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U.S. Forest Service


Kinomaagewin-Aki Teachings from the Earth at the Hannahville Indian Community

By jan schultz on May 5, 2012

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Scott Herron, Anishinaabe ethnobotanist, with eagle feather leading the workshop's closing Talking Circle.

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Hannahville Indian Community's next generation of tribal leaders and native plant protectors.

"Be tenders of the garden." - Hannahville Indian Community Elder Earl Meshigaud

On April 12, 2012, forty-three representatives from five Native American communities met to explore the shared vision of recovery and restoration while using native plants and ethnobotanical knowledge.

Drums and the smell of sweet grass set a ceremonial tone for honest conversations about the tough challenges indigenous people face as they seek to recover their roles as caretakers, hunters, and gatherers across the varied green landscapes of the Great Lakes states.

Host Earl Meshigaud, tribal culture teacher and Potowatomi elder at the Hannahville Indian Community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, opened with insights about the Anishinaabe language, medicinal plants, and rituals that still frame traditional harvesting practices. Scott Herron (PhD), a Native American ethnobotanist and Associate Professor of Biology at Ferris State University, discussed the delicate work of integrating traditional teachings and Western science. USDA Forest Service botanist Jan Schultz addressed the challenges of sustaining diminishing species, pollinator protection, "technical transfer" opportunities, and building bridges to share between cultures. Attendees included people from the Hannahville Indian Community (hosts), Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Sault Sainte Marie Band of Chippewa Indians, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Menominee Nation, and Northern Michigan University's Center for Native American Studies. Nicole Shutt and Melissa Simpson from the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest participated in this event, along with fellow USDA Forest Service botanist Stephanie Bloomer (Hiawatha National Forest).

The fourth Kinomaage native plants restoration/ethnobotany workshop is scheduled for Sept. 2012. It will be hosted by the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians in Watersmeet, MI.

The Wings & Seeds Project (Zaagkii) is a native plants and pollinators initiative launched in 2008 by the Cedar Tree Institute, USDA Forest Service, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Northern Michigan University's Center for Native American Studies, and Michigan's Marquette Juvenile Court.

Videos from the Zaagkii Project can be found at: http://wingsandseeds.org/video/.