Chive flower

When I started rehabilitating the neglected garden beds at my old place in Fort Yates, this was the one food plant that had been surviving in that garden, which was mostly weeds. Here’s a picture of it in my garden that year. One of these ball-shaped inflorescences contains a cluster of six-pointed, tiny flowers. I

Uŋskúyeča na úta: Burr oaks and acorns

Acorn (úta) season is finally here! Acorns have been one of my favorite foods since childhood. The acorns we have in this area, Uŋskúyeča, Burr Oak, or Quercus macrocarpa, are thought of as some of the best in North America, due to their more tannic acid content. I’m happy to report that I didn’t make

Tincture Making: Curlycup Gumweed / Pteíčhiyuȟa

I wanted to share a few pictures of my Curlycup Gumweed / Pteíčhiyuȟa tincture. It’s a very simple recipe, but has helped me tremendously with breathing problems during the winter months. So I wanted to share this for others who might also want to try making this medicine. Generally, tincturing with alcohol is a way

Elderberry (Čháŋ phuté hú) Harvest

Elderberries are one of my favorite medicinal berries. They are one of the only antiviral medicines that are effective in shortening the length of flu viruses, as well as the severity. Elderberry syrup is also an excellent cough medicine, and can help to nip a cold or other winter illness in the bud. And this

Curlycup Gumweed

Pteíčhiyuȟa. Grindelia squarrosa. Curlycup Gumweed. This is one of the yellow flowers you’ll find growing by the side of the road this time of year — not just in the Dakotas, but across North America. This is the time of year to harvest it! If you look at the underside of the flower, you can

Úma: Hazelnut Portrait

Hazelnut trees (Úmahu) don’t grow on Standing Rock. They thrive in wetter climates. I have seen this indigenous tree growing wild in Minnesota and Manitoba. The nuts are ready for harvest in the fall. They grow in clusters of four, forming a beautiful star shape. I just had to take a picture of this beautiful