July Squash Takeover

July is the month of the Squash Takeover! (This is another 2018 post that’s been sitting in my “Drafts” folder.) In June, my squash plants seemed to be spaced out too thinly. I’d planted several bumpy green Hubbards (Curcubita maxima) from Linda Black Elk, as well as a couple Lakota squash.* But there was a

Waȟnáȟnaheča – Wild cucumber

Waȟnáȟnaheča — wild cucumbers! Some years, you can hardly find one in the woods or on the prairies, and other years, they seem to be growing everywhere. Their leaf shape and vining habit resemble domesticated cucumbers (kuŋkúŋ, or Cucumis sativus), which are native to India, but they are not closely related. Here are some waȟnáȟnaheča

Thíŋpsiŋla Sú: Prairie Turnip Seed

When I was harvesting Thíŋpsiŋla / Thíŋpsiŋna / Prairie turnip / Pediomelum esculentum last year, this adorable little seed fell out in my hand: It fell out of the fuzzy flowerhead, and resembles a very small bean. When people dig thíŋpsiŋla, we pay special attention to what we do with the green, non-edible part of

Turning Weeds into Cough Medicine: Siberian Elm bark & root bark

These pictures have been sitting in my “Drafts” folder for a few years, and now seemed like an ideal time to turn them into a post. If you live in Western North Dakota, you know Siberian Elm trees (Ulmus pumila). Even if you don’t know the name, you probably know those annoying, papery, dime-sized seeds

Herbal Resilience Guide & PDF

We are happy to share this Herbal Guide to Collective Protection and Healing During COVID-19 with you. This was developed for the Sitting Bull College community earlier this week by community members, herbalists, and herbalism students. This is our gift to the community. Please feel free to share it. Linda Black Elk, one of the

Wínakapo — Hops

A common request I get, as someone who works with the plant medicines from the Dakotas, is for help managing sleeplessness or anxiety – but not with anything that will knock the patient out too long, leave them woozy, or be addictive. The flowers of this plant are my best solution. Wínakapo (Wild hops, Humulus

Omníča Kačháŋ: Bean Winnowing

This is another waníyetu wičhóȟ’aŋ, or winter project. In a lot of ways, it’s pretty similar to corn winnowing (wagmíza kačháŋ). After harvesting the last of the dry beans for the season, I bring them inside to finish drying out. I usually put them in a basket. (You have to be careful where you place

Winter Projects: Wagmíza Yukpáŋ

This was one of my waníyetu wíčhoȟ’aŋ, or winter projects, last year. After the flour corn has hung in braids inside my home for a few months, dried out by time and the heaters that parch everyone and everything indoors during these Northern Great Plains winters, it’s ready to be made into cornmeal. First, a

Wáǧačhaŋ Wičháȟpi: Cottonwood Star

When I am introducing someone to the wáǧačhaŋ (cottonwood, or Populus deltoides) and its medicine for the first time, I love surprising them with the star. If you’re just using your hands to break the twigs you find on the ground, without a precise cutting tool, it might take a few attempts to find a

Pápa (Bapa) Waháŋpi

This is one of my favorite traditional foods. Pápa (or Bapa, as it’s often called around here) is dried meat, usually wild game — and waháŋpi means “soup.” The main plant ingredients are sliced thíŋpsiŋla (Pediomelum esculentum) and waštúŋkala (dried sweet corn, Zea mays). This is a hearty, nourishing winter soup. I had this bowl