Education News
Where History is Shared and Stories Continue
APRIL - JUNE, 2024
KUNOOPEAM NETOMPAÛOG, WELCOME FRIENDS!
Hello Readers! Welcome to spring and the many wonderful foods this season brings. The ability to access the many nutritious and pleasurable gifts provided by Mother Earth is what we call food sovereignty. The responsibility of nurturing and caring for our earth mother is what we call reciprocity. Do you enjoy fishing, planting, and foraging? This is the season. If you have access to local woodland and wetland areas, you can search for fiddlehead ferns, wood sorrel, cattail, ramps, stinging nettles, dandelion, clover, and much more. These and more have provided sustenance to many Indigenous people who shared their knowledge with the early colonists to be passed down for generations. As you take, remember to leave some behind. Do not take too much. Be honorable in your harvest and keep in mind the generations who will come after you. Let’s look at some of the wonderful gifts Creator has provided for our care and sustenance.
FORAGING:
Ostrich ferns are a wonderful delicacy. In their early stage of growth, ferns are often referred to as fiddleheads, named for the shape of their curled head in early spring. This is the time to harvest, cook, and eat. Their flavor is similar to a mild broccoli or asparagus. They can be boiled, steamed, or sautéed in butter and garlic. For enjoyment after the season, they can be frozen or canned. To store, boil them for 2 minutes, drain, dip them into ice water, drain again, and pack them into freezer bags or containers. If you’d like to give them a try, here’s a recipe for sauteéd fiddleheads by Tomaquag’s Executive Director, Lorén Spears.
Prepare the fiddleheads by rinsing and removing the brown papery chaff with gentle rubbing.
Gather and prep additional ingredients as you prefer. Choose native varieties like wild onion and mushrooms. Just be sure to know your mushrooms!
Once you have selected your preferred ingredients, sauté all together in a dash of olive oil or butter. Be sure to cook the fiddleheads thoroughly as they are not as good when served too raw or overcooked! Try a small batch first to see if you like them to avoid being wasteful.
While browsing the internet for other Indigenous recipes, I came across Chef Joe Robbins, an Indigenous chef of the Penobscot Nation (Maine). He incorporates fiddlehead fern into a wonderful succotash. Here’s a link to his recipe.
How would you like a fresh foraged spring salad? Silvermoon LaRose, Assistant Director of Tomaquag Museum, wrote a story for Tomaquag Museum called “Make Me A Salad” which features her son Nikosis (pronounced nēē kōōs) gathering ingredients that can be found around your yard. Do your research and learn about edibles that you can harvest for a salad. Search for violets, dandelions, broadleaf plantain, clover, sassafras leaves, purslane, and dames rocket. Add sheep sorrel or common wood sorrel if you like a little tartness. Be sure to wash your ingredients well before placing in a bowl. Finish with your favorite salad dressing. I suggest something flavorful but simple like olive oil and lemon juice, seasoned with a bit of sea salt. You can even top with sunflower seeds or other nuts if you’d like a little crunch. Didn’t know these were edible? Thought of them as weeds? For generations, Indigenous people have been foraging and eating these native and naturalized plants.
Many of these plants contain important vitamins and nutrients that support our bodily health. Violet petals and leaves are high in vitamins A and C. Sassafras is a native tree whose roots are used to make a delicious tea. The leaves are edible and help in identifying the plant. They have three distinct shapes; a mitten, a chicken foot, and a classic leaf shape. Sassafras is good for reducing inflammation among other things. Remember, these plants are medicine, so eat and drink in moderation. Clovers are a naturalized plant brought here by colonists as a food source for their cows as they believed it increased milk production. The flowers and leaves of the clover are edible, full of nutrients, and a surprising source of protein. But beware! These can make you gassy, so enjoy them in limited amounts. Broadleaf plantain is considered a superfood. They originated in parts of Europe and Asia but spread quickly throughout America and have been used for generations by many Indigenous communities. The leaves and seeds are edible and are rich in nutrients like calcium and vitamin K just to name a few.
*Warning: It is recommended that if you would like to begin foraging on your own but are not familiar with any of the plants written about in this issue, it is vital that you first do the work of researching and learning. The knowledge of what to forage, how to prepare, and how to safely consume can only be achieved through thorough learning. Be responsible and be safe!
Indigenous people believe in the importance of maintaining a reciprocal relationship with the land. They have passed down traditional ecological knowledge for generations. Those individuals who have remained connected to their homelands have been able to retain familiarity with their surrounding plant relatives. For example, in an issue of The Narragansett Dawn from 1935, Mrs. Ruth Babcock, a Narragansett Indian woman, stated “Some of the dishes of past generations are still favorites today in our tribe. Many of us cook for a living, so other people like our style and recipes. Some of our past and present favorite dishes are clam chowder, baked fish, steamed clams, roast of venison, rabbit stew or pie, boil or parched corn, succotash, cornmeal bread or cakes and baked Indian meal pudding.” She also wrote, “To be economical and healthful these days, do as the old Indians did when they wanted a dish of spinach. Pick a pan of milkweed, dandelions, lamb’s tongue, pig weed and plantin. Wash well, and cook covered with water and salt. Serve like spinach with butter.”
For many more Indigenous people, the effects of colonization have resulted in a separation from their homelands and a disconnect from this knowledge. There have been ongoing changes to our environment resulting in difficulty accessing and preserving traditional foodways. Invasive plant species choke out and destroy native plant populations. Climate change is leading to unseasonable changes in growth patterns, forcing plants to migrate for survival, confusing pollinators, and triggering pathogens and pests. Increased populations have decimated habitats for plant species to thrive and have made it increasingly difficult for Indigenous people to maintain access. It is important to remember that without access, the continuation of these traditions will be lost and communities of people will lose important cultural connections. Preservation of culture and tradition takes the support of all people now living on Turtle Island.
FISHING:
Did you know that the town of Misquamicut retained the Narragansett language word meaning place of the red fish or salmon? Did you know that tautog is the Narragansett word for black fish? There are many species of fish native to this region. Fish were such an important source of food, tools (the bones), and fertilizer (for gardening). The waters never needed stocking as fish were plenteous in all their many varieties like salmon, trout, herring, bass, pike, shad, eel, pickerel, tuna, bluefish, flounder, to name a few. I grew up eating smoked herring, which we called buckeyes. In 1879 Gideon Ammons, one of the Narragansett’s tribal counselors referenced the accessing the waters of the reservation lands by its members being used for fishing as a means of sustenance; “they could get fish and dig clams, and were not afraid of starving to death….” (p. 29, Appendix B, Report of the Committee of Investigation, State of RI and Providence Plantations, Narragansett Tribe of Indians, January Session., A.D. 1880)
Traditional fishing camps would be set up close to, but not directly on, the water’s edge. It consisted of drying racks, nets, baskets, fires for smoking, and lodging. Large nets were placed across streams, rivers, and channels, anchored down with stone weights and poles, ready to catch the runs of fish in those waters. Others used spears as they waded in shallow water or stood in canoes. But times have changed, and those changes have had a vast effect on fishing practices with the introduction of large fishing vessels, using larger nets, and dragging the waters. Fishing has taken on a whole new meaning. Providing sustenance to your community as well as fertilizer for gardens has evolved into fishing for sport and commercialization for economic prosperity. Further, climate change is having a new effect as we see species of fish coming to our local waters, and in some cases, threatening the native varieties’ existence. Now, I’m not an expert in this subject by any means, but I pay attention to the many reports being provided by our U.S. Fish and Wildlife departments, local news reports, as well as the many local fishermen around Galilee and other docks all sharing stories of these profound changes. Read more here.
One thing that I hope will continue is the relationship many Narragansetts have with these fresh and salt waters. The time spent outdoors provides fun, oral stories to share, enjoying the peace and quiet that can be found on an early morning fishing adventure. I fondly remember an Uncle who has since passed who used to tell a story about fishing for bass. It was a great big bass, and he would demonstrate its size by the space between his two hands. With each telling of that story that fish got larger and larger! Of course, there are also the stories of the fish that got away being the biggest fish of all. Perhaps you have family fishing stories of your own. Trout Fishing was written by a Narragansett tribal man in 1935 who shares some advice about fishing from a traditional and contemporary perspective.
PLANTING:
The raw fish carcasses from the previous paragraphs make excellent fertilizers for gardening. This use was a traditional practice of many Native communities in our region. Churning your soil by hand, placing the fish at least six inches below the churned soil, and letting it all rest before seed planting time is highly recommended. This gives your soil time to absorb the benefits of this natural fertilizer. But beware! There are plenty of other critters around who also appreciate the gift of the fish, so you may find holes in your gardens. Churning our soil by hand may be labor-intensive work, but the benefits are great. Good soil contains all kinds of beneficial bacteria, worms, and unseen microorganisms that play an important role in providing nutrients to plants. When you opt for the quicker roti-tilling method, you will eventually destroy this important structure. The soil becomes exposed and compacted around the roots of the plants, and the nutrients can’t get in. It also makes it more difficult for air and water to reach the plants. Bad structure makes it difficult for soil to retain its moisture. Tilling also produces more weeds. As it flips the soil, it is also flipping hundreds of weed seeds spreading them all over the garden. These reasons and more are why many feel it necessary to use growth aids, and pesticides, especially if you are planting more than a small family garden. Mother Earth provides all she needs to help things grow. Just look at the woods and forests that remain. Or even closer, leave a pile of leaves in your yard for a number of years. When you dig through them after they break down, you will find all kinds of life forms turning that pile into a wonderful soil resource.
Aquéne kah wunnánmónat peace and blessings!
~Chrystal Mars Baker
CHILDREN’S BOOK NOOK:
Want to hear a fun story and try a recipe! Watch “Make Me A Salad” by Indigenous author, Silvermoon LaRose. Silvermoon is an aspiring artist and author who has been sharing traditional knowledge that has been passed down to her from her mother, grandmother, and others as well as what she has learned through her own studies. She shares this knowledge with many people in her own family as well as through her work. Here’s the link to the video.
In “Make Me A Salad,” you will learn about edible plants and flowers that may be found right in your own yard or around your neighborhood. With the help of your parents or other grown-up(s), look up each of the plants mentioned in this story, read about them, study their pictures and how to properly identify them, and then go on a foraging excursion! This is an enjoyable way to spend time outside exploring the natural environment around you. When you are done, share what you have learned with others. It is good to pass on knowledge so others may learn. This is the way Indigenous people have learned and shared their knowledge for generations past and present. I know you too have learned fun and exciting facts from the grown-ups around you.
Other books about foraging you may enjoy:
A Day With Yayah - link
When the Shadbush Blooms - link
Berry Song - link (Purchase at Tomaquag Museum!)
RESOURCES:
At Tomaquag we are continuously doing the work of educating new generations of children as well as the general public about the lives, traditions and life changes of the Indigenous peoples of Rhode Island and neighboring communities. Follow us on our website at tomaquagmuseum.org, Youtube and Facebook. Check out these resources!
For book reviews click here.
To purchase books and support an Indigenous business and authors, click here.
To support Tomaquag museum, other Indigenous businesses, and artists, shop our store here.