ysabetwordsmith (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2022-10-11 12:28 am
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2022-10-11 12:28 am
Poem: "Plants and Animals in All Their Functions"
This poem came out of the October 4, 2022 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by Elijah of the_broken_tower and sponsored by Connor of the_broken_tower. It also fills the "Alone in the Woods" square in my 10-1-22 card for the Fall Festival Bingo.
"Plants and Animals in All Their Functions"
For thousands of years,
the peoples of Turtle Island
studied the rich land and
all that grew upon it.
They learned how to help
bring good things to life.
People held a philosophy
of working with nature,
rather than against it.
They chose protracted and
thoughtful observation rather than
protracted and thoughtless labor.
They looked at plants and animals
in all their functions, rather than treating
any area as a single product system.
The Three Sisters of corn, squash,
and beans grew together, each one
supporting the others and combining
to create a healthy, balanced diet.
Mixed with animal fat or sunflower oil,
they made delicious hoecakes.
Along the creeks and rivers grew
cattails with edible pollen, shoots,
and roots. The leaves and stems
could make mats and baskets,
the fluff useful for stuffing pillows.
In the forests grew acorns, walnuts,
hickory nuts, persimmons, pawpaws,
and countless kinds of berries. People
learned to tap maple trees to make syrup.
The people no more feared walking
alone in the woods than one would
fear walking alone in a pantry.
On the plains, the buffalo provided
everything that the tribes needed;
in the northwest, it was the salmon.
Along the coats, some folks built
great clam gardens, extending
the beach habitat not just for
clams but for crabs, oysters,
fish fry, and many other species.
It all came from careful observation,
learning to recognize the plants and
animals of an area, what they meant,
and what they could be used for.
Even after new people came
and disrupted the tribes, some
of the old crops remained.
Corn, squash, and beans
were eagerly adopted by
the invaders along with
potatoes, tomatoes,
peppers, and more.
Sage and juniper berries
found their way into
modern spice racks.
Others dwindled into
obscurity like sunchokes,
or were forgotten altogether
like native grasses or goosefoot.
Some modern weeds are really
the escaped agricultural crops
of ancient civilizations.
* * *
Notes:
"Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system."
-- Bill Mollison
Traditional foodways vary greatly across tribes. Explore some online recipes or shop for cookbooks.
The Three Sisters are Corn, Squash, and Beans. They work together in recipes too.
Many tribes made some sort of hoecake with corn, like this boiled version.
Cattails have many uses.
Historically people used every part of the buffalo but the bellow.
Clam gardens are best known on the West Coast but have been found elsewhere too. They work by expanding the area of habitat which appeals to many delicious beach creatures.
Native American spices include sage and juniper.
Sunchokes are the edible roots of certain sunflowers.
Ancient people grew food forests as well as fields of annual crops.
While some Native American crops are famous, there are also "weeds" that are actually the escaped agricultural crops of lost civilizations.
the_broken_tower and sponsored by Connor of the_broken_tower. It also fills the "Alone in the Woods" square in my 10-1-22 card for the Fall Festival Bingo."Plants and Animals in All Their Functions"
For thousands of years,
the peoples of Turtle Island
studied the rich land and
all that grew upon it.
They learned how to help
bring good things to life.
People held a philosophy
of working with nature,
rather than against it.
They chose protracted and
thoughtful observation rather than
protracted and thoughtless labor.
They looked at plants and animals
in all their functions, rather than treating
any area as a single product system.
The Three Sisters of corn, squash,
and beans grew together, each one
supporting the others and combining
to create a healthy, balanced diet.
Mixed with animal fat or sunflower oil,
they made delicious hoecakes.
Along the creeks and rivers grew
cattails with edible pollen, shoots,
and roots. The leaves and stems
could make mats and baskets,
the fluff useful for stuffing pillows.
In the forests grew acorns, walnuts,
hickory nuts, persimmons, pawpaws,
and countless kinds of berries. People
learned to tap maple trees to make syrup.
The people no more feared walking
alone in the woods than one would
fear walking alone in a pantry.
On the plains, the buffalo provided
everything that the tribes needed;
in the northwest, it was the salmon.
Along the coats, some folks built
great clam gardens, extending
the beach habitat not just for
clams but for crabs, oysters,
fish fry, and many other species.
It all came from careful observation,
learning to recognize the plants and
animals of an area, what they meant,
and what they could be used for.
Even after new people came
and disrupted the tribes, some
of the old crops remained.
Corn, squash, and beans
were eagerly adopted by
the invaders along with
potatoes, tomatoes,
peppers, and more.
Sage and juniper berries
found their way into
modern spice racks.
Others dwindled into
obscurity like sunchokes,
or were forgotten altogether
like native grasses or goosefoot.
Some modern weeds are really
the escaped agricultural crops
of ancient civilizations.
* * *
Notes:
"Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system."
-- Bill Mollison
Traditional foodways vary greatly across tribes. Explore some online recipes or shop for cookbooks.
The Three Sisters are Corn, Squash, and Beans. They work together in recipes too.
Many tribes made some sort of hoecake with corn, like this boiled version.
Cattails have many uses.
Historically people used every part of the buffalo but the bellow.
Clam gardens are best known on the West Coast but have been found elsewhere too. They work by expanding the area of habitat which appeals to many delicious beach creatures.
Native American spices include sage and juniper.
Sunchokes are the edible roots of certain sunflowers.
Ancient people grew food forests as well as fields of annual crops.
While some Native American crops are famous, there are also "weeds" that are actually the escaped agricultural crops of lost civilizations.
no subject
no subject
- Elijah (he/him)
Fixed!
Re: Fixed!
On that last source note, it's interesting to see people researching ancient foods that fall outside of the staples and "easy" crops seen today. There's so much that could go into native gardens that would double as a food forest.
- Elijah (he/him)
Re: Fixed!
I'm quite fond of sunchokes and have some growing in my yard. I want to try harvesting them this year, as some have sprouted in the path around the prairie garden.
Africa also has a huge wealth of edibles, but few of the uncommon ones make it over here. We like to shop at an African store that has things like honey beans, palm oil, and dried crayfish (which are actually freshwater shrimp).