Artifact Identification Day @ Institute For American Indian Studies October 22

 

Do you have any stone artifacts or Northeastern Native American cultural items that you would like to have identified? Do you want to know about the, who, what, how, and when of your mystery items? If you do, then register to participate in Artifact ID Day at the Institute for American Indian Studies located at 38 Curtis Road in Washington, Connecticut on Saturday, October 22 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 

As part of Connecticut’s statewide Archeology Awareness Month and International Archeology Day, this program conducted by the Institute’s Research Department provides a chance to uncover the past and discover more about an artifact in your possession that you have always been curious about. The cost to participate is $15 for non-members and $5 for members. To register click here and if you have questions please call 860-868-0518. 

This event gives participants the opportunity to learn about the objects that they have questions about with an expert in the field of archaeological and cultural study. The Research Department archeologists and staff will provide interesting insights and commentary on your items but will not appraise or speculate about the value of an object. 

To better identify your object, you should have some information available. If a family member gave it to you, ask them for any details they might remember. It is also helpful to know the general location of where your artifact was found. If you are bringing a cultural artifact, it is helpful to know approximately when it was found. This program features a mix of commentary and methods of stone and cultural artifact identification in a manner that is useful to newcomers, hobbyists, collectors, the curious, archaeologists, and researchers. 

About Institute for American Indian Studies 

Located on 15 acres of woodland acres the Institute For American Indian Studies on 38 Curtis Road in Washington, Connecticut preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. They have the 16th c. Algonquian Village, Award-Winning Wigwam Escape Room, 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. 

About International Archeology 

Archeology and the thrill of discovery are celebrated during the entire month of October. Every October the AIA and archaeological organizations around the world present archaeological programs and activities for people of all ages and interests. Whether it is a family-friendly archaeology fair, a guided tour of a local archaeological site, a simulated dig, a lecture or a classroom visit from an archaeologist, the interactive, hands-on International Archaeology Day programs provide participants with the chance to be an archaeologist for a day. International Archeology Day is held on the third Saturday of every October.

Medicinal Monday...Charismatic and Dramatic - Cinnamon Fern

Cinnamon Fern is named for its beautiful reddish-brown spikes that emerge from the center of this fern above a vase-like cluster of sterile greenish fronds. The bright cinnamon-colored fronds remain long after it sheds its spores. Native American communities use a number of different ferns native to North America for medicinal and culinary purposes including Cinnamon Fern. This is in the family of one of the oldest fern species, Oxmundaceae (Royal Fern Family), and is considered a living fossil.

About Cinnamon Fern

Osmundastrum is in the genus of leptosporangiate ferns and is in the family of Osmundaceae. Osmundastrum Cinnamomum or the cinnamon fern is native to the Americas and grows in swamps, bogs, and moist woodlands. It can be found in southern Labrador and south through the eastern United States including Connecticut. It can also be found in Mexico, the West Indies, and South America. The cinnamon fern forms large colonies in moist areas and has massive rootstocks. The roots are tangled together and wiry. The fronds of this fern are either sterile or fertile. The fertile spore-bearing fronds are erect and grow up to 18 inches tall and become cinnamon-colored. The yellowish-green sterile fronds are pinnate compounded - having leaf blades growing on either side of the stalk. The oblong leaves taper to narrow tips. They are broad and deeply lobed. The sterile fronds fade to yellow in the autumn and then turn a topaz brown color.  This perennial plant typically grows in clumps of two to three feet in height but with consistent moisture, it can reach five feet in height.

Medicinal and Culinary Uses

The cinnamon fern has been used by the Abnaki and Menominee as a source of food. The young unexpanded fronds were eaten raw or cooked in soups. The young shoots are said to have a taste similar to asparagus. The Cherokee made a compound of the root and applied the mixture to treat rheumatism and chills. Some Native American communities including the Cherokee chewed a portion of the root to treat snakebite, they also applied the root to the wound. The Iroquois made a decoction of the root and used it as an analgesic to treat sore joints, headaches, colds, and women's cramps. The Menominee used a decoction of this plant as a gynecological aid to promote the flow of milk in new mothers. Some Native American communities would chop the roots up and add them to cow food to aid difficult births.

Did You Know...

The nonscientific name of the Cinnamon Fern comes from the cinnamon-brown color of the fronds that rise from the center of this plant.

A fossil of the cinnamon fern extends into the Late Cretaceous period in North America, dating approximately 70 million years ago, making it one of the oldest known living plant species.

Today, the osmunda fiber of cinnamon ferns is used to propagate and grow orchids.

The oldest known member of this genus is O. indentatum from Tasmania, Australia.

Medicinal Monday...American Hog Peanut - Unusual and Useful!

This plant is unusual because it produces seeds above and below the ground and two types of flowers. Hog peanuts are in the pea family (Fabaceae) and can be found in Connecticut. Native Americans used this plant primarily as a source of food although they did find several medicinal uses for it.

About American Hog Peanut

Amphicarpaea bracteata, or the American Hog Peanut is native to eastern North America and can be found from Manitoba east to Nova Scotia, Canada, south to Florida, and west to Texas and Montana. It is found in moist woods, meadows, and prairies and is often considered a weed. This plant grows from a seed and produces a twining branched stem that can grow up to five feet long from a tap root. It climbs other plants without tendrils by coiling the apical portion of the stem around them. The stem is slender and hairy and the leaves of this plant are broad and oval in shape. The leaves turn yellow in the fall. This plant produces two types of flowers. On the upper branches, the plant produces pendant-shaped flowers that bloom in clusters and droop from the stems. The flowers can be white, pink, lilac, or pale purple and bloom in August and September. The flowers are followed by flat oblong spotted pods that are pointed at each end and contain three or four small seeds. The flowers that bloom on the lower branches of this plant don't have petals and don't open. The flowers rest on or under the ground and are followed by a fleshy pod that buries under the soil the way peanuts do.

Culinary and Medicinal Uses

Many Native American communities collect the "peanut" that grows underground and eat it. The seeds or "peanuts" are eaten raw or boiled to remove the husk and then eaten like a nut. The beans are also used to make bean bread. Some communities cook the seeds like pinto beans and add them to cornmeal. The pods produced on the upper branches were also collected and eaten. Since these seeds are much smaller they had to be cooked before they were eaten. The entire plant was used for several medicinal purposes. One of the most common uses was to make an infusion of the root to treat diarrhea. Many communities made a poultice of pulverized leaves and applied the mixture to swellings. The Cherokee make an infusion of the plant and use it to treat snake bites.

Hog Peanut Flower wrapped around a Christmas Fern

Did You Know...

The genus name refers to the fact that this plant produces two different types of flowers and seeds. Greek amphi meaning of both kinds and carpos means fruit.

The common name, refers to the underground fruit or peanuts that are often dug up and eaten by wild pigs.

It is a larval host for silver spotted skipper and northern cloudwing butterflies.

A Visit to the Bighorns - Guest Blogger - Karen Larkin

Visit the Bighorns if you can stand the quiet… 

We must have driven across 1,000 miles of prairies and rolling desert by the time the Bighorns poked up above the horizon, their snowy peaks just visible amid the haze. As we drew near, the mountainous silhouette consumed the orange backsplash of sky until they stood before us, looming with stoic composure. I turned to look at the arid landscape behind– so flat and unassuming. The transition was so abrupt, as though the mountains had been deliberately placed there. My eyes returned to the Bighorns and I was struck with profound intimidation. There seemed to be a quiet power emanating from the peaks, washing over their domain. My fascination mounted as the road pitched upward, leading us into the cliffs. 

The Bighorn Mountains (Crow: Basawaxaawúua ‘Our Mountains’, or Iisaxpúatahchee Isawaxaawúua ‘Bighorn Sheep’s Mountains’) reside in northern Wyoming and extend to south-central Montana. Stretching over 200 miles, these 70 million-year-old peaks reach over 13,000 feet in height. The immensity of the Big Horns is not their only allure. This landscape is home to cascading waterfalls, vast forests, rivers, and sacred ancestral sites of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow, Lakota, Dakota, Shoshone, Cree, Salish, Kootenai, and Blackfeet. 

The Legend of Big Metal 

While there are many place names for the Bighorns among Indigenous groups of the area, the one most popularly used (the Bighorns) originates from a story passed down by the Crow. According to legend, there was once a young boy who was pushed off of a cliff by his stepfather while they were out hunting. Upon returning to their village, the evil stepfather lied and said that the boy headed back from their expedition much earlier. Fearing that he had gotten lost, a search party set out to find him. Meanwhile, tucked within an outcropping of cedar trees, the young boy prayed for rescue, having been miraculously saved from his fall. Days passed before his prayers were answered. Big Metal, chief of the bighorns, approached the boy followed by 7 sacred bighorn sheep. Each of these sheep gifted the boy with a special ability, and Big Metal gave him his name ‘Big Iron’. They promised to lead him home but asked that he deliver one message: The sheep had told him…we seven rule these big mountains. That river down there is the Bighorn River. Whatever you do, don’t change its name. If you ever change the name of the river, there will be no more Apsaalooke (Crow) tribe. The Apsaalooke will be nothing. 

Bighorn Medicine Wheel 

The sacred place is not chosen, it chooses. 

At an elevation of 9,640 feet, the Bighorn Medicine Wheel is situated upon a limestone plateau on Medicine Mountain. Evidence suggests that this site has been used by local groups for over 7,000 years, continuing to this day. It is approximately 80 feet in diameter, with 28 spokes circling around a central cairn (or mound of stones). While there are many different customs and beliefs tied to medicine wheels, they are generally thought to have regenerative power, marking the intersection of the earth and sky. According to Gerri Elise McCulloh, “Medicine wheels are circles that do not have beginnings or ends; they represent infinity, cycles, and the entanglements of all life.” The Bighorn Medicine wheel has several astrological alignments, particularly in regard to the Summer Solstice. The Bighorn Medicine Wheel is still used by Indigenous groups today as well as other nearby features such as ceremonial stages, medicinal and ceremonial plant-gathering areas, sweat lodges, altars, offering locales, and recent vision-quest enclosures. 

In the 19th century, it was deemed illegal to perform religious activities on Medicine Mountain– violators faced federal incarceration. This status remained until the 1950s and later the site was made a Historic Landmark in 1969. Despite its spiritual significance, proposals for development on Medicine Mountain were introduced to bolster tourism to the area. After decades of pushback by local tribes, a long-term plan to protect the area was established in 1996. Today, the Bighorn Medicine Wheel is under the protection of Bighorn National Forest with primary consultation from the Medicine Wheel Alliance and the Medicine Wheel Coalition. Access is limited to the public, and controlled by local tribal authorities. 

The Bighorns 

Although we only had a brief encounter driving through the Bighorns, it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Even to the most inconspicuous passerby, like myself, the energy of this landscape could not go unnoticed. While I was able to capture a few photos from the van as we drove, nothing could compare to the real thing. I highly recommend putting the Bighorn Mountains on your travel bucket list– they are certainly on mine! 

 Sources 

https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/medicine-wheel 

http://lib.lbhc.edu/about-the-crow-people 

https://www.forrestersbighorn.com/bighorn-blog/2018/august/the-crow-legend-of-how-the-bighorn-river-got-its/ 

https://www.nps.gov/bica/learn/historyculture/the-legend-of-big-metal.htm 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/bighorn/about-forest - McCulloh, G.E. (2016), "Songs of the Pika and Others at the Bighorn Medicine Wheel"

Rosile, G.A. (Ed.) Tribal Wisdom for Business Ethics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 199-210.

Medicinal Monday...Canadian Wild Ginger

Wild ginger, known as Asarum canadense is unrelated to the culinary ginger (Zingiber officinale) in your kitchen cabinet. It is named wild ginger because of the similar taste and smell of the roots. Native Americans had many medicinal uses for this plant which they also used as a seasoning.

About Wild Ginger

Wild ginger is native to North America from Manitoba, Canada to North Carolina, and can be found in Connecticut. The scientific name of wild ginger that grows in the eastern United States is Asarum canadense. This stemless perennial plant grows in the woods and on wooded slopes and does best in the shade. The plant has two heart-shaped veined dark green leaves that grow up to six inches wide. The cup-shaped pendulous purplish brown flowers appear in spring on short, ground-level stems that rise up between the two leaves. The flower is usually hidden between the two leaves. The bell-shaped flowers form pods that hold seeds. Wild ginger has a mutualistic relationship with ants. The wild ginger seeds have elaiosomes that are irresistible treats for ants. The ants take the seeds and eat the elaiosomes and discard the seeds. This helps spread wild ginger plants. This plant also spreads by creeping rhizomes and forms large colonies within a few years. The rhizomes have a ginger-like odor and flavor.

Medicinal Uses 

Wild ginger was used by many Native American communities as an anticonvulsive, cold remedy, disinfectant, and digestive aid. The Abnaki, Cherokee, and Iroquois made a decoction of the roots and took this mixture to treat colds, scarlet fever, measles, and typhoid fever. The Iroquois made a poultice to treat a sore throat and also used an infusion of the root as a spring tonic. The Algonquin used an infusion of roots to treat fevers and also gave this infusion to treat children suffering from convulsions. The Cherokee made an infusion from the root to treat worms and also made a wash from the entire shrub to treat swollen breasts. Fresh leaves were applied to wounds and sores and dried leaves were used for the head and eyes. The Cherokee used the root as a powerful stimulant and also used the leaves, roots, and blossoms to treat nervousness. The Chippewa made a compound poultice of the shrub and applied it to treat broken bones, they also used the roots to treat bruises and cuts. The Chippewa cooked the root with food as an aid for digestion. The Iroquois used an infusion of the roots as an analgesic to treat headaches and would take a cold decoction of the plant to treat fevers. The Iroquois made a decoction of this shrub and mixed it with whisky and gave it to sick horses. The Malecite and the Micmac have many gastrointestinal uses of this plant and used fresh or dried roots to treat stomaches. The Meskwaki cooked the root and put it in the ears to treat earaches, they also made a compound of the root to treat stomach pain.

Culinary Uses

In addition to its use as a spice, Native American communities found several interesting culinary uses for the roots of wild ginger. For example, the Meskwaki cooked the root with spoiled meat to prevent ptomaine poisoning. The Meskwaki chewed the root and spit it on bait to increase their chances of catching catfish. They also used the root as a seasoning for mud catfish to make them taste more palatable. The Ojibwa chewed the root to stimulate the appetite and also processed the root in lye water and used this mixture to season food. The Potawatomi used the root to flavor bland-tasting meat and fish.

Did You Know...

Early European settlers used to dry the rootstalk and grind it into a powder which they used as a spice.

Other names for Wild Ginger are Canada wild ginger, snakeroot, blacksnakeweed, Canadian Snakeroot, Colic Root, False Crowfoot, Ginger Root, Heart-Leaf, Southern Wild Ginger, and Vermont Snakeroot.

Today this plant is used as a groundcover for shaded areas and is prized because it is resistant to deer.

Wild ginger contains Aristolochi fangchi which can be toxic so eat it at your own risk. Do not seep wild ginger in alcohol or vinegar. You can enjoy wild ginger steeped in water in moderation.

Medicinal Monday... Juneberry

Although they look a bit like blueberries, Juneberries are more closely related to the apple family. Native American communities living in Eastern North America and Canada found many uses for this showy shrub. This shrub can be found in the woods, bogs, and wetlands of Connecticut.

About Juneberry

Amelanchier Canadensis, commonly called Juneberry, is a deciduous, early-flowering, large shrub or small tree in the rose family which typically grows 15-30' tall. It is considered an understory tree that is often found growing in clumps in swamps, bogs, lowlands, and thickets.  It has showy, five-petaled, slightly fragrant, white flowers that bloom in drooping clusters which appear before the leaves emerge in early spring. Finely toothed, elliptic, medium to dark green leaves (1-3" long) change to orange-red in autumn. Flowers give way to small, round, green berries which turn red and finally mature to a dark purplish-black in early summer. The fruit is apple-shaped and is usually well hidden by dark green leaves. The berries are edible and resemble blueberries in size and color when fully mature.

Culinary and Medicinal Uses

Many Native American communities found Juneberries an important and tasty source of food.  Most communities ate the fruit raw or dried the fruit for future use. The Iroquois, for example, took the dried fruit on hunting expeditions. The fruit was made into a sauce or relish. Some communities combined the mashed fruit with cornbread and made small cakes. The fruit has a sweet flavor with a hint of apple.

Medicinally, one of the most common uses of this plant was to treat children with worms. The Cherokee, for example, would bathe children with worms in an infusion made from the bark of this shrub. The Chippewa made a compound decoction of the inner bark and used it as a disinfectant wash. Another popular use was gynecological. The Chippewa made a compound of the bark and gave it to women to make them strong, they also made an infusion of the root and gave it to women after they miscarried. The Iroquois made an infusion of the branches of this shrub and gave it to women after childbirth for pain and hemorrhages. Many communities made tea from the bark of the root and gave it to women to treat heavy menstrual bleeding.

Did You Know...

The Genus name comes from a French provincial name for Amelanchier ovalis, a European plant in this genus.

Other names for this shrub include Canadian Serviceberry, Juneberry, Shadbush, chuckle berry, currant berry, thicket berry, and Junebush.

It is a host plant for the Red Spotted Purple and the Viceroy butterflies. The fruit is eaten by songbirds and large and small mammals.

Medicinal Monday... Legends and Lore -Queen Anne's Lace

Queen Anne's Lace grows wild across the United States and is often seen in meadows and on the sides of roads in Connecticut in August and September. This beautiful white flower has an interesting history and was used by Native Americans as a source of food and medicine.

Legends of Queen Anne's Lace 

There are many stories of how this plant got its name. One legend claims that the name of this plant originated in the days of King James I and his wife, Queen Anne, who lived between 1574 and 1619. It is said that the Queen pricked her finger while sewing and the drop of blood is why the flower has a purple center. The flowers of this plant were thought to resemble the lace of the Queen's headdress. Another story involves Queen Anne II that challenged her ladies in waiting to create a piece of lace as beautiful as the flower but none could make lace that could outshine the real thing.

About Queen Anne's Lace

Also called wild carrot, this European plant was brought to North America with the colonists and today this plant is naturalized throughout the United States.  Queen Anne's Lace is a biennial whose flowers have a flat-topped white umbel made up of numerous white flowers with a solitary purple flower in the center. The flower cluster is curled up and gradually opens to allow pollination. This biennial flowers in its second season and then dies. The hollow branched flower stems grow to four feet tall and are covered with short coarse hair. This plant produces a yellow taproot that is high in sugar. At the end of the season, the cluster rolls itself shut when it goes into seed. The leaves are feathery green and resemble those of today's carrots, and unfortunately resemble poison hemlock, fool's parsley, and water hemlocks, all related to Queen Anne's Lace but deadly. A small bristly seed is produced at the end of each flower stalk that is disseminated by attaching itself to something or seeds itself where it falls.

Medicinal and Culinary Uses

Many Native American communities used the young roots as a source of food as this plant has a slight carrot flavor and is rich in sugar.  Some communities dried the roots and stored them for winter use. Most commonly the roots were either boiled or steamed and then eaten. 

Medicinally, this plant was used in a variety of ways. The Cherokee made an infusion of the entire plant and used it as a wash for swelling. The Delaware made an infusion of the blossoms when they are in full bloom to treat diabetes. The Iroquois used a decoction of the roots to treat men for a blood disorder and to treat pimples and paleness. They also drank a decoction of this plant for urinary problems. The Micmac ate the leaves of this plant and used it as a purgative. The Mohegans made an infusion of the blossoms and used it to treat diabetes.

Did You Know...

Because of the delicate flowers of Queen Anne's Lace, it is associated with beauty.

Queen Anne's Lace is also referred to as "bishop's flower" and symbolizes safety and refuge because when it goes to seed it resembles a bird's nest and thus a symbol of a happy home.

Modern carrots were originally developed from Queen Anne's Lace.

The roots of Queen Anne's Lace are yellow and if you intend to try them, they must be harvested before the plant blooms. After the plant blooms, the roots become too woody to eat.

Hippocrates prescribed crushed Queen Anne's Lace seeds to prevent pregnancies.

Queen Anne's Lace is listed as a noxious weed in 35 states.

It is a host plant for bees, eastern black swallowtail caterpillars, and many species of butterflies.