Guest Blogger: Arthur Haines - How Being Healthy Protects Drinking Water

Once again I have the honour of welcoming my good friend Arthur's words onto this blog. In the near future I will be interviewing Arthur on the Living the Thirteen Moons Podcast. If you wish to know more about him, check out the Delta Institute of Natural History, or his Youtube Channel.  The reason I wanted this on my blog is three-fold. The first and foremost reason is because I care about water quality, for both us and the environment itself. This reason is enough for me to want this sort of knowledge on here. However I also work at a wonderful program called TRACKS Youth Outreach, which focuses on teaching Native and non-Native youth about science, especially environmental science. You can find us on Facebook here. We have been teaching a lot about water health and what our people in Western culture can do to protect the water that is on this big, beautiful planet. This is another good reason to pass on this information regarding water health. Finally, with the recent proceedings here in Canada, we have lost a lot of fundamental protection for our lakes, rivers and streams. It is up to us now as citizens to do our part to take care of our waterways. This again is a fundamental reason as to why this article is vital for our continuing survival, not to mention our current environment's. So a big big miigwetch to Arthur Haines, and without further adieu...

How Being Healthy Protects Drinking Water

First, let’s build awareness of the issue: pharmaceutical drugs (among other chemicals) are routinely detected in public drinking water supplies here in the United States. One of the primary sources of these drugs is people--specifically, those who use pharmaceutical drugs. When you use a drug (prescription or over-the-counter) some of that drug passes un-metabolized through your body and is excreted into the septic system. Those drugs then enter the ground water or sewer systems (depending on where you live) and ultimately end up in the bodies of wild animals or in the bodies of people (especially if you live in an area with waste water treatment facilities that recycle water for drinking). So, to summarize this paragraph, many people in metropolitan areas (and some people in rural areas) are being exposed to low, constant doses of antibiotic, antifertility, pain-relieving, and mood-altering medications. Even aquifers have been found to be contaminated by synthetic medicines.

The amount of these drugs in the public water system is low (it would be described as trace). That has led many water suppliers to claim there is no harm caused by the presence of these compounds. However, no test has shown that exposure is safe (especially in the long run) and some recent research finds that harm is being caused. Remember that most medicine is to be taken for a short time and then discontinued. But when you get low doses in your drinking water, you are constantly exposed to a myriad of chemicals--in one review, 63 drugs were found during testing in watersheds around cities and 56 of those were in the public water supply. These low dose medicines in the water have been shown to slow growth of human embryonic kidney cells, speed cancer cell proliferation, and alter blood cell activity. Further, there is evidence that adding chlorine, a common component of urban drinking water, makes the pharmaceutical drugs more toxic. There is no doubt that some wildlife species are being affected. For example, male fish in some areas are being feminized.

So, what do you do about this? Well, you may decide to drink only spring water. That would protect you and your family (note: your home filtration system was likely not designed to remove trace amounts of pharmaceutical drugs). But what about those people who can’t afford bottled water? And what about the other-than-human-persons we share this world with? This is a case where we need to be unselfish. Drugs in the water supply are going to come back to harm us. What if your child lives or one day moves to a metropolitan area and becomes exposed to these compounds? The solution for this dilemma is that we need to be healthier. We need to ingest fewer drugs, wash and adorn ourselves with more eco-friendly products (because those end up in the water as well), and even consider what our toilet paper is doing to the world (recycled paper contains Bisphenol-A, an endocrine disruptor, which also ends up in the water supply).

Regardless of your diet and lifestyle, most people will become ill and be in need of medicine at some point in their life. This is where I encourage people to turn to natural products, even better, those medicines that they gather from the landscapes around their homes. These plants and fungi are ever present in the ecosystem. They are eaten by animals (who excrete them into the environment). They decay in the fall, releasing minerals and various natural compounds. They are all around us, in the leaf litter and in the ground water, and anyone who spends time in the outdoors is constantly exposed to them. Based on what we know, constant exposure to wild plant phytochemicals has a role in generating health (so long as toxins are avoided). Hypothetically, if I were to ingest staghorn sumac for an infection, I would ultimately be excreting chemicals that are already found in the watershed (where I gathered them in the first place). There is no introduction of new or synthetic compounds. No need to gain resistance to novel drugs. No need to worry about the secondary impacts.

Being healthy is the primary way we protect our water supplies from pharmaceutical drugs. Using natural medicine is the second line of defense. Of course, the over-arching principle here is that we need to be aware of what our actions do to the world (and the many ways that poor health hurts everyone, not just the person afflicted with the ailment). Remember: humans did not weave the web of life, they are merely a strand in it. Whatever humans do to the web, they do to themselves (adapted from Chief Seattle).

Meat and preparing for the cold times.

Back in early November, my cousin got his first deer. A lot of emotions are brought up for a person when they see a large animal die right in front of them. Rabbits, ducks and fish are just as important, and I am not discrediting their deaths as non-emotional or anything like that. However to see something as large as a deer, or bear or moose die for the first time is for many of us extremely moving.

I remember getting my first deer (only a few years ago, even though I have been hunting for literally half of my life), and how messed up it left me for a long few weeks. I had caught, killed and cleaned many a fish and bird. I had butchered countless deer and moose. Death of a fellow moving, breathing creature was definitely not something new for me. However as I watched the deer (a young but very large buck) seem to suddenly freeze on impact from my slug penetrating his chest and abdomen, and then keel over as if his legs were made out of rebar rather than tendons and muscles, it effected me in a way that to this day I cannot fully explain. I was happy, but disturbed. I knew I had just provided for my family. Acquired a hide and brains for new material. I knew the bones and sinew would bless me with more supplies. But to see a life drain out of an anima with such sudden swiftness (he thrashed for but a moment) is truly emotional. I take the subject of catching any animal very seriously -regardless of size or species. But at the same time, it is joyful. I whoop. I shout. I even laugh. However during that, I do what my people have always done; I pour water into the animal's mouth, I offer tobacco in thanks, I sing a small song of gratitude. I make sure the being sees the western sky. These things are tasks many Anishnaabe men (and women) feel obligated to do for the animal whose life we extinguished. Its' a give and take. The animal has done their work (sacrificed themselves' for us), now it is our turn to make good on the deal: by making sure we honour the animal.

However, this does not mean jokes are taboo, or banished. We laugh, and joke; "Holy crap this deer's liver is big enough to belong to a Frat Boy!", or "That goose is small enough to be a duck!". This is not disrespect in our eyes. Its' having fun with the animal who is still present. Teasing is a sign of affection in countless Native cultures here in Canada, just as it is in many non-Natve cultures. However, for us, it is really the way of life. Joking, and comedy are what bond all humans, and to find something humorous in an emotional moment is really a beautiful thing.

In this video, myself and my cousin butcher the deer that he caught just the night before. We skinned her in the dark, as we don't use knives between the gutting and butchering process. We skin the deer immediately after it is hung up, as this cools the deer, and is much faster than if we left the hide on for too long. It is also much better for the hide, as decomposition can happen in mere hours in the right circumstances. You won't hear much dialogue other than the joking (which I mentioned a moment ago). But it shows almost every step taken after the skin and head are removed.

I want to say a few things about this deer. I cannot speak on behalf of my cousin. I do not know if he went through the same emotions as I have. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. I do know however that this deer was taken down with the most humane of a shot any hunter could ask for. She maybe ran 40 feet in total, if that. We tracked her immediately, and very early on we could tell she would be dead just around the corner. It was a clean kill, and she never suffered. We found her within two minutes of tracking, and she was already passed on. It was the perfect shot. I was there when she was seen, I was there when she was shot, and I helped with every step of the process once that deer was hit. I am very honest when I say that I am proud of my cousin, and was deeply honoured to be able to share that moment with him. It is a moment that I know will live on with him for the rest of his life.

While we are on the subject of meat, maybe I should discuss some further developments regarding acquiring meat. The goose we caught was a winged bird that another hunter had shot earlier in the day. We saw the young northern Canada goose hiding under a dock, and it was very clear that the wing was severely damaged. It was part mercy, and part need for food. I got in my canoe and when I tried to get him, he had paddled away! He was struggling to stay above the water, and even then got well over a kilometre from shore before I caught up to him. This shows the tenacity of wildlife when survival is on the line. I have seen a squirrel get hit with a broadhead from twenty feet away, and still run through seven different trees before finally succumbing to the injury. I have tracked a lung-shot deer for over two kilometres. Once I was within range, he was put out of his pain very swiftly with a twelve-gauge shotgun blast to the head. He was dead on impact. Once again, I took tobacco out and offered him thanks. I opened his mouth and let him have a drink, and while paddling back to shore, I sang him a song of gratitude, always keeping his head facing west.

Beyond meat that has already been acquired, I have a few projects underway. This weekend I will be purchasing some steel rods. I will be basement-forging them into special spikes made specifically for spearfishing. The Anisnaabeg are well known for their history as fishermen, especially with fish fences, and with spears. I will be making the shafts six or seven feet long out of cedar. This is because cedar is straight and light. Once done, two spikes that are seven inches long and barbed all the way up. We live where pickerel, bass, pike and perch all flourish, and our ancestors' way of life revolved around spearfishing.

The other project is the buckthorn bow. This project was originally a theory I had after spending a week with Mors Kochanski. The theory was that I could take a dense, yet elastic wood, that is an invasive specie that is overwhelming our forests, and produce serviceable and strong bows from it. Purging Buckthorn is a very invasive tree that overshadows other forest plants and goes to leaf earlier and remains in leaf longer than most of our native hardwoods. So my goal was to be able to give our native trees a bit of an advantage, be repeatedly cutting back the buckthorn, and using it for tasks (knife and axe handles, basketry material, bows and lodge poles) and leave our native trees be. So far the theory I had ha already been proven by a gentleman over at Primitive Archer, and even Quicky Bows I have seen made by Skeet Sutherland from Sticks and Stones Wilderness School. However, ever being the man trying to return to a traditional Anishnaabe diet and lifestyle, I have decided to produce an Ojibwa style Flatbow from this wood. If you want to see a good example of an Ojibwa bow, check out this video from my friend Mike at Boarrior Bows. This in my eyes is something very important and specific, as my people are currently struggling with the idea of self-determination through decolonization. In my eyes, we cannot go back in time. We must move forward, and with that, we must accept modern influences, or at least introduce western materials into our more "primitive" technologies. A good example is beer bottle glass arrowheads, such as the one produced in the video of Brian from TrackersNW. These are very popular and very very effective. I have also made knives, and spearheads from the glass from old televisions. I've been saving a good piece to later make into a clovis point, such as the one being made in this video with stone. My belief is that if we take traditional technology and philosophies, and blend them with the materials available now by recycling and reusing, it can be a lot better for all of us. Again, which would be better for our environment? Practising our traditional skills with materials that are already at risk (one of the best woods in this part of Canada is white ash, which is being targetted by the Emerald Ash Borer), or with materials that are invading or causing problems in our environment (such as purging buckthorn)?

So as we speak, I have several three-inch and four-inch diameter staves of purging buckthorn seasoning in my house for the winter. I stripped the bark, and dipped the ends in pine pitch to prevent cracking. By Baakade Giizis (The Hunger Moon/February), I will be able to start shaping them into traditional style bows.

I should have a video up sometime next week about the fishing spear making. Hope you all enjoy it!

Ojibway story and archeology helping to define harvesting practices.

As the past few months have come and gone, several things have been happening. During the Leaves Changing Colour Moon (September) I was busy focusing on harvesting ducks, rice and geese. Much of this sadly due to my school and work schedules ended with very little success.

The title Leaves Changing Colour Moon is fairly self explanatory, however it is truly awe-inspiring as to how much it changes. Subtly at first, with speckles of orange yellow bleeding into the poplar leaves. The birches and beeches begin to gain an ochre hue and by the time of the full moon, the maples and sumacs have climaxed to a vast series of red shades. Sometimes a soft painting of a red sunrise, and sometimes the darkness of freshly spilled blood.

This correlates almost perfectly with the star constellation Ursa major (The Big Dipper) becoming almost perfectly horizontal. This near exact parallel line to the horizon is truly spectacular, and each year leaves me in awe.

There is a traditional story (Many of the Anishnaabeg do not like the terms mythology or legend) regarding a great bear, that is seen in the constellation of Ursa major. The "bowl" of the big dipper represents the bear. The "handle" of three stars represent three hunters tracking and hunting the great bear. Right at the beginning of the Leaves Changing Colour Moon, the hunters finally shoot the bear, and it falls onto its' back. The great bear's blood drains from the sky and paints the maple and sumac leaves red.

This may sound like a quaint and simple folk's little story to explain the stars changing their directions, but let us look more critically. The metaphor regarding the hunters becoming successful at the beginning of the moon is fairly critical. Especially in regards to a bear (which symbolizes in and of itself "fat" and "meat"). It symbolizes the concept of the killing of large game. In much of Anishnaabeg history, the summer months are almost primarily fishing and wild fruit gathering. Whole communities would move to the best fishing grounds in their territory, and remain there come the Ricing Moon only if the waters were rich in rice as well. If not, they moved onto the ricing lakes, and then proceeded to work on duck blinds and decoys while there.

Decoys would be made out of tamarack, willow, dogwood and even cattail. Look at the Cree, Innu and Algonquin people, and the very popular craft of Tamarack Ducks and Geese. These were at one time easily made, deployed and extremely effective decoys for ducks and geese of many varieties. The most well known is the Cree Tamarack Goose. The hollow space on the "head" of the decoy when set on the snow would look white, with the rest of the decoy being a dark brown. This would mimic a Canada goose with its' brown body and white cheeks very effectively.  Another variation used in this region (central Ontario) was to bundle a bunch of cattail together and with simple tufting of the leaves and stems, with good basswood bark strips, a very believable duck would be seen sitting amongst the reeds. With a few dozen of these set up, with good ground and swamp blinds and the well trained voices of experienced duck hunters, it was sometimes a little too easy.

As the rice began to peter out, the Anishnaabeg would focus their energy towards harvesting any and all migratory waterfowl. Ducks and geese were obvious targets, but lesser known targets would include; swans, bitterns, herons, cranes, and even loons. These birds would be plucked (feathers saved to be used for feather fletchings, lures, paintbrushes, decorations and ceremonial items), cleaned and then smoked to help preserve them. Geese and their high fat content were the main objective.

Anybody who has lived in the north country long enough knows how important a high caloric intake is to remain warm. With fish, berries, roots, ducks, geese and wild rice, the calories for the beginning of winter were already looking pretty good. Add some large mammals and maybe a couple bushels of acorns, and it was looking like a no-brainer for surviving the winter. As long as grouse, hares, squirrels, and the occasional winter moose were slain, high vitamin intake was easy. Fresh meat is high in Vitamin C. The minute it was dried or frozen however, this vital part of our diet was lost. This means either an intake of fresh meat on occasion, or the brewing and drinking of evergreen teas (cedar, pine, spruce and hemlock tree needles all make good Vitamin C rich brews). It is an evolutionary detriment in practically all primates that we can neither produce, nor contain Vitamin C. We must ingest it on a regular basis, in fear of scurvy or other illnesses taking their toll. Many a European explorer died from scurvy, with their deathbeds being spruce boughs. All the while their native counterparts flourished, because of simple spruce needle tea.

But Vitamin C was only one component. Without the high caloric value of protein and fat, the body would not survive long in -40. Protein requires three calories to be burned for every calorie of it to be burned. This makes for a hot digestion. This is one of the reasons meat is not needed in the heat of summer as much as fruit is. It is also the exact same reason it is needed for winter. Incomplete proteins made by plants (legumes, grains, etc) are effective, but are not running rampant in pre-European contact times. Yes, we had beans and wild rice, but the problem was, these did not also offer a high fat content like large mammals could.

Ah yes, fat. The part most of us could use less of in our diets (along with many other things). However, for any of us whose ancestors once lived in northern climates, fat was life. The oils were needed to help keep our internal furnace flourishing, and sadly if we lived off of strictly lean meat, starvation would set in. The threat was called Rabbit Starvation, and it has claimed enough people in the past -including members of the Franklin Expedition- to make it a dangerous truth about life in the wilderness in winter. Needless to say it is a horrible way to go, and there are many theories regarding what really causes it, but regardless it is well known that without fat and carbohydrates, the body slowly tilts into this condition. Though I hate citing Wikipedia, it has a good description about what we know of the condition. So let me cite something more effective in regards to historical importance of meat .

I was gifted a copy of a 1984 report regarding the McIntyre Site (located on the southern shore of Rice Lake). The report is titled "Johnston RB (ed) 1984 'The McIntyre Site: Archeology, Subsistence and Environment. Archeological Survey of Canada Paper No. 126. Ottawa: National Museum of Man. (Mercury Series)". Sounds pretty legitimate to me, so here we go.

Inside of the report is an accumulation of animal remains from the one site. This being Table 10 of the report, titled "Meat Yield from McIntyre Site Features (Extrapolated Flotation and Combined Large Bone and Flotation Samples)". For this, we'll focus on the combined two samples.

In total, the usable meat is precisely 1,629,341 grams. In Kilograms, that is about 1,629.34 Kg. In pounds, that is approximately 3,592Lbs of meat. The five largest sources of usable meat are as follows:

1)White-tailed deer (590,200g)
2) Black bear (286,000g)
3) Beaver (204,000g)
4) Sucker/Tullibee/Chub fish (182,686g)
5) Freshwater Drum (127,673g)

Now I want to point out three things;

The first part is the fact that a total of thirty-five species were consumed. Of that, fifteen were mammal species (ranging from vole to bear), twelve were fish species, five were reptile (mostly types of turtle and a single snake specie), two were bird (both ducks), and one was an amphibian (that being leopard frog).

The second thing was that this part of the report was focusing on meat, there is a whole other part of the report focusing on plants. Though meat was invaluable, plants were just as important for daily survival, let alone long-term living on the land.

The final point I want to make is that this is just one site. Over 3,500 pounds of usable meat was consumed in this site alone. How many people lived there, and for how long? Well, we can only guess. However this is a valuable insight into what was consumed back then. Were moose, elk, bison or other large game in the site? Other than black bear and white-tailed deer, practically everything else was the size of a wolf or smaller. But what about geese and turkeys? No finding on the McIntyre Site according to this report has shown large birds of any kind consumed. But we see a lot of water animals being consumed. Beaver, fish (a dozen varieties at that!), turtles, frogs, ducks, muskrats and raccoons are all marshland and lake animals. In fact, of the top five species eaten, three are water animals (beaver, sucker and drum)!

Once the birds finished their movements, the people focused on the mammals, snaring rabbits, trapping beaver and hunting for the deer, bear and other fauna of the woodlands. As they migrated north to the winter camps, they prepared jerky, pemmican, tallow and hides. This lifestyle was cyclical and vital for the land to remain in balance. Much of Ojibway culture and healing revolves around balance, and their hunting practises are no exclusion.

So let us celebrate the hunting season with these thoughts in mind. Remember, you eat what you kill, and you only kill what you need. Waste not, want not!

The Realities of Harvesting Wild Plants.

Originally published in 2010 in Self-Reliance Illustrated

Introduction

There are many schools of thought  regarding the harvesting, preparation and consuming of plants found outdoors. This article is not meant to discredit wild plants as a viable food source -which they definitely are- but to help the reader understand some inherent risks and help them gather safely. Wild plants are definitely of great value to the outdoors person, as a food staple, a tea, an herbal remedy or as a functional piece of their tools. But unsafe practices could jeopardize an otherwise enjoyable pastime or even the safety of the survivor. So to make our outdoor skills more enjoyable, some realistic outlook must be involved.

Flora versus Fauna:

    There are very few animals in the forests that cannot be eaten. The majority of mammals, reptiles and birds are safe to consume, as are most fish and some amphibians and insects. On the other hand, there are many plants that have to either be prepared to make them safe to eat, or are not safe to eat at all. Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)is a good example, where the root is a good meal if dried thoroughly or cooked for a long period. Otherwise the painful burning sensation caused by the oxalic acid can lead to more serious complications (due to the poisoning).

Even animals that are suspect of disease can in most circumstances be cooked well enough to kill any parasites or pathogens (this is not always the case, so please research and use educated judgement). Whereas an unripe Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum )could cause an excruciatingly painful experience, cooked or uncooked.

It is believed the Inuit had (past tense due to modern diet) one of the healthiest lifestyles when it came down to diet. Their diet consisted of very little plant-life except during the summer months. Being mostly carnivorous, they consumed great quantities of protein, fat, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium (via marrow and bones), and many fatty acids and other important nutrients. On the other hand there is great argument now that grains and other plants have such cellulose that the digestive tract of the human being is not made to break them down enough to gain full nutritional value. This explains how a raw vegetable diet helps the dieter lose so much weight! Add the high Omega -6 fatty acids compared to Omega-3's in many modern grains (wheat especially).

Does this mean plants are useless as food? Of course not, but be aware that you must have very good identification of the plant before harvesting it. In summer the amount of blueberries (Vaccinum myrtilloides) that can be harvested from a single field is astounding. On the other hand anyone that has tried hunting moose (Alces alces) can attest that it is rare to find a large enough population to take your pick as to which one you will take home for dinner. Obviously the argument could be held that a moose feeds more people then a basket of blueberries, but the point is that the berries were much easier to find and harvest.

Dangerous Lookalikes:

    As previously stated, several plants are dangerous to consume. What is more dangerous is the fact that several look like very safe to eat plants. Some call these “Good Twin” and “Evil Twin” plants. If Cattail (Typha) is the good twin, with all of its’ useful and edible values, then Blue Flag (Iris versicolor) would have to be the evil twin, due to iridin and glycoside toxins in it . Such toxins would quickly leave the consumer in severe pain. As evidence; a case of confusion between Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus) and Blue flag lead to several poisonings of First Nations pow wow singers, who use the root of Sweet Flag to soothe their throats after long periods of singing.

Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) has often been confused with Sarsaparilla (Smilax regelii) due to similarly shaped leaves (though Sarsaparilla usually has five leaves, unlike Poison ivy which has three). While Wild rhubarb (Rumex hymenosepalus) has been often confused with Greater Burdock (Arctium lappa) due to similar growing habitats and leaves. What causes even greater confusion is many people referring to the greater burdock as “wild rhubarb”, which it is not even related to.

The only means of lessening the dangers of such misidentifications is to thoroughly learn the differences. Wild plant classes are better than books or videos, because the instructor/teacher can answer questions the student may have. As well, hands on practice beats words written by another person any day of the week when it comes to memory retention.  

What lies beneath:

    Not all of the readers of this article reside in wild or rural regions. Most likely a good many will be from urban environments like Toronto or Buffalo. Due to this, any wild plant harvesting may only happen in town parks or when weeding the garden of dandelions (Taraxacum) and plantain (Plantago major). In the past few years, many types of pesticides and herbicides have been banned. One reason is due to the toxic chemicals found in them, such as DDT.
    However, such chemicals can reside in an area for years, sometimes decades. Many urban plant gatherers will not harvest from an area that has been sprayed in the past thirty years. When I was younger and not as wise, I once became extremely ill due to harvesting cattail roots from a ditch near a town park. All chemicals ever sprayed on the fields and flowers in the park eventually washed off and leached into the ditch. Cattails being a filter plant absorbed and stored the chemicals. I had a concentrated dose of chemicals that could have potentially killed me.
    So research the history of where you are harvesting, and avoid any wild plants near roads (no matter how temptingly large they may be). Petroleum by-products can contaminate a plant and not ever be known until when they are treating you in the hospital. This being said, research all wilderness areas that you may be harvesting from as well, seeing as how many mines exist in the north country, who knows how many plants may be contaminated.

Famine:

    Many people boast that they know plants so well that they could survive indefinitely on them. This may be true to an extent, but do such people ever take into consideration the fact that famine is not that unheard of in the wilds? Consider the early springs of 2008 and 2010 in Ontario. Both were very poor years for harvesting maple sap. 2008 was just too cold, and 2010 was too warm. Add the invasive species (insects, fungi, plants, etc) that may arrive and wipe out the native plants. Or a sudden frost, an early winter, a long summer drought, or simply the plants dying off in a certain area for untold of reasons, and suddenly the ability to thrive off of nothing but the wild plants becomes more difficult.
    Think logically and research. Study how the wild plants respond to different stresses. Understanding the climates and terrain each plant requires to survive will help in the near future as much as it will in the long run.

Moral Issues:

    The wild plants we love to harvest seem to be endless. So much that I know several people that proudly announce that they picked over twenty pounds of blueberries in a single weekend. I also notice many signs stating Wild Leeks (Allium ampeloprasum) for sale when driving through Central Ontario. Such harvesting can cause many issues.

Firstly is the fact that throughout history, the over-harvesting of any species has almost always lead to the demise and/or extinction of that species. Ask the beaver, and I’m sure they will argue that their pelts weren’t worth their almost complete destruction.

Secondly, many animals depend heavily on these plants, and taking more then we need at one time is dangerous for them. What may seem like a nice addition to a few meals to us is the only choice for survival to others.

Thirdly is the fact that what you eat now may not be there tomorrow. If we eat all the plants around our shelter, then what will we depend upon when after two weeks in the wilderness we are too weak to do more than crawl out of the debris hut?

Harvest conservatively, and only harvest large quantities when you have to, and can guarantee preserving whatever you harvest. Leave at least one out of five things that you harvest. That means if you find thirty leeks, leave at least six leeks. If you could harvest five hundred blueberries, leave one hundred still on the stem. This means the animals, the plants and you have a chance to survive another year. This is contradicted however when in regards to Wild Rice, which harvested in a traditional manner is beneficial to the propogation of the species

Conclusion:

    There are many reasons to be full of caution now when gathering plants. However, this article was not written to scare the reader away from harvesting Nature’s bounty! Wild plants are rated by many nutritionists as being better for you than farmed fruits and vegetables. It is also a great way to enjoy the wilderness, or even your own backyard of “weeds”. But the better you know the plants around you, the better off you will be. Always try to use three of more different references when identifying plants, and if possible, contact local nature clubs to see if they know any people nearby that would be offering plant walks. Such an education can increase the safety and therefore enjoyment of any plant gathering. A list of respected Botanists and plant experts (Arthur Haines and Susan Weed come to mind), along with their books and/or videos will be posted next spring when we get back into the season of plant growth.

The Ojibway Bird Snare: A History of a major food source for the Ojibway People, and how to make one.

I have seen videos covering every imaginable primitive trap. From bow traps to simple peg-deadfall triggers. Some of these traps are ingenious and function beautifully in the Canadian woods, like snares and Sampson posts. Whereas others do not function as well, like a deadfall or spear trap.

Sadly many people do not study and research primitive traps, and simply regurgitate what was taught to them from a book or basic survival course. Usually from people who are also regurgitating the information. This makes it almost Dogmatic Law, which you don't want to argue; like deadfalls in Canada (out of ten years, I have had two deadfalls succeed at what about 100 snares have done just as well). That being said, some people don't look into the history of the traps. One perfect example is the Ojibway Bird Snare.

Maybe it's my Anishnaabe (Ojibway) blood, or maybe it's just my interest in primitive trapping, but I have become a little obsessed with this trap over the years. Using weighted snare (or a snare attached to a spring pole), the trap catches a bird alive, holding them firmly against a pole for you to retrieve. The set up is very simple, yet takes some detailed wood working to do.

The four pieces to this trap are;

-a pole with a hole bored into it. This hole must be smooth enough for a snare cord to go through without resistance. Kochanski's method of “cutting” a hole into wood rather than “drilling” is best. The very top of the pole should be pointed, to prevent birds landing there rather than on the trigger.

-A trigger stick. Long enough to afford a perch to a landing bird. It plugs the hole, keeping the snare from sliding shut until triggered. Upon weight being applied to the trigger, it releases, allowing the weight to pull the snare shut.

-A snare. This must be a cord. Snare wire is often too rigid to function properly, and often I have seen the wire snap in mid-action. Inner strands of parachute cord works very well. My favorite natural cordage for this trap is Dogbane. However any strong, flexible cord will do the job. In the photos, I am using Basswood (Tilia) bark twine.

-A weight mechanism. This can be a bent sapling, or better yet, a rock tied directly to the snare via a Killick Hitch. This -when triggered- will yank the snare shut around the feet of the perching bird. The rock method is superior, because it can't freeze into position as easily as a bent sapling. This means in cold weather, the rock-weighted Ojibway Bird Snare can be often used with more effectiveness.

This is requires quite a lot of carving, and experimentation to get just right. However once set up, the system is easy to maintain, and requires little to no actual adjustments.

Put together, the trap looks like this;

And a closeup of the trigger system with the snare;



Note the sharpened tip to the pole, to prevent landing on top.

I like to add a snare toggle to my snare cords, this can be seen better in this photo;

The snare toggle helps prevent the cord from flying out of the trap when triggered. This means the bird won't as likely have its' legs broken when captured. More humane, the more I like the trap. As well, it also strengthens the cord, and if a simple overhand knot is used on the loose end of the cord, the snare toggle makes it simple to make a snare without needing a bowline, or other fancy knots. This means in cold weather I can easily set these up.

The basic trap set up is fairly simple, however it does take some practice to set the trigger into the post snuggly enough to secure the snare cord in place. Often the rock weight wants to tug it shut even when the trigger is set properly. Some try to remedy this by adding a knot to the cord, to stop the sliding. Do not do this. This often causes the trap to not work right at all, often jamming up when triggered. Simply make the tapered end of the trigger stick as snug as possible, and push it in tightly. That's all you can do to make sure this trap works right.

Good baits for such a trap are;

-Berries

-Grains

-Breadstuffs

-Suet

-Birch buds (late winter)

-Tamarack needles (winter)

Now, let us watch this in action. My younger cousin offered to use his fingers as pigeon legs for our demonstration;

The trap is set;

The bird lands, its' weight causing the trigger stick to dislodge from the post;

The trap is sprung, and the legs of the bird are now firmly stuck against the post;

Sound simple right? Well it is. Now scatter bird feed like berries, grains and even suet around the ground below the trap, and set it in a sunny location.

Now, what is this trap made to catch? Obviously it goes for perching birds, and not ground birds. I doubt a grouse would get captured by this, unless I spooked the bird up onto the trap, as they are more often found on the ground, and usually only go up into the trees when roosting, or startled.

So it is meant for a perching bird. Well what kind of perching birds? Would the Ojibway really go through all of this trouble for a couple of grosbeaks and chickadees? Maybe a whiskeyjack, but some Ojibway considered that bird too sacred to kill (being the representation of Nanabush in certain stories. Plus the fact that the bird is a friendly visitor that could possibly lead winter starved people to a wolf kill).

Perhaps a little history lesson will help explain this trap and it's reason for existing...

The Anishnaube people (Ojibwa, Ojibwe, Ojibway, Chippewa, etc) lived from Minnesota, up into Ontario Canada for hundreds of years. During the early to mid 1700s, the native population of Southern Ontario (pre-Ojibway occupation) was mostly wiped out from devastating diseases like Small Pox and Tuberculosis. Those that survived, fled south and north, leaving the entire area alone for about 50 years or more. During this time a certain bird had a population boom happen, due to the lack of human predation on them and because of lack of competition for food (wild berries and grains). This bird was the one pictured below;



This is known as the Passenger Pigeon. Whose numbers rivaled that of the buffalo to the west. A single flock of them could be up to two billion birds. Because of their numbers, the Ojibway, who now entered a forest completely empty of people, had a simple and easy means of food with no competition.
The Passenger Pigeon would perch before landing on the ground to feed, much like rock pigeons and mourning doves do. This would allow the Ojibway an easy trapping of food to supply the people. This trap evolved specifically to harvest Passenger Pigeons, who were large birds (bigger than the rock pigeon we are all used to) and in greater numbers than any other food resource. There is a town near the Otonabee River called Omemee, translated to "Pigeon". In the Kawartha Lakes (North of the Otonabee River) is a lake called Pigeon Lake. Anybody else noticing a trend here?

However, upon the destruction of the Passenger Pigeon's population, this trap become next to obsolete and useless. Yes, it can occasionally trap a perched bird, but not as easily as it once had. Trap methods like the Arapuca Bird Trap, and the Grouse Snare have surpassed this ancient snare. However, in areas where pigeons and doves are in high population, this trap can still be used quite effectively.

An incomplete non-animal food list of the Ojibway People

This is an incomplete list of non-animal based food sources used amongst the Indigenous people known collectively as the Ojibway/Ojibwa/Ojibwe/Chippewa, or as we prefer to be called, Anishnaubeg. I have divded it into two sections; Plant, and Fungi. Though lichens are not exactly a fungi, I have included them in the Fungi section, as they are more related than plants.

This is incomplete, as my research has not lead to other plants definitively being use. As well, though there are many many more plants that could be listed as edible on this list (plantain, dandelion, etc), they were not native in pre-columban times. You may notice that the Fungi list is short. This is due to two reasons;

a) I do not have a strong experience with fungi. I learn what I can, but the list is short, because my experience is small.

b) many of the fungi in North America were used more for their medicinal and "magical" properties rather than their edible properties. For example, Miskwedo, a medicine used by our Midewiwin and other medicine people, has been identified as the Fly Agaric Mushroom (Amanita muscaria). This was a very potent medicine, used to receive visions (aka a Halucinogen). The Amanita family is full of very very deadly mushrooms, and should be studied with due caution.

I will include scientific names. Each of these food sources should be researched heavily prior to consuming, as certain ones are toxic unless prepared properly (such as acorns or Jack-in-the-Pulpit), or are toxic unless harvested in the right season (such as Mayapple). Though I do love the taste of mayapples, I cannot stress this enough: The fully ripe fruit is the only safe part. The unripe fruit was used by my ancestors to commit suicide. So be wary of all new food sources until studied fully. Anything with "*" beside it should be researched heavily prior to consumption.

Plant
*Acorns from Black, Red and White oaks (Nutmeat)
American chestnut (Nutmeat)
Arrowhead (Tuber)
Aspen (Cambium)
Beans (Fruit)
Bearberry (Fruit and leaves)
Birch (bark, cambium and sap)
Blackberry (fruit and leaves)
Blueberry (fruit and leaves)
Box elder (Cambium and sap)
Cactus, prickly-pear (pads)
Cattail (rhizomes, shoots, unripe seedhead, pollen)
Cherry, black (fruit) 
*Chokecherries (fruit)
*Cowparsnip
*Cowslip
Cranberry, highbush
Dropseed grasses (many varieties of Tallgrass prairie and Black oak savanna grass seeds have been found cooked and consumed, as well as the shoots)
*Elderberries (Ripe fruit)
Fern, Ostrich (fiddleheads)
Gooseberry (fruit)
Hawthorne (fruit becomes its' own preservant)
Hickory (nutmeat)
Horsemint (leaves)
*Jack-in-the-pulpit (tuber)
Juniper (fruit)
Labrador tea (leaves)
Lamb's quarters (leaves)
Leeks (Tubers, leaves and blossoms)
Lily, Trout and Wood (Tubers)
Lily, White water (Tubers)
Lily, Yellow Pond (Tubers)
*Locust (blossoms)
Maize (kernals)
Maple (Cambium and sap)
*Mayappe (Ripe fruit)
*Milkweed, common and swamp (shoots and pods)
Mint (Leaves)
Mulberry (Fruit)
Partridgeberry (Fruit)
Pumpkin (Fruit)
Raspberry, Purple-flowering, red common (Fruit)
*Solomon's seal, False (shoots)
*Solomon's seal, true (roots)
Strawberry, woods (fruit and leaves)
Strawberry-blite (whole plant, but especially the fruit-like flower)
Sunchoke, aka Jerusalum artichoke (tubers)
Squash (fruit)
Sweetgale (seeds/nutlet)
Sweet-fern (leaves)
Sweetflag (rhizome)
Thistle, Canada (inner stalk)
Wild Rice (seeds)
Yucca (flowers)

Fungi 
Chaga 
Morrels
Moss, Reindeer 
Old Man's Beard
Turkey-tail
Tripe, Rock
Puffball, Giant

Podcast update

Alright folks,

After thinking long and hard, and researching, the official podcast is beginning this week. I am still setting it up, and of course, just like this blog, its' free, so it will not be a fulltime endeavour. I will be inviting guest speakers on weekly, but the day will depend on my availability, and the availability of my guests. I'll be keeping you updated on here, and on our facebook page.

A little busy these days

Have been working a lot on reenactment kit and clothing, so I have not had time to write new blogs. This, plus my job at TRACKS coming to an end for the summer has kept me mighty busy. My apologies. This will be rectified very soon with blogs covering;

-Poisonous plants and some observations regarding them
-Goose hunting in prehistoric times and today
-Ricing (plus an interview)

I am also playing with the idea of a podcast. Let me know what you think!

Wild Rice, the superfood of the Ojibway

Now in my last blog, I discussed the importance of wild rice in the seasonal aspect. However in this blog, I want to break down the nutrition and value you can get from Zizania/wild rice/manomiin.

But first, I suggest you watch this video, done by Daniel Vitalis and my good friend Arthur Haines!

 

The next few links are from the USDA regarding the full reports on both raw and cooked wild rice, and the nutrition you can receive from this grain, that is gluten free and has such a dense amount of beneficial nutrience!

The Raw Wild Rice Report

The Cooked Wild Rice Report

This should really give you some good insight as to why Manomin is so valuable!

Alright, that's all for now folks. I will have a new blog out soon with some wild rice recipes!!

 Hope you enjoy my personal experiment. If you feel like joining along, let me know your results, research or anything else in the comments section. Please feel free to subscribe!

Baamaapii,

Caleb Wazhusk

The Ricing Moon, a small slice of history, plus other available resources.

As I stood in awe after watching a flock of nearly one hundred Canada geese fly over me on my way to the university today, I realized it was a new moon. They reminded me it was their time now. Time of the Ricing Moon!

August in my language is called Manominiika Giizoonh, and in other dialects Manoomiiniikaa Giizis, and in others it simply is called Manomin Giizis. The shorter one translates into The Wild Rice Moon. However the other titles refer to the action of harvesting the wild rice. Simply translated, August is the Ricing Moon. Wild rice (Manomin, Zizania aquatica, etc) was and still is an extremely imporant food staple for the Anishnaubeg, and really for all humans. Being very rich in protein, dietary fibre and even lysine. For those of us trying to avoid glutens, rest easy as manomin has none. Along with thiamin, iron, riboflavin, niacin, manganese and countless other important dietary resources, manomin is also very low in fat. It was/is for the Anishnaubeg what the Three Sisters (Maize, Beans and Squash) were/are for the Haudenasaunae (Iroquois, Six Nations). 

Manomin actually comes from two root words that do not actually translate into "Wild Rice". "Min" usually is the word used to describe a fruit, seed or other foodsource from a plant. "Mano", comes from "Manoo", which in turn originated as "Mnidoo", which many people call "Manitou" or "Spirit". So translated, Manomin actually means Spirit Fruit, or in more poetic terms, "Seed/Fruit the Spirits gave us". In the Seven Fires Prophecy, the Anishnaube were told that the third stopping place (Third Fire) would be identified by food growing on the water. When the Anishnaube arrived in this part of the country, they found acres upon acres of wild rice sticking out of the mud and up into the waters of the shallow lakes and large marshes. Food grew upon the water and the Anishnaube prospered for millenia.

We would spend several weeks, to a month in the ricing fields. First the people would divide up the wild rice areas between the families equally. These families would often stake out their respected areas with family markers to help make sure no one made a mistake and gathered more than others. In a canoe, the person in the bow (the front for you land-lubbers) would sit reverse and using two cedar rods would bend over a patch of the rice with one rod and then tap that rod with the other rod. This way the wild rice stalks would not be damaged from direct percussion. As well, several seeds would often cling tenaciously to the stalks from this technique. Rather than try to shake those ones loose, the harvester would merely let go of the stalks, which would often end up catapulting these remaining seeds off into the water, to be seeded for next year. This is the most efficient form of aquaponic farming I have ever seen, and its' thousands of years old!

Often my people, the Mississauga Anishnaube would take our surplus and trade to the Haudenasaunae on the southernmost shore of Rice Lake. We would trade our surplus for their surplus parched maize, dried beans and fresh squash. This was a varied diet for both nations, and through this friendship, we continued the ancient rites of the One Spoon, One Dish Wampum Belt- a very very old contractual treaty between all Nations in Ontario and beyond regarding the using of resources and food supplies which was honoured by all Nations up until the French Indian Wars.

However this moon -like many others- is called by several names within the Anishnaubeg. The other common title is Basikwa'o Giizoonh, or Flying Moon, or Moon with much Flight. This refers to what I mentioned at the beginning of this blog; birds taking flight all over the land. The Canada geese, mallard ducks, swans, herons and cranes are all warming up and getting their young ready for the long migration. By the middle of the month, many of the northern birds will have arrived in our part of the country. By Gashkanido Giizoonh (November, Freezing Moon) very few will remain, and by Mnidoo Giizoonh (Spirit Moon, December) only the winter birds will remain.

This shows a very important feature of the Ricing Moon. The people would all be spending their days in the marshes and shallow lakes, gathering hundreds of pounds of manomin, and watching the birds fly by. This was the time of year the goose and duck hunts would begin. Large nets, bolas, and even arrows with Flu-flu fletching would be cast out to capture the birds. Snares placed along the shores of the islands would entrap the birds as they waded to shore for a night's rest, or returned to the waters in the morning. The feathers would be removed (down used to warm bodies, flight feathers ued as fletching on arrows), and the meat would be smoked and preserved. Fat would collected and used in cooking/basting.

This was a time of great feasting, but it was also a time to prepare for the long haul through the winter. The ricing camps represented life. Warfare would cease during the French Indian Wars, just so the Anishnaube could go home and harvest enough manomin to provide for their families. Life was found in ricing and goose hunting. This was a time of great living for the Anishnaubeg. Everything was shared. The people would survive another winter.

Other foods available right now?

-Mayapples are now ripe in many parts of Ontario and beyond
-Wild Grapes are ripening all over the place
-Wild grass and sedge seeds are getting ready, as are the seeds of the Broadleaf plantain
-Walnuts are dropping left-right-and-center. The husks are in my opinion more useful than the nutmeat, as it can be used as a dye, a source of tanning leather, a fish poison, a remedy for poison ivy and bug bites, and even in some forms as an anti-parasitic compound to dispell worms and other bugs from the digestive system.
-Many more that I will be going over as the month progresses!

I will be harvesting wild rice later this month, and as September rolls around, I will be preparing for mornings of hunting down goose and duck.

On August 18th-19th I will be at the Lang Pioneer Village War of 1812 Re-enactment, participating in the re-enactment as one of my ancestors. The Missisaugas of Rice Lake were involved in a great skirmish, and this year we are being honoured for the first time in over 200 years for our contribution to that war. Come on out and see the show!

Hope you enjoy my personal experiment. If you feel like joining along, let me know your results, research or anything else in the comments section. Please feel free to subscribe!

Baamaapii,

Caleb Wazhusk

Regional names and their meanings, plus a recipe!

Anishnaube-akii (the land of the Anishnaube) is a broad and vast territory, which at one time spanned most of the Great Lakes, out onto the prairies, and east into Quebec. With such regional diversity, the Anishnaube had two things going on;

First, was a vast variety of food.

Secondly, they had a lot of places to name!

With such a vast territory, the Anishnaube had many titles for rivers, lakes, hills and so-forth. Many of these had something to do with food, whether directly (Tullibee River), or indirectly (where to gather hunting or gathering materials). This is not just found amongst my people, as my good friend Mark pointed out to me that in his region of Alberta, the local river was called the Bow River, because the local nations would travel down it to harvest the proper woods for bows, as well as arrows and baskets (the red osier dogwood of the region was apparently superb). With this being said, I would like to cover a few of my region, which happens to be the ancestral territory of the Missisauga, who are my direct ancestors.

I live on Rice Lake, in Central Ontario. Many people assume the name of Rice Lake would be translated into "Lake of Wild Rice". No brainer, huh? However, the Missisauga people called it Pemedashkotayang, Lake of the Burning Plains. This was due to a vast Black Oak Savannah and Tallgrass Prairie ecosystem spanning much of the lake. The Haudenasaunae People, most likely members of the Mohawk People, had a well established agricultural society based on the southern shore of Rice Lake, and frequently burned back the grasses to encourage the growth of succulent plants, which would in turn encourage the deer and other critters out into the open to be hunted by bow, atlatl, sling and many other hunting devices. So an entire lake was named after an action that was performed to access food sources.

The river closest to my house is the Otonabee. I've heard many theories as to what it may mean, until I just finally looked it up. Ottanabeezibi was the original name of the river, and was translated as follows;

Ottanabee = Tullibee (Coregonus artedi), a type of fish, often called a Chub, Lake Herring, or Northern Cisco. I like the name Tullibee, as it is the only name that does not seem to be argued about.

Zibi = River, a type of body of water that moves with the gravitational... okay maybe I don't need to explain what a river is.

So the Otonabee River, is perfectly translated as the Tullibee River. Makes you wonder how important tullibee was to the Missisauga People, huh? Well, being a member of the Whitefish family, tullibee were extremely important. Their spawning and numbers allowed the Missisauga and other Anishnaube nations the chance to harvest a large amount of fish meat (high in Omega 3 Fatty Acids and many other nutrients). This ability to harvest a big yield of protein with simple devices (basket traps, nets, spears, weirs, etc), granted the Anishnaube the chance to secure their lives for at least a couple of months. This gave them more time to focus on other food gathering subjects, community activities, and the collection of other resources, or repairing of tools.

It also granted them the chance to expand their culture, religion and society. Fishing has been connected with the Woodland Period of North America for a great many years. This is because of a higher yield of artefacts that pertain to fishing (bone harpoons, fish bones in midden piles, old weirs found under certain lakes, etc). Notice how suddenly our cultures began to drift more into agriculture, bows rather than atlatls, and much more advanced technology with a simple change in diet? Fishing was more successful than big game hunting, and often the yield was much more rewarding.

Along with the fish, other things would be caught in the traps, such as snapping turtles and eels. While out seeking fish, waterfowl like ducks and herons could be shot at in opportunistic fashion. While scanning the waters for panfish, young men would often come across freshwater mussells, as well as crawyfish and bullfrogs. While gathering such things such as fish, and shellfish, plant sources such as Water plantain, Arrowhead, and cattail would also be gathered as food sources. Sweet Gale would also be harvested for seasoning.

All with just adding fish to the diet, the Anishnaube people were able to advance their society. They had more time to expand their hunting arsenal, as well as delve deeper into their spiritual world.

Oh, and because I know you are wondering.. Tullibee is freakin' delicious. A very sweet fish meat. Here is an out of season recipe, as I often catch Tullibee in April, which happens to be the Whitefish Moon.


Roasted Tullibee

Need:

-Fire that has died down to hot coals
-Basswood bark strips
-Basswood leaves and/or burdock leaves

Ingredients:

-Gutted tullibee
-1/4 cup of garlic mustard (diced)
-Three wild leeks (diced)
-Two tablespoons of birch sap


1) Mix all ingredients other than the tullibee
2) Stuff into body cavity of tullibee
3) Wrap up in two layers of leaves
4) Bind shut with basswood bark strips
5) Place on coals and bake/roast for about 5-8 minutes
6) Flip and roast on other side for another 5 minutes
7) Open up and enjoy!

Hope you enjoy my personal experiment. If you feel like joining along, let me know your results, research or anything else in the comments section. Please feel free to subscribe!

Baamaapii,

Caleb Wazhusk

A couple of berry recipes

This being the middle of the Raspberry Moon, and so many different fruits are now ripening, I figured it would be only logical to throw out a few berry recipes. Some are pre-contact, while the others are post-contact. All of the ingredients are from the wilds, though some (like wild rice and maple sugar) are usually preserved staples from spring or fall. In other words, if you were able to keep some wild rice all through the winter and kept it all the way until right now, then these recipes are fully accurate to a traditional diet.

The recipes listed below are ones I've learned from my relatives, or found tucked away in some old book, or are of my own design. None of them came from the internet. After a few weeks of researching back in the winter on traditional Ojibway diet and our recipes, the internet would make you think that all my ancestors ate was wild rice and frybread (a deep fried bannock, often called scone -pronounced S-kaw-n). Fact of the matter is wheat ain't from North America, let alone Anishnaube territory, and it is extremely poor for your health. Ever wondered why diabetes is rampant amongst Indigenous people? Put the scone down folks, put the scone down.

Anyways, I got fed up with those pseudo-Traditional recipes, and decided I would list a few good ones right here. Any of the beverages can be sweetened with maple sugar. However I prefer not to, as the more often you sweeten your food and drink, the less you will taste of the true beauty of the food.

1) Heat-made Sumacade
WARNING! Some people are allergic to Staghorn sumac, and moreso, it must be properly identified from Poison sumac, for obvious reasons. If you have any concern regarding the sumac family and your health, I suggest holding off on this recipe until you can have yourself allergy tested for staghorn sumac. Moreso, if you can't figure out the difference between Staghorn sumac (fuzzy bark on branches with big red "cone" of fruit) and Poison sumac (smooth hairless branches, with droops of smooth white berries), and somehow get poison sumac on you, expect to deal with the same problems you would from contact with poison ivy. In that case, may I suggest the post written by my friend Arthur Haines in a previous blog here, that discusses jewelweed?

Items needed:
-Heat source (stove element, pile of coals, etc)
-Cooking pot (steel, aluminum, glass, handmade clay) Make sure the pot you use can sustain its' strength on the heat source.
-Cheesecloth (Optional) Another option is a collander, or if you want to get primitive, a woven grass mast about the size of a dinner plate.
-Jar or Pitcher

Ingredients:
-Two or Three Sumac berry clusters.
-Water
-Maple sugar for sweetening (optional)

Recipe:
-Put the berry clusters into the pot and add enough water to cover the berry clusters to the pot
-Bring to boil and then set off to steep, or for a stronger taste, simmer for five minutes and then steep.
-Strain liquid into pitcher and drink as a hot tea, or chill it to make into a nice citrusy drink.


2)  Sun-infused Sumacade (My preference)

Items needed:
-Clean, large-mouth mason jar with lid.
-Cheesecloth
-Cup

Ingredients:
-Enough Sumac berry clusters to fill up 3/4 that jar
-Enough water to fill up the jar entirely

Recipe
-Put berry clusters into jar so that it is 3/4 full
-Add water
-Seal lid
-Place in the sun on a hot day for the entire day

Voila, a pretty good beverage!


3) EXTREME Sumacade (The word extreme always makes the kiddies wanna drink it)

I will not say I invented this recipe, though I have not come across it yet. If you know of anyone else who does it, let me know! This variation has a whole lot more flavours going on. First and foremost is the citrusy tang of the sumac berry clusters. The second is a very smooth, but sour flavouring from wild grapes. Finally, the ultimate in flavour; raspberries. I won't even describe the epic, astoundingly beautiful taste that comes from this recipe. Just try it yourself and bow down to the beauty that is nature, for she just rocked your world.

Items needed:
-Heat source (same as before, folks!)
-Cooking Pot (just as before)
-Cheesecloth or other alternative. My first two times making this, we ended up using bug head-nets. Since then I have always carried a bug head-net in my kit.
 -Pitcher
-Cups

Ingredients:
 -2 Sumac berry clusters
-1 cup of wild grape fruits (harves
-1 cup of raspberries (common, purple flowering, blackberry, etc)
-1/2 cup of other edible and in-season wild berries (blueberry is good, as is saskatoon)
-Enough water to cover fruits, and then some
-Optional ingredient: ice cubes

Recipe:
-Place fruits in pot and fill with water
-Optional step: Mash fruits. Not really needed, as the heat will burst the fruits, and the final step will mash them anyways.
-Cover and bring to boil
-Boil for five minutes, or simmer for ten
-Let cool
-When still warm, pour liquid and fruits through cheesecloth or head-net and wring the fruit out into pitcher.

I love this beverage, as it is extremely sweet, and all natural. No sweetener is needed. Each fruit you add just increases the flavours. The first time I did this was on a Basic Hunter-Gatherer course in late-September (Leaves Chaning Colour Moon), and we could not get enough of this drink!

4) Raspberry Wild Rice
An amazing recipe I first experienced back in late winter of this year. Since then, I have researched all I could, and found some traditional ingredients to bring this amazing dish into a more traditional diet. 

Items needed:
-Oven
-Deep baking tray/dish (a 2 inch depth should suffice)
-Aluminum foil or lid
-Cooking pot
-Stovetop
-Ladle or big spoon

Ingredients needed
-Two or three cups of wild rice
-Three or four cups of water
-1.5 cups of raspberries
-Some cooked moose or venison (last nights' steak is great in this), maybe 1 cup of meat shredded
-Wild seasonings (Garlic mustard, wild garlic, wild leeks, wild ginger, Sweetflag root, toothwort, whatever you may have. Sweetgale nutlets/seeds are really good as a black pepper and sage substitute

Recipe:
-Fill pot with wild rice and an equal amount of water. Bring to boil and simmer for twenty minutes. If water starts to run out, add a bit more. Don't add too much, yet.
-Preheat oven to 350C
-Once that is ready, pour into baking tray.
-Add rest of the water
-Add berries and meat
-Add seasonings
-Stir evenly so all of the ingredients are mixed thoroughly
-Seal and bake for thirty minutes.
-Let cool a bit, and then serve.

This is pretty much the perfect meal in my opinion. With light seasoning of the wild herbs, you can really get a feel for the food. The wild rice is soft and puffy with texture, and the meat offers that heavy need for protein we all crave at one point or another (join us Vegetarians, join us). The berries throw in their potency with this meal, as the bake, and steam all at once. Think of it as a casserole and a stew all in one. Served cold it makes an awesome breakfast of champions.

5) Raspberry-leaf tea

Always, always, always use fresh or fully dried leaves for your wild teas!!! Partially dried is not good for the gut, believe me on this one. So either pick them and use them immediately, or dry them and save for later use.

Items:
-Heat source
-cooking pot

Ingredients:
 -1/2 cup of raspberry leaves. I suggest common red or common black raspberries.
-3-4 cups of water

Recipe:
-Add leaves and water to cooking pot and bring to boil
-Boil for about three minutes, then set aside to steep for ten
-Optional step: add maple sugar for taste,

Sipped late by a fire, raspberry-leaf tea is a godsend. I dry as many as I can for winter use. Dry a few berries as well and toss them in if you really want to rid yourself of the winter blahs (that, or get outside more to soak up some vitamin D)

Alright folks, there you go. Five recipes involving the fruits of this season. I will add more next week. For now, I need to finish making some nets, and get to work on my arrows for this hunting season!

Hope you enjoy my personal experiment. If you feel like joining along, let me know your results, research or anything else in the comments section. Please feel free to subscribe!

Baamaapii,

Caleb Wazhusk

Another week, another step in the diet.

This past week I was teaching a program on wilderness living skills at Canadian Bushcraft, which gave me time to focus on the diet a bit more and do a little bit of foraging. I brought wild rice with me (an obvious staple), and though I broke the diet here and there (dammit, hamburgers in cast iron over an open fire would tempt you too!) I also had the opportunity to gather and prepare some delicious food.

Harvested:
-Cattail roots and "Cossack Asparagus"
-Sunchoke/Jersualem Artichoke Tubers
-Raspberries and Blackberries
-White Pine cambium (this time of year it had a really sweet taste to it)
-Sweetflag/Ratroot/Wiikae roots
-Wild mint
-Catnip
-Plantain (for a couple of cuts and scrapes)
-Yarrow (for bug repellent)
-Jewelweed (for when the bug repellent failed)

Stuff ready in the Garden:
-Beans
-Cucumber
-Spinach
-Swiss Chard
-Sunchoke
-Dill
-Basil

Preserved
-Smoked bass
-Sundried and smoke dried jerky

Projects accomplished
-New white ash digging stick
-Atlatl dart
-Fired pottery
-New bowdrill kit
-200ft worth of Basswood fibre retted

Other projects underway:
-Fishing net
-Arrows for my 45# Black Ash Recurve bow.
-Other bowstaves Identified and marked for harvesting in the fall

Outside of the projects, harvesting and gardening, I have been busy researching exactly what is the Thirteen Moons Diet. The closest I have come across on written record is the Decolonizing Diet Project from Northern Michigan University Center for Native American Studies, whose blog can be found here. However, this is not a seasonal-oriented diet. Nothing wrong with it, in fact its' a brilliant source of information, especially for those of you who wish to try this and do not have as much access/experience in hunting, fishing or gathering. However I would not be eating duck eggs out of the natural time of year of when I would be finding duck eggs.

The only true difference between what I am doing, and what they have accomplished is the seasonal aspect, which I believe is the key to what I am trying to do. So on their part, they are doing amazing. I will definitely be following along with their research and accomplishments. So all in all, way to go folks, good work!


I will be posting photographs later today, and perhaps a video or two. Dunno if photobucket videos can be uploaded onto Blogger, but we'll find out.


Hope you enjoy my personal experiment. If you feel like joining along, let me know your results, research or anything else in the comments section. Please feel free to subscribe!

Baamaapii,

Caleb Wazhusk

Guest Blogger: Arthur Haines, on the science of Jewelweed.

When I was growing up and learning traditional wilderness skills, I kept being told I had to check out MPSS, or Maine Primitive Skills School. When I finally figured out Google, I typed in those four words, and suddenly I was seeing people doing the skills that I loved to do, and making a living at it. These guys weren't just talking about living with traditional skills in their lives, but they were doing it. It was really the inspiration that started my career as an instructor.

Over the years I have followed along with their videos on Youtube, and other subjects, and two people kept coming to light. The first was Mike Douglas, the founder of the school, and the other was a gentleman named Arthur Haines. I have gotten to know both of them over the internet, and I can tell you, these guys deserve a great deal of respect for what they have preserved for future generations. whose runs the Delta Institute of Natural History, where he works diligently to reverse Human Domestication. On his very cool Youtube channel I have watched Arthur discuss exactly what I said earlier in my Introductions blog regarding the Paleo-Diet and the inaccuracies. To be honest, Arthur's clear and educated explanations were one of the main reasons I decided to return to the Thirteen Moons Calendar as a diet guide. Arthur came upon my blog, and was interested in helping shed some light into the subject I discussed in my blog about the Seasonal Food of the Raspberry Moon, regarding Jewelweed's use against poison ivy. So, without further adieu, here is a very interesting, eye-opening article regarding the science behind how Jewelweed can be used to combat poison ivy, by Arthur D. Haines.

"Species of poison-ivy, poison-sumac, and poison-oak are members of the genus Toxicodendron, which means “poison tree”. These woody plants have received this name because they contain an irritating organic compound called urishiol. Urishiol causes the familiar, itchy rash after contact with the leaves and stems of these plants. It is believed to bind to specific receptor sites on the skin. Of note is that urishiol is alcohol soluble (i.e., it is difficult to wash it off the skin with water alone; soap or some kind of soap-like substance is needed).

Enter touch-me-not (Impatiens spp.). These plants with showy, bee-pollinated flowers are also called jewelweed because the leaves take on a silvery sheen when placed underwater. Touch-me-nots are also well-known for their fruits—a capsule that explosively dehisces when touched to project its seeds some distance from the parent plant. This trait has given rise to the Passamaquoddy name apuckolotukkuwewossok, which means “little one that flips upside-down”, a reference to the fruit.

Touch-me-nots contain a red pigment in their vegetation called lawsone. Lawsone is particularly effective at helping to treat recent contact with poison-ivy, because this phytochemical binds to the same receptor sites as urishiol. Beneficially for us, lawsone is more aggressive at binding to these sites on our skin and doesn’t cause an allergic reaction. Therefore, if the crushed stems (which yield the sap) of touch-me-not are applied to areas that have had recent contact with poison-ivy, the lawsone protects us from getting the rash. Two items to note: (1) touch-me-not is best used to prevent the rash from ever occurring, as it has a protective effect for our skin and (2) the most potent parts of the plants are those with obvious red coloration (these are usually near the base of the plants and along the stem where leaves and branches are produced).

Once you have a rash caused by poison-ivy, the effectiveness of touch-me-not is reduced, because it is best used to protect us from ever getting the rash (I’ve been hours after contact with poison-ivy and still prevented the rash from occurring using touch-me-not). It may be best at this point to switch to some type of astringent remedy. Astringents are plants that contain compounds that cause contraction of tissue, which is useful for alleviating inflammation. By reducing the swelling caused by the rash, the itchiness is reduced. Plants containing astringent compounds include sweet-fern (Comptonia peregrina), northern red oak (Quercus rubra), and staghorn sumac (Rhus hirta). By making a strong tea from the inner bark and/or branchlets and applying a cloth soaked with this tea, one can help reduce the discomfort caused by the rash."

The seasonal food of the Raspberry Moon

This time of year is known among my people (The Missisauga Anishnaube/Ojibway) as the Raspberry Moon. In my language, Raspberry Moon is translated as Miskomin Giizoonh (Giizis in other dialects). This is because the raspberries are beginning to ripen. North of here, among the Manitoulin Island and Lake Superior Anishnaube, it is called Miinan Giizis, or the Blueberry Moon. We don't have many blueberries growing wild in this region, and our raspberries ripen before theirs' do, so regional differences must always apply. This will be an ongoing subject that I frequently bring up during each Moon.

Many fruits are in this part of the country. I am currently looking out a window and see that the Mayapples Podophyyllum peltatum are ripening up. They ought to be just about ready at the end of Miskomin Giizoonh. Often called American Mandrake, or Elephant's Ear, the Mayapple is extremely toxic, up until the very moment of ripeness. Then it seems to have the taste of a Golden Delicious apple, but with something else added to the flavour.

Strawberry-blite Chenopodium capitatum are just about perfect this time of year. The "fruit" (actually the flower of the plant) of this member of the Goosefoot family has a flavour to me that stands alone. It somewhat tastes like strawberry, raspberry and mint blended into one, but yet it seems to be so unique that my tastebuds go crazy trying to figure it out. It is by far one of my favourite foods in the woodlands. The rest of the plant makes a good potherb, that I often add to stirfries or stews. Some call it Strawberry Spinach, as the fruit-like flowers resemble Ode'min (strawberry), and the rest of the plant tastes very similar to spinach.

Many members of the Raspberry (Rubus) family are going to be ready during this Moon, this is obviously a logical reason for this time of year to be called Miskomin Giizoonh. Wild Red Raspberry Rubus idaecus, common blackberry Rubus occidentalis and even my personal favourite, the Purple-flowering Raspberry Rubus odoratus will all be ripening at different times. The wild red is already ripe, and this weeked I will be working on a Staghorn sumac Rhus typhina bark basket to collect it and its' respective relatives. The common blackberry will begin to ripen next week, and be ready by the third week. The Purple-flowering is still in bloom, but at the end of the Raspberry Moon will provide the largest of the three fruits.

So does this mean just berries are available? Of course not! There are two more weeks left before the bark of many trees will cling ferociously to the wood once again. So if you want to make baskets, gather soon!

 Sweetflag Acorus calamus will be ready at the end of this moon, and we will talk more about her and her uses in next moon's blogs.

The medicinal plant Jewelweed Impatiens spp. is at its' peak now. Though useful throughout the summer, this is when the most sap can be found in our local plants. This stuff is nicknamed the Aloe of the North, for its' soothing effect on bugbites. I have treated poison ivy with it, though so far science has stated that the Jewelweed plant has no genuine effect.

Salsify Tragopogon sp. is in my opinion best harvested now.

The fruit of the Staghorn sumac (whose bark I will be gathering tomorrow), is just going red now. A sun tea with a very tart, but sweet and citrusy flavour can be made now, though I prefer to wait until the first frost sweetens it up a tad. However it is edible once it turns red. I have heard many outdoors instructors state that the reason Staghorn sumac is called Staghorn, is because that is the title of the fruit. That is incorrect. Look at the branches, and then look at the antlers of a deer. You will notice the branches are very similar looking, and the soft fuzzy hairs of the branches is so similar to when a buck is in velvet. This is the true reason for the name. Gather the leaves now, and you can make a strong dye or mordant for dying fabrics.

This is of course an incomplete list, but then again, I have three more weeks to go! I will include photographs in my next blog post.

Nest blog I will give some recipes for using these foods, but one thing I want to make very clear before we end is this; The Raspberry Moon is a time of great yields of fruit. We would glut ourselves' on the berries and wild plants this time of year, but we would also disperse the seeds, to assist the lifecycle of the plants. Just as importantly, we preserved the majority of the fruits we gathered, through dehydrating (a method I will explain in further detail in the next blog). This may have been a time of plenty, a time to feast. But we remembered the famine of the winter. Around here, February has a special name. It is Bakade Giizis, or The Hunger Moon.

Hope you enjoy my personal experiment. If you feel like joining along, let me know your results, research or anything else in the comments section. Please feel free to subscribe!

Baamaapii,

Caleb Wazhusk