To see the future, we must know the past.
Web Resources
Native American Plant Database from Michigan Univeristy
Books, Articles and More
Some annotations included below entries.
Banks, William H., Jr. Ethnobotany Of The Cherokee Indians. n.p.: 1953.
Banks, William H., Jr., and Steve Kemp. Plants Of The Cherokee : Medicinal, Edible, And Useful Plants Of The Eastern Cherokee Indians. n.p.: Gatlinburg, TN : Great Smoky Mountains Association, c2004., 2004. Library Catalog. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Boone, Rebecca Myra. Native Medicinal Plants of the Shenandoah Valley. Blacksburg: Pocahontas, 2000.
Core, Earl L. "Ethnobotany of the Southern Appalachian Aborigines." Economic Botany 1967: 198-214. JSTOR Journals. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
This scholarly journal article from 1967 is an impressive piece despite its 16 page length. Although the word “Aborigines” has fallen from use since the time of this publication, this work functions as a kind of crash course on the Ethnobotany of paleo- indians in Southern Appalachian from 8000-1000 BCE in what was then termed the “Archaic” period. The author briefly describes the subsistence patterns, agriculture, horticulture, wild plants, food preparation and religious rites that were believed to be performed based on archaeological evidence. He also discusses narcotics, alcohol, crafts, medicine and clothing.
The most important part of this work, in my opinion, is the annotated list of commonly used plant species. It makes up a majority of the work, spanning 11 pages and provides the reader with a myriad of plants, separated by family, but sadly in no particular order, which makes it challenging to recall a desired passage. Another thing to keep in mind is, like with many botanical works, the names of plant species, families and genera change frequently, so some of these are no longer up to date and require another source to verify the plant discussed. Although basic in delivery, this work is useful as a starting place for research on Appalachian Indigenous Ethnobotany.
Erichsen-Brown, Charlotte. Medicinal and Other Uses of North American Plants: A Historical Survey with Special Reference to the Eastern Indian Tribes. New York: Dover, [1979] 1989.
Easterling, Nancy. Plants And The Cherokee. [Videorecording]. n.p.: [Chapel Hill, N.C.] : Laurel Hill Press, c2001., 2001. Library Catalog. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Fritz, Gayle J. "Ethnobotany Of Ku-Nu-Che: Cherokee Hickory Nut Soup." Journal Of Ethnobiology 21.2 (2001): 1-27. Anthropology Plus. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Hall, Karen C. Ethnobotany of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians: A Path to Sustaining Traditional Identity with an Emphasis on Medicinal Plant Use. North Carolina: Emerald Wing, 2010.
Hamel, Paul B., and Mary Ulmer Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants And Their Uses : A 400 Year History. n.p.: [North Carolina : Paul B. Hamel and Mary U. Chiltoskey?], c1975 (Asheville : Hickory Print.), 1995. Library Catalog. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
“Indigenous Ethnobotany: Cherokee Medicine and the Power of Plant Lore”. Roots of Our Renewal: Ethnobotany and Cherokee Environmental Governance. University of Minnesota Press, 2015. 115–138.
Lewis, Courtney. "The Case Of The Wild Onions: The Impact Of Ramps On Cherokee Rights." Southern Cultures 2 (2012): 104. Project MUSE. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
This peer reviewed piece from Southern Cultures, the quarterly publication from the Center for the Study of the American South, takes a narrative voice to recount the experience of attending the trial of George Burgess for the illegal harvest of wild onions in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. He is a member of the Eastern Band Cherokee Nation, as is our author, who draws focus to the questions of mislabeling boundaries of national land as well as the legalities behind preventing Native peoples from practicing plant harvesting techniques they have done for millennia.
A study done by Janet Rock in 1989 on the effects of ramp harvest and came to the conclusion that they would be harvested out of existence. This study was criticized by the author mainly in that Native people had been harvesting ramps in the area for thousands of years, so why suddenly would it change their future populations? The study also did not examine ramp harvesting that the Cherokee practiced. Instead, they took almost 100% of a ramp population, rather that the 10% frequently practiced by the Native harvesters.
In all, this tale has a happy ending, and while reading the details of the case is fascinating, the real story here deals with the continued struggle for sovereignty that Native People experience in the United States. It is about a plant harvesting tradition, but as this simple court case turned into a large conversation about land rights, traditional scientific knowledge and keeping alive the valuable ways of the past, so too does this work go beyond a recounting of court case and into an example of how people can work together to ensure that traditional ways are not lost through force of law.
Madella, M; Lanelotti, C.; Savard, M. 8. Historical Aspects of Early Plant Cultivation in the Uplands of Eastern North America. Ancient Plants and People : Contemporary Trends in Archaeobotany. Tucson : University of Arizona Press, 2014. 155.
Moerman, Daniel E. Native American Ethnobotany. Portland: Timber Press, 1998. Library Catalog. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Moerman, Daniel E. Native American Food Plants : An Ethnobotanical Dictionary. Portland : Timber Press, 2010., 2010. Library Catalog. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Moerman, Daniel E. Native American Medicinal Plants : An Ethnobotanical Dictionary. Portland: Timber Press, 2009. Library Catalog. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Nazarea, Virginia D, Robert E Rhoades, and Jenna Andrews-Swann. "3. Food From The Ancestors: Documentation, Conservation, And Revival Of Eastern Cherokee Heirloom Plants." Seeds of Resistance, Seeds of Hope : Place and Agency in the Conservation of Biodiversity. 65. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2013. Project MUSE. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Peterson, Lee, and Roger Tory Peterson. A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1977. Print.
Phillips, Katherine M., et al. "Original Research Article: Nutrient Composition Of Selected Traditional United States Northern Plains Native American Plant Foods." Journal Of Food Composition And Analysis 34.(2014): 136-152.
Platt, Steven G., Christopher G. Brantley, and Thomas R. Rainwater. "Native American Ethnobotany Of Cane (Arundinaria Spp.) In The Southeastern United States: A Review." Castanea 74.3 (2009): 271-285. Environment Complete. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Robson, John R. K., and Joel N. Elias. The Nutritional Value Of Indigenous Wild Plants : An Annotated Bibliography. n.p.: Troy, N.Y. : Whitston Pub. Co., 1978., 1978.
Ross, N. J., M. H. H. Stevens, A. W. Rupiper, I. Harkreader, and L. A. Leben. "The Ecological Side of an Ethnobotanical Coin: Legacies in Historically Managed Trees." American Journal of Botany 101.10 (2014): 1618-630.
Turi C, Murch S. Spiritual and Ceremonial Plants in North America: An Assessment of Moerman's Ethnobotanical Database Comparing Residual, Binomial, Bayesian and Imprecise Dirichlet Model (IDM) Analysis. Journal Of Ethnopharmacology [serial online]. July 9, 2013;148:386-394. Available from: ScienceDirect, Ipswich, MA. Accessed September 28, 2015.
Turner, Nancy Jean, and Patrick von Aderkas. "Sustained By First Nations: European Newcomers' Use Of Indigenous Plant Foods In Temperate North America." Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 81.4 (2012): 295-315. Academic Search Complete. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
This scholarly journal article from the Polish Botanical Society provides and in depth examination of the types of foods shared with incoming settlers by Native Peoples. It details the various types of plants used for food, as well as a few for fiber and medicine, that were adopted into the lexicon of European settler’s diets. It is interesting to note the different foods favored by each incoming culture or religious group. Aside from exhaustive, detailed tables of the different food plants used, there are also case examples of six of the most prominent foods and how they came into use by European settlers.
This work does not just endeavor to list plants however, it also addresses the loss of knowledge of traditional plant foods by First Nations people today, and mourns the cultural identity fragmentation that this brings along with it. The authors see hope however, in the Slow Foods and other local movements as well as in the Native People who still hold this knowledge, to bring these plants back into use for the cultural and health benefits of all. Overall this is an excellent article, with a very useful set of tables for discovering the ethnobotanical history of certain food plants and tracking their transition and uses from Native to newcomer.
Walker, R.B.; Driskell, B.N. Foragers of the Terminal Pleistocene in North America. Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, 2007.
Native American Plant Database from Michigan Univeristy
Books, Articles and More
Some annotations included below entries.
Banks, William H., Jr. Ethnobotany Of The Cherokee Indians. n.p.: 1953.
Banks, William H., Jr., and Steve Kemp. Plants Of The Cherokee : Medicinal, Edible, And Useful Plants Of The Eastern Cherokee Indians. n.p.: Gatlinburg, TN : Great Smoky Mountains Association, c2004., 2004. Library Catalog. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Boone, Rebecca Myra. Native Medicinal Plants of the Shenandoah Valley. Blacksburg: Pocahontas, 2000.
Core, Earl L. "Ethnobotany of the Southern Appalachian Aborigines." Economic Botany 1967: 198-214. JSTOR Journals. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
This scholarly journal article from 1967 is an impressive piece despite its 16 page length. Although the word “Aborigines” has fallen from use since the time of this publication, this work functions as a kind of crash course on the Ethnobotany of paleo- indians in Southern Appalachian from 8000-1000 BCE in what was then termed the “Archaic” period. The author briefly describes the subsistence patterns, agriculture, horticulture, wild plants, food preparation and religious rites that were believed to be performed based on archaeological evidence. He also discusses narcotics, alcohol, crafts, medicine and clothing.
The most important part of this work, in my opinion, is the annotated list of commonly used plant species. It makes up a majority of the work, spanning 11 pages and provides the reader with a myriad of plants, separated by family, but sadly in no particular order, which makes it challenging to recall a desired passage. Another thing to keep in mind is, like with many botanical works, the names of plant species, families and genera change frequently, so some of these are no longer up to date and require another source to verify the plant discussed. Although basic in delivery, this work is useful as a starting place for research on Appalachian Indigenous Ethnobotany.
Erichsen-Brown, Charlotte. Medicinal and Other Uses of North American Plants: A Historical Survey with Special Reference to the Eastern Indian Tribes. New York: Dover, [1979] 1989.
Easterling, Nancy. Plants And The Cherokee. [Videorecording]. n.p.: [Chapel Hill, N.C.] : Laurel Hill Press, c2001., 2001. Library Catalog. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Fritz, Gayle J. "Ethnobotany Of Ku-Nu-Che: Cherokee Hickory Nut Soup." Journal Of Ethnobiology 21.2 (2001): 1-27. Anthropology Plus. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Hall, Karen C. Ethnobotany of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians: A Path to Sustaining Traditional Identity with an Emphasis on Medicinal Plant Use. North Carolina: Emerald Wing, 2010.
Hamel, Paul B., and Mary Ulmer Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants And Their Uses : A 400 Year History. n.p.: [North Carolina : Paul B. Hamel and Mary U. Chiltoskey?], c1975 (Asheville : Hickory Print.), 1995. Library Catalog. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
“Indigenous Ethnobotany: Cherokee Medicine and the Power of Plant Lore”. Roots of Our Renewal: Ethnobotany and Cherokee Environmental Governance. University of Minnesota Press, 2015. 115–138.
Lewis, Courtney. "The Case Of The Wild Onions: The Impact Of Ramps On Cherokee Rights." Southern Cultures 2 (2012): 104. Project MUSE. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
This peer reviewed piece from Southern Cultures, the quarterly publication from the Center for the Study of the American South, takes a narrative voice to recount the experience of attending the trial of George Burgess for the illegal harvest of wild onions in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. He is a member of the Eastern Band Cherokee Nation, as is our author, who draws focus to the questions of mislabeling boundaries of national land as well as the legalities behind preventing Native peoples from practicing plant harvesting techniques they have done for millennia.
A study done by Janet Rock in 1989 on the effects of ramp harvest and came to the conclusion that they would be harvested out of existence. This study was criticized by the author mainly in that Native people had been harvesting ramps in the area for thousands of years, so why suddenly would it change their future populations? The study also did not examine ramp harvesting that the Cherokee practiced. Instead, they took almost 100% of a ramp population, rather that the 10% frequently practiced by the Native harvesters.
In all, this tale has a happy ending, and while reading the details of the case is fascinating, the real story here deals with the continued struggle for sovereignty that Native People experience in the United States. It is about a plant harvesting tradition, but as this simple court case turned into a large conversation about land rights, traditional scientific knowledge and keeping alive the valuable ways of the past, so too does this work go beyond a recounting of court case and into an example of how people can work together to ensure that traditional ways are not lost through force of law.
Madella, M; Lanelotti, C.; Savard, M. 8. Historical Aspects of Early Plant Cultivation in the Uplands of Eastern North America. Ancient Plants and People : Contemporary Trends in Archaeobotany. Tucson : University of Arizona Press, 2014. 155.
Moerman, Daniel E. Native American Ethnobotany. Portland: Timber Press, 1998. Library Catalog. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Moerman, Daniel E. Native American Food Plants : An Ethnobotanical Dictionary. Portland : Timber Press, 2010., 2010. Library Catalog. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Moerman, Daniel E. Native American Medicinal Plants : An Ethnobotanical Dictionary. Portland: Timber Press, 2009. Library Catalog. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Nazarea, Virginia D, Robert E Rhoades, and Jenna Andrews-Swann. "3. Food From The Ancestors: Documentation, Conservation, And Revival Of Eastern Cherokee Heirloom Plants." Seeds of Resistance, Seeds of Hope : Place and Agency in the Conservation of Biodiversity. 65. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2013. Project MUSE. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Peterson, Lee, and Roger Tory Peterson. A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1977. Print.
Phillips, Katherine M., et al. "Original Research Article: Nutrient Composition Of Selected Traditional United States Northern Plains Native American Plant Foods." Journal Of Food Composition And Analysis 34.(2014): 136-152.
Platt, Steven G., Christopher G. Brantley, and Thomas R. Rainwater. "Native American Ethnobotany Of Cane (Arundinaria Spp.) In The Southeastern United States: A Review." Castanea 74.3 (2009): 271-285. Environment Complete. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Robson, John R. K., and Joel N. Elias. The Nutritional Value Of Indigenous Wild Plants : An Annotated Bibliography. n.p.: Troy, N.Y. : Whitston Pub. Co., 1978., 1978.
Ross, N. J., M. H. H. Stevens, A. W. Rupiper, I. Harkreader, and L. A. Leben. "The Ecological Side of an Ethnobotanical Coin: Legacies in Historically Managed Trees." American Journal of Botany 101.10 (2014): 1618-630.
Turi C, Murch S. Spiritual and Ceremonial Plants in North America: An Assessment of Moerman's Ethnobotanical Database Comparing Residual, Binomial, Bayesian and Imprecise Dirichlet Model (IDM) Analysis. Journal Of Ethnopharmacology [serial online]. July 9, 2013;148:386-394. Available from: ScienceDirect, Ipswich, MA. Accessed September 28, 2015.
Turner, Nancy Jean, and Patrick von Aderkas. "Sustained By First Nations: European Newcomers' Use Of Indigenous Plant Foods In Temperate North America." Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 81.4 (2012): 295-315. Academic Search Complete. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
This scholarly journal article from the Polish Botanical Society provides and in depth examination of the types of foods shared with incoming settlers by Native Peoples. It details the various types of plants used for food, as well as a few for fiber and medicine, that were adopted into the lexicon of European settler’s diets. It is interesting to note the different foods favored by each incoming culture or religious group. Aside from exhaustive, detailed tables of the different food plants used, there are also case examples of six of the most prominent foods and how they came into use by European settlers.
This work does not just endeavor to list plants however, it also addresses the loss of knowledge of traditional plant foods by First Nations people today, and mourns the cultural identity fragmentation that this brings along with it. The authors see hope however, in the Slow Foods and other local movements as well as in the Native People who still hold this knowledge, to bring these plants back into use for the cultural and health benefits of all. Overall this is an excellent article, with a very useful set of tables for discovering the ethnobotanical history of certain food plants and tracking their transition and uses from Native to newcomer.
Walker, R.B.; Driskell, B.N. Foragers of the Terminal Pleistocene in North America. Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, 2007.
