a dense cover.

Cedarwood essential oil is used in aromatherapy today.

Cedarwood is used today as an insect repellent and is an effect deterrent for moths.

Medicinal Monday Common Cottongrass

 Grasses grow on every continent in the world and can be found in a variety of habitats from prairies and tropical savannas to the Arctic tundra and woodland forests. It is estimated that there are more than 13,000 different types of grasses and according to the Smithsonian, identifying all of them is still a work in progress. One of these grasses is tall cottongrass which Native American communities found several uses for from medicinal to practical.

About Common Cottongrass

Eriophorum angustifolium or common cottongrass is found across the Northern United States and Canada. It is a creeping perennial that spreads extensively once it is established. Ir flowers in early April or May, the small blooms are small brown and green flowers that develop distinctive white cotton-like heads that resemble tufts of cotton. This grass grows from a rhizomatous rootstock and produces up to 20 culms in suitable conditions. It also grows from seed over a five-year period. It can be found in peat bogs, meadows, marches, and tundras. It thrives around pond margins and in acidic soil. It also grows well in clay soils and is quite invasive. Common cottongrass is hardy and can grow in cold, temperate, subarctic, and arctic regions.

Edible Uses

Many Native American communities harvested young stems and roots and ate them cooked or raw. The seeds are edible and used in traditional Native American cuisine. Eskimos ate the seeds and dried leaves and stems with seal oil.

Medicinal Uses

The leaves and roots are astringent and many Native American communities used them as a treatment for diarrhea. The Yupik of Alaska made a poultice of the seeds to treat wounds and gastrointestinal issues. The Eskimos would give raw stems to those in poor health to restore them to good health. The Ojibwa used the tops of this grass to help stop a cut or wound from bleeding. The Eskimos made a poultice from the plant to absorb pus from a wound and to stop eyes from watering.

Did You Know...

The cotton-like seed hairs are used to make candle wicks.

The cotton seed heads were used to stuff bedding.

The dried leaves and stems were woven into soft mats that could be used as coverings.

The Cherokee called this grass "rabbit tail."  

Native American Culture Keeper Experience for Women’s History Month @ Institute for American Indian Studies

“From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength, and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.” President Jimmy Carter’s Message commemorating National History Week in 1980

Women’s History Month actually began as Women’s History Week in 1978 in Sonoma County, California. By 1980, this movement gathered steam when President Carter issued a Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th as National Women’s History Week. After a few years of lobbying efforts from around the country, Congress passed Public Law 100-9, designating March as Women’s History Month. 

To capture the spirit and to celebrate Women’s History Month, the Institute for American Indian Studies located at 38 Curtis Road in Washington, Connecticut is hosting a special virtual program that explores the life and legacy of Dr. Gladys Iola Tantaquidgeon (Mohegan) with her great-grandniece, Rachel Sayet (Mohegan). 

Tantaquidgeon, born in 1899 was a Mohegan Medicine Woman, whose family members began passing down herbal knowledge to her at a young age. Educated at the University of Pennsylvania beginning in 1919, she studied anthropology and focused on researching the use of herbal medicine among Native American communities living on the East Coast of the United States. For her work, she was awarded many honors and honorary degrees from prestigious Universities and organizations including Yale, the University of Connecticut, and the National Organization for Women. She also was honored for her accomplishments by many Native American tribes.  

Among her many contributions, socially, environmentally, and politically, was helping with the founding of the first Native American Museum in 1931. The Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum located in Uncasville, Connecticut is the oldest Native American-owned and operated museum in the country. The mission of this museum is to acquaint visitors with Mohegan culture, traditions, and beliefs. 

Dr. Gladys Iola Tantaquidgeon is widely considered to be an important Keeper of Native American Culture. This virtual conversation presentation and discussion featuring by Rachel Sayet, who has a master's degree in anthropology and museum studies from Harvard University will focus on the life and legacy of her great aunt, Gladys Tantaquidgeon, who passed away at 106. The conversation will highlight her work as an anthropologist, ethnobotanist, and herbalist and will touch on how her knowledge influenced her family and the Native American community. 

To join this Zoom presentation, please register online at https://iaismuseum.charityproud.org/EventRegistration/Index/15531, email events@iaismuseum.org, or call 860-868-0518. The cost of participation is $10 for non-museum members and free for members of the museum.

Medicinal Monday... Bulltongue Arrowhead

A member of the Sagittaria family, Bulltongue Arrowhead is an aquatic plant that grows in swampy ground or standing water in ponds, lakes, and streams. The tubers of this plant were a source of food for many Native American communities. It was also used medicinally and, as a love charm by the Thompson.

About Bulltongue Arrowhead

This plant, commonly found in the southeastern United States is distinguished by its large, lance-shaped leaves which grow from underground rhizomes. it can be found in every coastal state from Delaware to Texas and is considered native to Mexico Central America, and the West Indies. It is found in swampy areas, marshes, and along the shores of lakes, ponds, and streams. Flowers form at the end of thick stalks and are white and showy with three green sepals, three white or pink-tinged petals, and six stamens and pistils. The fruit of the plant is achene, a dry fruit produced by the flower that contains one seed that is dispersed by the wind or animals. The plant also spreads by its rhizomes.

Culinary and Medicinal Uses

Bulltongue Arrowhead was used as a source of food by many Native American tribes. For example. those living on Lake Okeechobee would locate and harvest the corms in the late summer and fall. They would pull plants from their canoes or wade into shallow waters and loosen the roots with their toes. As the roots rose to the top of the water, the corms were gathered and collected into floating baskets. Corms were baked in embers, boiled, or roasted in the ashes. They were then skinned and eaten whole or mashed. The Potawatomi mixed the boiled corms with deer meat and maple syrup. Because this plant was a favorite of ducks, many Native American communities planted them to attract these birds.

Medicinally, the most common use of the plant was to bathe a baby with a fever in an infusion of leaves to bring the fever down. The Seminole used a poultice of this plant to treat alligator bites and the Chippewa made an infusion of the root to treat indigestion. The Iroquois took an infusion of this plant to treat rheumatism and they also used it to treat boils and skin irritations. The Potawatomi made a poultice of ground corms and applied them to wounds and sores.

Did You Know...

Other names for this plant are duck potatoes and lance leaf arrowhead.

In Jamaica, Bulltongue Arrowhead was used to treat wounds, and in Cuba and Haiti, the roots were used to treat toothaches.

In Panama, the crushed leaves were used to treat sores, wounds, and insect bites.

This plant can tolerate brackish water but not salt water.

It is the most common arrowhead found in eastern North America.

Medicinal Monday - Maple Sugar Camps & the Magic of Maple Sugar

Sugar Maples are common in New England and are easily identified in the fall when their leaves turn beautiful shades of red, yellow, and orange.  The sugar maple was an essential part of life in many Native American communities because their sap provided  a source of nourishment and a product to trade. 

About Sugar Camps
Historically, in the early spring,  Native American families would leave their winter camps to set up a sugar camp.  Men would build or repair wigwams and longhouses, while women carried rolls of bark to line the structures. Next taps were put into the trees. It has been documented that there could be up to 900 taps in one camp, with larger trees having one or more taps.

1853 Indian sugar camp / Capt. S. Eastman, U.S. Army; John C. McRae. Abstract/medium: 1 print : engraving

Tree tapping consisted of cutting a notch into the trunk of a tree at least three feet above the ground and placing a piece of wood known as a spile into the cut which would guide the sap into a container at the base of the tree. When the bucket was full, it was taken back to the camp and stored in covered containers to keep the sap clean.

Once enough sap was collected, it was boiled down to granulated sugar using hot stones placed into hollowed-out tree trunks, most often, cedar. The sugar would be stored in bark containers and sometimes buried underground to protect and preserve the sugar.

Culinary and Medicinal Uses of Maple Sugar
Today, we see maple sugar on breakfast tables, used in gourmet dinners as a sweetener, and sold throughout the country in grocery stores and specialty shops. Native Americans honor the maple tree in ceremonies each year to ensure good maple harvests because they consider the sap a delicacy and a gift from the earth.  Sometimes it was prepared as a cool drink with herbs in the warm months and made into a hot tea with a variety of roots, leaves, and bark in the winter. It was also used as a basic seasoning year-round. It was added to grains, fish, fruit, and vegetables, and mixed with dried berries. It was also eaten like candy for a burst of energy.  Maple sugar was stored for well over a year making it a valuable source of food, flavoring, and sweetener.

Medicinally, records show that the Mohegans used the inner bark as cough medicine and the Potawatomi used the inner bark as an expectorant.  The Iroquois made a decoction of maple leaves and used it as a wash for rashes. They also used an infusion of bark to treat sore eyes and blindness. Many Native American communities used it to sweeten bitter-tasting medicine.

A 1908 Roland Reed photo of an Ojibwe woman tapping for maple syrup

Did You Know...

It takes at least forty years for a sugar maple tree to grow before it is big enough to tap.

On average, a tapped maple tree will produce ten to twenty gallons of sap per tap.  Most trees have just one tap.


The first full moon during sap running season is called the Maple Moon or the Sugar Moon.


The sugar maple is one of America's favorite trees and more states have claimed it as their state tree than any other species.


Squirrels, whitetail deer, snowshoe hares, and moose feed on the seeds, twigs, and leaves of the sugar maple.


John Smith was among the first settlers that noted the Native 
Americans' sugar processing and the fact that they used it for barter.

In 2001 baseball player Barry Bonds switched from an Ashwood Baseball Bat to one made of maple and hit 73 home runs!


The national champion for the sugar maple is located in Charlemont, Massachusetts.  It is 112 feet tall with a diameter of 6.18 feet a crown spread of 91 feet with a total point count of 368.


A sugar maple tree in Lyme, Connecticut measured in 2012 measured 123 feet tall with a circumference of 18.25 feet and a crown spread of 86 feet with a total point count of 364.

Tap into a Native American Tradition @ Maple Sugar Festival @ Institute for American Indian Studies March 2

Maple syrup has long enjoyed pride of place on many breakfast tables. The origin of this sweet spring elixir isn’t part of a trendy branding campaign; it is the widely unknown discovery of Native Americans, who have tapped trees for maple syrup since time immemorial. On March 2, the Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington, Connecticut is hosting their annual Maple Sugar Festival, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to celebrate the original legacy of maple syrup. 

Indigenous communities in the Northeast and Canada harvested sap from maple trees, boiling down sap and turning it into sugar water and maple syrup long before European contact. Special sugar camps were set up in groves of sugar maple trees and much like this festival, sugaring became a social event. "At the Institute’s Maple Sugar Festival, families will see firsthand how Native Americans harvested this sugary delight, a process that has been passed on through stories and demonstrations from generation to generation,” said Chris Combs, Executive Director of the Institute. "Most importantly, they’ll learn why this process is such an important part of Native American culture," Combs added. 

At this event, IAIS Educator and Ecologist, Susan Scherf will demonstrate various traditional Native American techniques of collecting sap and boiling it down into syrup and sugar. Visitors will learn the importance of maple sugar to the diet of Native Americans as well as its usefulness as an item of trade, and even as medicine. 

In keeping with the fun-filled traditions surrounding Native American sugar camps, children are invited to listen to Native American stories and play traditional family-friendly games that will take place throughout the day, adding to this culturally enriching experience. To satiate your taste buds, maple syrup, samples from the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine are being offered. And, if you want to bring some of this delicious amber nectar home, head to the Institute’s gift shop which is stocked up with maple syrup made by the Passamaquoddy Tribe. 

The cost of participation is $15 for adults, $10 for children, and $5 for members of the Institute. To pre-register head to http://www.iaismuseum.org, email events@iaismuseum.org, or call (860) 868-0518. 

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.