Try Your Skill Playing Snow Snake - January 20 @ 1 p.m.

 The snow snake game was once one of the most popular winter games played in North America. Many Native American Communities played it from Maine to California, Oklahoma to Alaska. Today, this game is being revitalized across the country. On Saturday, January 20 at 1 p.m. at the Institute for American Indian Studies on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut, competitors can make their very own snow snake and then test their skills playing this traditional game. 

Originally, snow snake was the traditional Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) game played during the winter. The sport has its history in hunting when long spears were thrown like snow snakes across the ice and snow to catch prey, without coming too close and scaring them away. Most often, snow snake was played when the men of the village returned from their annual winter hunting trip. It was – and still is – an exciting game of skill to the Haudenosaunee people and many other Native Communities. 

Snow snakes are hand-made from a flattened piece of wood with a notch at one end that makes them easy to throw. Some sticks are carved in intricate patterns that resemble a snake and then coated with wax. Participants in this workshop will learn how to make their very own snow snake with Susan Scherf, Educator, and wood crafter at the Institute. This workshop includes materials and wood-burning kits. Participants are welcome to bring their own whittling knife if they have one although it is not required 

A friendly competition follows the snow snake workshop at the specially prepared snow snake track. The object of the game is to see how far participants can throw the snow snake along a snow trench. The person who throws the snake the farthest after several rounds is the winner! The snow snake game is a test of both skill and strength, and a good throw can go more than 100 yards. 

 This game is often referred to as a medicine game because it lifted the spirits of the people during the long winter months. The Institute for American Indian Studies is excited to share this game that is great for socializing, and remembering the traditions of generations of Native Americans who came before us. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. The price of participation including materials is $20 for non-members and $10 for members. For more information call 860-868-0518, email events@iaismuseum.org, or click here to register online. 

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 the 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 on 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.

Medicinal Monday -American Holly - Festive, Tough and Useful

With its spiny dark green leaves and bright red berries, Ilex opaca also known as American Holly is often used in festive holiday decorations. According the the Holly Society of America over 1000 cultivators are making this one of the most popular trees in the world. It is known as the hardiest broadleaf evergreen. Like the Common Holly, the American Holly is another variety in the Aquifliaceae or Holly Family, the difference is that it is native to North America. In addition to the many medicinal uses found for this plant, Native American communities believed it symbolized courage and was often attached to their war shields.

About American Holly

Ilex opaca is found in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts but is absent in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. It is native to the eastern and south-central United States and can be found west to southeastern Missouri and eastern Texas. This upright evergreen tree grows in a pyramidal shape that slowly matures to the height of up to 50 feet in the wild. It is found in woods, forest bottomland, on the edges of swampland, and along coastal dunes starting in Cape Cod and ending in Virginia. The leathery leaves are deep green and have spiny marginal teeth. American Holly has male and female flowers that grow on separate trees making it dioecious. Greenish white flowers bloom in May and June with the male plants having up to 12 flowers growing in clusters and the female plants growing one or two flowers. Both the male and female plants are needed to produce the bright red berries. Bright red or orange fruits known as drupes ripen in the fall on pollinated female trees. The berries stay on the trees through the winter and are a favorite of birds. 

Medicinal Uses

The most common Native American use of American Holly was to make tea from the leaves to treat coughs and colds. Native American communities found many medicinal uses for the festive tree. The Alabama made a decoction from the bark and used it as a wash for sore eyes while the Catawba made an infusion of the leaves and used it to treat sores and measles. The Cherokee chewed the berries to soothe colic and would scrunch a handful of leaves and rub them on sore muscles to relieve the pain. The Choctaw made a decoction of the leaves and would use this mixture to soothe sore eyes and the Koasati made an infusion of the bark and rubbed it on the skin to relieve itching. 

In addition to medicinal uses, the wood was used to make a variety of cooking tools including wooden spoons. The berries were used to make a dye and sometimes used as buttons.

Did You Know...

The genus name, llex comes from the Latin name Quercus ilex for holm oak and refers to the similarity of their leaves. 

Archeologists have found ritual shell-cups with holly residue dating to 1,200 B.C.

Other names for American Holly are White Holly, Prickly Holly, Evergreen Holly, Christmas Holly, and Yule Holly.

Resistant to salt spray, American Holly is planted to restore damaged coastal areas.

Winter Break for Kids December 28 and 29

Winter break is exciting for kids. No school and lots of free time, but boredom can soon set in. If you want to beat boredom this year, try an innovative way to keep kids busy and away from the TV, movies, and video games by signing up for Winter in the Woodlands! The Institute is offering this special educational program that will include games, crafts, and activities inspired by Native American culture on Thursday, December 28, and Friday, December 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on both days. 

The activities are planned for both indoors and outdoors on the grounds of the museum and will showcase the lifeways and lessons of local Native Americans. Each day the museum’s educational staff will offer an exciting roster of games, and craft projects. A special highlight is listening to Native American stories told by a professional storyteller. These stories share Native American history, customs, rituals, and legends through exciting narratives that have been passed down for generations. Often stories educate children about culture, morals, and values. 

Getting kids outside in the fresh air is a bonus to some of the traditional Native American games they will play like snow snake, snow boat and hoop, and pole. The crafts that children will create indoors will be keepsakes that they can bring home. Some of the crafts planned include making cornhusk dolls, buzzers, and beaded artwork. This two-day program is designed to teach children new skills and to ensure a smooth transition to going back to school. This two-day program is best suited for children ages six to twelve. Parents are invited to stay and participate adding another dimension to family fun and quality time. 

The price of participation is $40 per day for non-members and $30 per day for members of the museum. Pre-registration and pre-payment are required. To register click here https://iaismuseum.charityproud.org/EventRegistration/Index/14302 or 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 the 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 Juniperus californica

The aromatic evergreen trees and shrubs of the genus Juniperus consist of 76 varieties that grow in the Northern Hemisphere. This genus is in the cypress family. All juniper species bear small seed cones called berries which are used for producing gin. Juniperus californica is a shrub or small tree that is native to America's southwest. Many Native American communities in that area found many interesting ways to use this evergreen medicinally.

About Juniperus californica

This variety of juniperus grows up to 26 feet high and is mainly found in numerous California habitats although its range extends into Baja, southern Nevada, northwestern Arizona, and Guadalupe Island in the Pacific Ocean. In California, it is found in the Peninsular, California, and Transverse Ranges, in the Sacramento Valley, Sierra Nevada, and in the Mojave Desert ranges. The bark is ashy grey and has a shredded appearance. The shoots are fairly thick compared to other junipers.  The foliage is bluish-gray and scale-like. The juvenile leaves on the seedlings are needle-like and grow in whorls of three. The adult leaves are scale-like and grow to 5 millimeters on lead shoots. The blue-brown berry-like cones have a whitish-waxy bloom and usually contain a single seed. The male cones are 2-4 millimeters long and shed their pollen in early spring. It is largely dioecious producing cones of only one sex, but around 2% of plants are monoecious, with both sexes on the same plant.

Culinary and Medicinal Uses

Many Native American communities ate the berries fresh or dried the berries in the sun to preserve them for future use. The Cahuilia would grind the dried berries into flour and make mush or bread from the mixture. The Kawaiisu seeded the berries and pounded them into a meal, then molded them into cakes and dried them for future use. The Mendocino dried the fruit and then boiled it when they wanted to eat it. They also used the wood of this tree to make mush stirrers, ladles, and bows for hunting. 

Many tribes used an infusion of leaves to treat a variety of ailments. The Apache and the Gosiute for example,  made an infusion of leaves to treat colds and coughs. They also gave this infusion to pregnant women as an aid to help relax their muscles. The Costanoan made a decoction of the leaves to treat pain and to cause sweating. The Diegueno made an infusion of leaves and bark and drank this mixture to treat hangovers and high blood pressure. The Mahuna made an infusion of the berries or chewed them raw to cure fevers.

Did You Know...

Juniper is associated with protection and fortune making it the perfect herb to usher in the new year.

The juniper tree's name is derived from the Latin word Juniperus which is a combination of the word junio which means young and parere meaning youth or evergreen.

Juniperus Californica provides food and shelter for turkeys and deer and is a host for the sequoia sphinx moth.

Other names for California juniper are white cedar, sweetberry cedar, Huata cedro, white cedar, and Cedros Island juniper.

Juniperus California is closely related to the Utah Juniper, J. osteosperma.

Medicinal Monday - White Spruce

Picea glauca or white spruce is a cold- hardy evergreen native to North America and occurs naturally as far north as Newfoundland. This tree can be found throughout New England. This beautiful evergreen tree is steeped in ancient myth and magic. In Greek mythology, the Spruce tree was dedicated to Artemis, the Greek Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt, in Gaelic tradition, spruce trees are sacred to Druantia, the eternal mother goddess, and in Native American tribes in the Southwest, spruce trees symbolized the sky, and Salavai, an ancient medicine man, chose to become a spruce tree. Native Americans and First People of Canada found several interesting medicinal uses for the white spruce tree. This tree is not fussy and grows in a wide range of environments.

About White Spruce

White spruce is native to the northern parts of North America and Canada and is believed to be one of the first tree species to grow after the glaciers receded. White spruce trees usually live between 250 and 350 years, but trees up to 1,000 years have been documented. The White Spruce tree is an important tree woven into the fabric of North America. White Sprice is a large tree with a narrow crown and a pyramidal shape that can grow up to 150 feet tall. The leaves or needles are four-sided, sharp, and stiff. They grow in a spiral on the branches of the tree. What makes these needles unique is that they grow out of the branch from a strong woody peg. They are whitish-green and smell like a skunk when young, and as they mature, the needles become more pleasant smelling. The seed cones are light brown and hang from the upper branches. The scales of the pine cone have a smooth rounded outer edge. Pollen cones are a pale red. The bark is loose, scaley, and greyish-brown.

Medicinal Uses of White Spruce

One of the most common medicinal uses of the white spruce tree was to strip the bark and needles from the trees, boil them in water, and drink this mixture to cure various ailments from coughs and colds to scurvy and rheumatism. Most often the resin was combined with grease or lard and was used to treat wounds and infections. The Abnaki made an infusion of the cones to treat urinary trouble and the Algonquin chewed the inner bark to treat coughs, they also made an infusion of the tips of the branches and used the mixture to heal the insides. The Chippewa made a decoction of the twigs and used them as an herbal steam for rheumatism. The Cree found many uses for the white spruce tree. They made a poultice from the resin to treat blood poisoning, they made a mixture of resin and lard and used it as an ointment to treat skin irritations, and they would grind rotten dry wood into a powder and use it as a dusting powder on babies to treat rashes. 

The Eskimo Inuktitut made a decoction of the gum and took it for respiratory infections, they also made a poultice of the resin to treat wounds. The Gitksan made a decoction of the inner bark to treat the flu and the Iroquois would chew the resin-like gum to facilitate digestion. The Koyukon made an infusion of the needles to treat kidney problems. They also believed that trees took away the power of evil spirits and thought that sleeping under them offered protection. The Micmac used parts of the tree for stomach trouble and would also make a tonic from the bark, leaves, and stems to treat scurvy. The Ojibwa made a compound of the outer bark to treat diarrhea and used the dried leaves as a fumigator. The Shuswap chewed the hardened pitch of the white spruce tree to clean their teeth and the Tanana made tea from the tree tops and combined it with the tips of young birch trees and drank it to treat body aches. Young Tanana girls would use twigs to clean their teeth and scratch their heads.

Practical Uses of White Spruce
There are so many practical uses for the white spruce tree. The roots of the spruce were used as lashing for canoes, baskets, and other weaving projects in many Eastern tribes.  The roots of the spruce tree were divided and woven into baskets that could hold water. The roots were also used to sew baskets and canoes.  The resin was used to seal canoes. Spruce wood was steamed and bent and used to line the inside of a canoe.  The wood was also used to make handles. It was also an important fuel source. 

Many Native American and First Peoples communities made snowshoe frames out of saplings of White Spruce and sometimes used the wood to make bows. The bark was used to make cooking pots and trays to gather berries. Many tribes used the wood to make canoe paddles and the bark to make flooring or roofs. Dead stands of trees were used to make a moose hide stretcher and small pieces of wood were used to make floats for fishing nets. The needles were sometimes used as flooring in wigwams as well as to make pillows and bedding, they were also burned to keep bugs away. The Tanana would eat the fresh sap during the summer and the cambium was used as a food in times of food shortages.

Did You Know...

The genus Picea is the Latin word given to all pine trees. It originated from the Greek word pissa, meaning pitch. 

The word Glauca comes from the Greek word glaukos which translates to bright milky, grayish, or sparkling.

One name this tree goes by is skunk spruce because when the needles are crushed they give off a mild skunk-like odor.

Other names this tree goes by include cat spruce, single spruce, western white spruce, pasture spruce, Adirondack spruce, and Canadian spruce.

White spruce trees provide cover for moose, martens, and lynx. 

Plants used for veterinary aids

 The Chippewa made a decoction of the Sweet Flag roots and used it on fishing nets as a charm, and to "rattlesnakes away." The Ojibwa made a tea out of Sweet Flag root with sarsaparilla root and used this mixture on nets to catch fish. The Omaha put the plant into the feed of ailing horses to make them feel better. 

Horse Chestnut Some Native American communities made a mush from the nuts that was formed into a poultice and placed on the lower legs of horses to heal wounds. 

Canadian wild ginger he Iroquois made a decoction of this shrub and mixed it with whisky and gave it to sick horses.

cow parsnip  The Ojibwa also boil the roots and sprinkle them on fishing nets to attract fish. T

The Iroquois made a decoction of white pine tree twigs and used it to treat boils on horses.

Full Moon Walk with IAIS December 26 @ 6

If you are looking for a fun and refreshing way to walk off some of the holiday goodies you have been eating then join the staff of the Institute for American Indian Studies for a Full Moon Walk on Tuesday, December 26 at 6 p.m. This year, even the moon is in a festive mood and will be fully illuminated on December 25th, 26th, and 27th. This full moon after the Winter Solstice takes the highest and longest path along the night sky. One of the names of the December full moon is “Long Night Moon” because it shines above the horizon longer than most full moons, making this walk extra special. 

As participants walk along the beautifully wooded trails on the grounds of the museum under the glistening full moon they will learn what names Native Americans gave the December full moon and what it meant to them. Participants will learn how different Native American peoples traditionally used the monthly cycles of the moon and nature’s corresponding signs to track the seasons. 

A highlight of this experience is to learn, firsthand the beauty of December's full moon from a Native American perspective and to experience it as Eastern Woodland Indians have for centuries. For example, the most common name for the December Moon, attributed to the Mohawks, is the Cold Moon which perfectly describes the cold days and nights during this time of year. The woodland walk ends at the newly restored 16th-century Algonkian village where a warm fire, hot chocolate, and stories will greet participants. 

 Please dress appropriately for the weather, bring a flashlight, and wear sturdy footwear. If there are weather-related concerns on the day of the program, please contact the museum at 860-868-0518. The price of participation is $5 for IAIS Members and $10 for Non-Members. To register click here 

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 the 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.