Woodland Indians were a group of numerous tribes that inhabited the forests along the eastern United States and Canada. They were skilled hunters and foragers who connected to their Creator through nature, believing that plants, animals, stones, and stars possessed spirits to guide them in their journey through life. The forests were not only a place to live, hunt and forage— they were cathedrals.
Indigenous people lived in balance with the earth— they took only what was necessary and wasted nothing. When a pine tree was harvested, the needles were used as incense and in rain ceremonies, thin twigs were woven into baskets, and sturdier branches were fashioned into tools and weapons. Bark was used to cover wigwams, line food storage pits, and boiled to make a variety of medicines. The cambium was pounded, boiled, and eaten as food. Resin was chewed for pleasure— a primitive form of chewing gum. Pine cones and nuts were pulverized into fine powder, mixed with animal fat and marrow, and eaten as a confection. Pine pitch was an all-purpose substance, used for making cosmetics, medicine, glue, and water-proofing. Roots were peeled into fibers, used as cordage and thread for sewing. What remained was used for building or firewood.
Mushrooms and fungi were gathered after rains for food, medicine, religious ceremonies, and for poisoning enemies. Oyster (Pleurotis osteatus), chicken-of-the-woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), and sulphur shelf (Polyporus sulphureus), were (and still are) sought-after varieties that grow on deciduous trees. Morels (Morchella esculenta), giant puffballs (Calvatia gigantea), and chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius) grow directly out of the earth, in and around forests. These were often eaten raw, baked in clay ovens, shredded and added to soups and stews, or dried for winter use.
Mosses are fascinating and beautiful non-vascular plants that carpet the floors of dense forests. Because of their absorbing and analgesic properties, Indians used them as diapers and wound dressings. Though they are not toxic or harmful to eat, they are not very good (I've tried). It's possible that they were ingested as medicine— so much of this information is lost to us. What is known for certain is that primitive cultures had a heightened awareness and intimate knowledge of plants and their properties because of their connection to the earth.
Moss on Mushroom
chanterelle pine pesto
Playing with Fire and Water 