October 10th marked National Indigenous Peoples’ Day! Join us as we honor the sovereignty, resilience, and immense contributions that Native Americans have made to the world as well as the deep relationship and respect they formed for trees and the land they inhabit, and that we occupy today.
Indigenous people worldwide have always fundamentally understood trees to be sentient community members that live alongside us – not just inanimate objects made to be used, abused, and disrespected. While indigenous people did use trees for all the resources they provide – they understood that they were not owed anything, but rather it was only through the generosity of the tree that they would be sustained.
Native Americans used the hard outer bark to create their homes, soft paperbark was used to wrap their babies, stringy fiber from bark twisted into fishing lines and cords, water carriers were carved from the knots of trees, leaves and fruits were used as food and medicine, and roots and branches became tools that made their lives easier. Trees also provided a rich variety of foods for Native Americans – Hickory, black walnut, hazel nut, beech, and pinyon pine nuts were all harvested for food. Hackberries were dried and ground into a pepper-like condiment that was used for flavoring and tenderizing meat. Fruits such as plums, serviceberry, crabapple, and currants were eaten in season, or they were dried and stored for winter. They were even able to make a food preservative by boiling the bark of Elm trees.
There’s so much that we can learn from the history of the Native Americans and even incorporate into our lives today. For example, the three sisters’ method of farming is still frequently used in personal gardens. The Three Sisters are represented by corn, beans, and squash and they’re planted in a symbiotic triad where beans are planted at the base of the corn stalks, which offers climbing bean vines support as they reach for sunlight from the earth.
There are so many lessons to be learned from Indigenous People on how to be better stewards of the land. Start your own stewardship journey today by joining us at a community event or advocating for more green space!
