Life in a Wigwam @ Institute of American Indian Studies August 25

The Institute Of American Indian Studies, 38 Curtis Road, Washington Connecticut is starting the rebuilding process of their 16th century replicated Algonkian village using traditional stone tools and techniques used throughout the Eastern Woodlands for thousands of years. On August 25, from 12 noon to 3 p.m. the public is invited to join Griffin Kalin, a primitive technologist, and educator at the Institute in the 16^th century replicated village on the grounds of the museum. Kalin will be on hand to discuss the science and technology behind this remarkable reconstruction process using only natural materials and stone tools.

Participants will take a short path through the woods to the current replicated Algonkian Village that is located on a gentle rise in the forest.  The village has several wigwams and a longhouse along with tree stump benches that surround a campfire.  

Visitors are welcome to go into these structures that are about ten years old.  It is amazing that they survived the harsh New England climate for such a long period of time.  Inside the wigwam, it is easy to imagine how family life must have been lived in these peaceful woodlands in the 1700s.

One of the more fascinating things visitors will learn is how the large pile of tulip tree bark will be used in the reconstruction process that will be completed using only handmade stone tools.

Native American oral tradition tells us that Eastern Woodland Indians always lived in wigwams.  The curved, domed surfaces of a wigwam's outside defined the interior hearth centered space. In general, wigwams were the domain of women where food was cooked, the family fed, and stories were told.  Wigwams were also the place where medicinal plants were stored, mats were woven, clothes were stored and pots were shaped.  

Archeological evidence of wigwams is rarely discovered, however, post mold patterns found indicate that wigwams thousand of years old resemble those built in the 1700s, much like the village found at the Institute of American Indian Studies.

In addition to wigwams, Algonkian peoples also built longhouses.  These dwellings could accommodate several families and were the homes of clan leaders.  Longhouses served as meeting places where clan members participated in council meetings and ceremonies.  Typically Native American artists decorated the longhouse with paintings and carvings of animals that represented clans or scenes from oral traditions.  Visitors to this event should make sure to go into the longhouse in the village, and before leaving, head to the museum to visit the large indoor longhouse set up, as Native Americans would have lived in the 1700s prior to contact with European settlers.

The Algonkian Village re-construction represents the continuing heritage of pre-contact life of the Eastern Woodland Native Americans that reflect heritage, family, and traditions.  The Building a Community event is on August 25 from 12 noon to 3 pm, adults $10, $8 seniors, $6 children and free for members of the Institute and those that donated materials.

The Institute for American Indian Studies

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.

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.

Medicinal Monday - Beautiful Bayberry

Bayberry is a small tree or a large shrub that grows in North and Central American and even on some of the islands in the Caribbean.  European settlers learned about the medicinal qualities attributed to this hardy shrub from Native Americans.  The root bark of bayberry was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1916 to 1936.  Sometimes called wax myrtle this plant has a rich heritage of use by Native Americans.

About Bayberry Shrubs

Bayberry bushes are tough, hardy plants that have pleasantly scented foliage and berries. They usually have an upright rounded shape with a fragrance that makes them easy to identify.  This shrub can grow to a height of five to eight feet and has oval dark green leaves that are referred to as "simple" because they don't have any sections. The female plants of the bayberry bush species produce small waxy, gray-blue berries in the fall. The bushes are usually evergreen, although some plant species lose their leaves.  Bayberry bushes grow well in sandy salty soil near the ocean and can be found growing on sand dunes.  They can also be found in bogs, marshland and wet woodlands.

Medicinal Uses of Bayberry

Native Americans had numerous uses for the stems, leaves, and roots of the bayberry plant.  Many Native Americans made an infusion from the dried roots of this plant to treat coughs and colds. The Mohegans treated kidney disorders with tea made from the bayberry plant.  A wash was made from the bark of this shrub to treat skin infections. Bayberry contains a chemical called myricitrin that has antibiotic properties.

The Choctaw used a decoction of the leaves of this plant and stems to treat fevers.  A decoction of the roots was used to treat a sore throat. The Koasati used a decoction of roots to treat stomachaches in children. The Micmac used a poultice of hot pounded water-soaked roots to treat inflammation.

In addition to using a decoction of leaves for headaches and fevers and stomachaches, the Seminole used a decoction of the wood ashes as a love medicine. The decoction of the wood ashes would be placed on the tongue to cleanse the body and strengthen the marriage. They also used this plant as a tobacco substitute.

A beverage was made out of the berries, bark, and leaves that would have a stimulating effect and was called the "black drink."  Many Native American tribes, especially in the Southeast used the "black drink" in seasonal ceremonies. Osceola, a great chief of the Seminoles was named after this ceremonial drink. His name means"black drink singer."

Did you know....

A wax can be obtained by boiling the berries in water making the wax float to the top and easy to skim off.  The wax was and is still used to scent candles.

Birds love the berries of the bayberry bush.  They are an important source of food for quail, pheasant, the ruffled grouse and migrating songbirds such as eastern bluebirds, thrushes, and tufted titmice.

The wax from bayberry plants was used to scent candles in Colonial America.

European settlers to North America learned about the medicinal uses of bayberry from Native Americans and a description from 1737 states that the plant "removes air and relieves all kinds of pain caused by cold, and is a good remedy for colic, paralysis, convulsions, epilepsy and other disorders."

Modern research has found that bayberry has an astringent and antibacterial quality.

Because this plant contains a high amount of tannin it should be used with caution.

Medicinal Monday...The Benefits of Ragweed

By early August, Connecticut is in full bloom with ragweed.  This flowering plant is in the genus Ambrosia in the Aster family.  Most ragweed pollen is released between August and October and is one of the most important causes of fall hay fever symptoms. Pollen counts are highest in the morning hours on windy days or shortly after a rainstorm when the plant is drying out.  Native Americans found many valued this pesky plant for medicinal uses and took advantage of its topical and internal applications.

About Annual Ragweed

Ragweed can be found just about anywhere this time of year from roadsides to fields, vacant lots and meadows. They are annual and perennial herbs and shrubs. Many species grow anywhere from a few inches high to about three feet high and their flowers contain both male and female flowers.  The male flowers are found in the cylindrically shaped spike on the top of the flowering stalk and the female flower is found on the axils of the leaves. The plant produces two types of leaves. Large leaves divided into three to five lobes with serrated edges and long petioles are located on the lower part of the stem.  Smaller, lanceolate leaves, covered with hairs on the bottom side can be seen near the base of the flowers.

Common annual ragweed produces diamond shaped seeds after wind- induced pollination. A single plant may produce about a billion grains of pollen per season that is transported on the wind. Ragweed pollen is light and fluffy and can stay airborne for days and travel great distances affecting people hundreds of miles away from where the pollen originated.

Medicinal & Other Uses of Annual Ragweed

 The Cherokee used annual ragweed as a ceremonial plant as an ingredient in their green corn medicine. The plant was also used as a dermatological aid; the leaves were crushed and rubbed on an insect bite, an infusion of the leaves were also used to treat hives. The Delaware made a poultice out of the plant and applied it to wounds to prevent blood poisoning. The Iroquois and the Dakota compounded a decoction of the leaves and the top part of the plant to treat diarrhea and an infusion of the roots was used as a heart medicine. The Lakota made an infusion of the leaves and used it to treat swelling. The Houma uses a decoction of this root for menstrual trouble.

In addition to medicinal uses, Native Americans found several other uses for ragweed.  There is evidence that Native Americans planted, cultivated, and harvested ragweed seeds. These seeds have an amazing percentage of crude protein (47%) and fat (38%) making them an important food source during the long winter months.  It is said that the seed tastes like wheat.  The sturdy stems of ragweed were also used by Native Americans to make rope.

Did You Know...

Cows, sheep and horses like to eat common ragweed. Excess consumption of this plant can change the taste of milk due to high content of bitter substances in the leaves of common ragweed.


Eastern cottontails, voles, grasshoppers like to eat leaves of common ragweed, while dark-eyed juncos, red-bellied woodpeckers, and purple finch prefer seed.


Common ragweed effectively removes lead from the soil in the polluted areas.

The Institute for American Indian Studies

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.

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.