Summer Project Spotlight: Indigenous Plant Use in The Ridges Sanctuary and the Door Peninsula
By Leah Hamblin
The following is a Summer Project completed by Leah Hamblin, a 2024 Summer Naturalist studying Anthropology at Southern Utah University. The goal of this project is to introduce the public to indigenous plant use here at The Ridges Sanctuary and the Door Peninsula as a whole. As a non-native undergrad student, it is important to note that this project is generalized and meant to provide a jumping-off point for learning more about traditional plant use. It should not replace learning from Indigenous people here in Door County. More resources for learning about First Nations history in Wisconsin will be available at the end of this report and on the Ridges Sanctuary webpage.
The plants listed in this report are for educational purposes. To preserve The Ridges Sanctuary, foraging is not permitted. In addition, each plant listed here has incredibly specific preparations, and this report is not intended to provide those instructions. We do not condone consumption of any wild or foraged plants without the guidance of an expert in the field.
Plants and People
Look around you. How many things that you see come from plants? We use plants everywhere! We put the leaves in salads and use wood from trees to build homes and furniture. We use them to weave and dye our clothes. We even put them in pots to brighten our homes! What would we do without plants?
In fact, trees are one of the reasons why Bailey’s Harbor came to be in the first place. In 1848, Capitan Justice Bailey happened upon Bailey’s Harbor and noticed the abundance of high-quality wood for logging, bringing settlers and business into the harbor and expanding the lumber industry in the area.
Before Europeans even set foot in the Door Peninsula, it belonged to First Nations groups who cultivated and cared for the woods that surround us. In the last couple of centuries, around seven different Indigenous Groups lived in or passed through the peninsula, including the Menominee, Potawatomi, Odawa (Ottawa), Sauk, Ojibwe, Petun, and Huron peoples. They knew the land well and used hundreds of plants in many ways.
Tribal Lands Map, photo from wisconsinfirstnations.org/map/
Menominee Family, Photo from Library of Congress
Plants are critical to culture and survival:
Plants are an extremely important part of Indigenous culture in Wisconsin. Plants were both foraged and cultivated all over the Great Lakes region and incorporated into virtually every aspect of daily life. Many groups would travel seasonally to find certain plants and hunting sites, sometimes bringing seeds back to permanent sites to plant them.
What is Ethnobotany? Ethnobotany combines social and biological sciences to understand how people interact with plants. It often refers specifically to studying traditional plant use, which includes using plants as medicine, food, soap, fiber, and for ceremonial purposes. Ethnobotany is valuable because it promotes the need for both biodiversity and different cultural perspectives. Not only can we learn about the plants around us through how they were used, but we can also learn about people and cultures based on how they use plants. Understanding the ethnobotany of First Nations in Wisconsin can help us understand more about the places we live in, as well as those who lived here before and live here still.
Many of the plants used by First Nations were used in multiple ways. The Ojibwe believe that every plant has a use and a purpose. Children would practice this principle by gathering every flower they see to make a drink, learning about the many applications of the nature surrounding them. Not only is knowledge of these plants important, but every plant has specific preparations and a proper time to be harvested. Often, all parts of the plant are used, including the leaves, stems, roots, bark, and flowers.
Gratitude is centered in the gathering of these plants. Many tribes, such as the Menominee and Potawatomi, see plants as the hair from Grandmother Earth and would thank her for her gifts by placing tobacco in place of the plants they harvested. Showing this gratitude in the right ways give the plants their potency.
How many plants do you use every day? How can you be intentional about appreciating them?
Plants tell stories of history
The Great Lakes Region has a complicated history of intentional seasonal movement and forced migration. Logging in the 1800’s and early 1900’s significantly impacted native plant growth, and the introduction of invasive species changed the landscape. In the 1600’s, fur traders moved into the peninsula. Later, in the early to mid 1800’s, the logging industry boomed, bringing even more people. This colonization displaced those who lived there before, such as the Menominee, and forced others, such as the Potawatomi, to move to the peninsula. Plants and people are intertwined, and the effects of these changes can be traced through a few plants.
Potawatomi relocation map, photo from Indian Villages, Reservations, and Removal by P. Sewick
One example of these changing environments is the Ox-eye Daisy. It was brought over from Europe in the 1800’s and quickly spread. Because the daisy is invasive, most Indigenous nations in the 1920’s did not have a word for the plant in their own language, and any medicinal uses were unknown. Language tells the story of this plant’s history and use in the peninsula.
Language, Plants, and Culture: This report includes several translations for each plant mentioned. If known, the direct translation of the Native word is included. Often, the direct translations hint at how those plants may have been used, where they were found, or why they were important. Preserving these words is important to save cultural knowledge that is lost with language extinction. Think about how you name things. Do those names tell stories?
European immigration to the Great Lakes region had countless other negative effects on Native food sources. Indigenous people used controlled fire to manage plant growth for centuries. Once Wisconsin became inhabited by Europeans, burning underbrush was restricted and important food sources, such as blueberries, which were encouraged by burning became less accessible. Cranberry bogs became popular in Northern Wisconsin, reducing Indigenous peoples’ access to those native crops.
Forced relocation such as the Indian Removal Act mandated that nations and/or tribes such as the Sauk needed to relocate to places with plants unfamiliar to them. This caused valuable knowledge about their generational homelands to be lost. While medicine men were traditionally trained to treat only a few diseases, illness brought over from Europe demanded the holders of this information to come up with a wealth of new treatments, overall weakening effectiveness.
Despite the loss of generations of wisdom, efforts are being made to restore this knowledge. Several universities in Wisconsin conduct research and offer educational lectures on ethnobotany, and the University of Wisconsin in Green Bay offers lectures on the subject from resident elders. Interest in Indigenous plant use is growing, and more knowledge is recovered every day.
Resources for First Nations/Ethnobotany in Wisconsin
Additional Resources provided on the Indigenous Heritage Page of the Ridges website and at the end of this report.
Ethnobotany at The Ridges Sanctuary
The Ridges Sanctuary is the southernmost boreal forest in the United States, providing a unique habitat for over 475 vascular plants, including many rare and unique species. It differs from the Northern Hardwood forests which many Indigenous groups in Wisconsin were the most familiar with. Forced relocation also led to more unfamiliarity with plant species commonly found at The Ridges Sanctuary. Despite this, many plants located at the Ridges were used traditionally in medicine, food, fiber, and more. Each plant highlighted throughout this report can be found on Ridges Property.
What is a boreal forest? Boreal forests are found all over North America, Europe, and Asia. They consist of mainly coniferous trees such as spruce, pine, fir, and cedar trees. The ground cover consists of greenery such as mosses, shrubs, and lichens.
Swale, photo by Andrew Pirrung
Though plants were most often used in many ways, this report divides uses into three categories with a few examples for each: Plants as Medicine, Plants as Food, and Plants as Fiber.
Plants as Medicine
Medicinal uses account for a massive amount of diversity in plants used by First Nations groups in Wisconsin. The Ojibwe alone recognize and use around 400 different species of plants, most of which are used for medicinal purposes.
Knowledge of these medicinal plants and their uses was often held by only a few members of the community and passed down from generation to generation. The application of medicine could be very individualized and changed from person to person.
The Medicine Wheel: The medicine wheel is a sacred symbol used by many tribes in North America. Frequently colored black, white, yellow, and red, these four sections can represent many things, including the four directions, the seasons, stages of life, or sacred plants (tobacco, sage, sweetgrass, and cedar). It also can represent all the knowledge in the universe. It is used in ceremonies and as decoration.
The Medicine Wheel, Photo by Gabby Drapeau
This section highlights a few medicinal plants located on Ridges property.
Yellow lady slipper orchids can be found across most of the United States. The Ojibwe, Odawa, and Menominee would use the roots of this plant as medicine for relief from menstrual cramps. In addition, the Ojibwe would use it in bundles to induce dreaming.
Canada Mayflower is a plant commonly found in boreal forests such as the Ridges. The Potawatomi would use the roots of this plant as a cure for sore throats, while the Ojibwe would use it for keeping kidneys open during pregnancy, curing headaches and sore throats, and as a smoke for inhaling.
Common Trillium
“waiä’pîski wasakwona’wät” [little white flower in the spring] (Menominee)
The Menominee would grate and apply Trillium root to the eyes to reduce swelling. In addition, the grated root would be steeped and drank as tea for cramps and irregular menses.
White Trillium, May 2018, photo by Andrea Coulter
Native Plants as Food
Plants were a critical food source to First Nations groups here in Door County, along with hunting and fishing. Plants were harvested both through cultivation and through foraging. Often, plants used medicinally or as fiber were cultivated as well. Three Sisters Gardens provide squash, corn, and beans as a foundation to a balanced diet.
Berries are an important food source and were eaten both fresh and dried. Some berries found on Ridges property include Bunchberries, Wild Strawberries, Chokecherries, Bearberries, Raspberries, and Blueberries.
In addition, parts of other plants were eaten. Frigid Door County winters made storage important, so nuts were harvested and various parts of plants were dried for winter consumption. This section focuses primarily on foraged plants.
Sugar Maple
“I’nina’tig” or “Ninaatig” (Odawa), “kisinamic” (Potawatomi), “adjagobi’ mîn” or “înena’ tîg” [indian tree] (Ojibwe)
The Sugar Maple’s ability to provide maple syrup makes it one of the most valuable plants in many First Nations groups. Maple sugar was the primary seasoning and used traditionally in place of salt. The sap would be soured and used as vinegar to season meat. Many cultural gatherings centered around harvesting Sugar Maple sap and making maple syrup. In fact, the Odawa knew the month of march as the “Maple Syrup Gathering Moon”, or “Ziisiibaakade Giizis”.
Sugar Maple, Photo by westernstarnurseries.com
Menominee Legend of the Origin of Maple Sugar:Many years ago, Mä’näbus was traveling about over the earth when his attention was attracted to the maple tree. It had not been one of his own creations; indeed, it was made by some other hero. Mä’näbus was displeased with it, for in those days its sap was pure syrup, and it ran very slowly. “That is a poor way”, said he, “for the sap to run; it is too slow and tedious for my aunts [the women] and my uncles [the men] to wait for it, and it is too hard to get out of the bark dishes. I’ll make it better and more profitable for them.” So, suiting his actions to his words, he went over and urinated into the tree, and his urine united with the sap and made it thinner so that it flowed more freely. “Now,” said he, ‘my uncles and my aunts will hereafter realize that this is a far better way for them to get their sugar. Heretofore they got the syrup too cheaply, but now they will have to work for it by their sweat. There will be more sap, but they must prepare it.” -Material Culture of the Menomini, Alanson Skinner
Yellow Waterlily
“Wakepin/Yakepin” (Sauk), “woka’tamo” [having legs to stand] (Menominee)
Yellow waterlily roots were boiled and eaten by the Sauk and used as an important medicine by the Menominee. The powder was used as a poultice for cuts and swelling and was said to create the fog that hangs over lakes.
Yellow Water lily, photo by Aaron Carlson from Flora of Wisconsin
Tree Lichen
“wakwûnûk” [egg bush] (Potawatomi), “wakûnû’k.” [eggs dangling from the tree] (Menominee), “jîngwakons wakun” [little white pine and row of eggs] or “jîngwa’kwak” [pine egg] (Ojibwe)
There are thousands of species of lichen located in the United States, and hundreds located in The Ridges Sanctuary alone. Not all lichen is edible, so being able to identify which lichen to harvest is critical. Lichen would only be collected from specific trees depending on the tribe. The Potawatomi would collect lichen from spruce trees and boil it to cure constipation. The Menominee, on the other hand, would collect lichen from hemlock and maple and add it to soups, both for flavor and medicinal purposes. The Ojibwe would collect lichen from white pine and would boil them until they came together like scrambled eggs. It is said to be a favorite dish of the Ojibwe.
One Menominee story surrounding lichen claims that lichen is the scabs from the body of Mä’näbus, a cultural hero, left for everyone to eat and to sustain life.
Common Milkweed has many uses. The young flower buds would be eaten as greens or to thicken soup and would be dried for later use. The outer bark would be peeled and used as a strong cord, and smaller strips of wood were used as sewing thread. In addition, common milkweed was used by the Odawa for stuffing pillows and life preservers. It was also used by the Potawatomi as medicine.
Often, milkweed could be found close to each wigwam in a community, suggesting that it was cultivated for easier access.
Common Milkweed, photo from Prairie Nursery
Plants as Fiber
Plants are significant in many areas of indigenous life, including as fiber or building materials. Most of Wisconsin First Nations’ people lived in wigwams, which are dome-shaped houses used from the late fall to the spring. In the summer, many Indigenous groups in Wisconsin would move to summer houses, which were taller and more rectangular. Wood such as Cedar and Birch were crucial in the construction of both houses.
Sauk Bark House, photo from Observations on the ethnology of the Sauk Indians by Alanson Skinner Ho-Chunk Wigwam, photo University of Wisconsin–Madison. Archives
Wigwam Construction: “Saplings of an inch or more in diameter were cut and sharpened at the large end. Beginning at the doorway, these were set into the ground vertically and spaced about two feet apart. One pole and its opposite were bent toward the center to form an arch, and the ends were tied together with basswood-bark strips or other cordage. When all the vertical poles were tied, other saplings were tied on horizontally, to brace the frame and provide attachments for the bark or mat covering. More saplings were added to the top portion to form a sturdy framework. Then, beginning at the doorway, a mat was unrolled along the base, and its upper edge tied to the first horizontal pole. Other mats were added to cover the circumference of the framework. Inner layers of mats and grass were added inside for warmth and insulation. Raised platforms built inside the wigwam created beds and storage spaces and were covered with mats and furs.” -Milwaukee Public Museum, Housing and Architecture
Many Indigenous groups in Door County moved from place to place seasonally. This lifestyle meant that it was important for things like cooking utensils or houses to be either easy to construct or easy to transport. Tools like birchbark containers and bulrush mats were an important part of daily life, because the materials needed to make them were easily accessible and the product was light and efficient.
Birch Bark Containers, photo from How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine, and Crafts, Frances Densmore
A few of the most common or notable uses of plants for constructing tools are highlighted in this section.
White Cedar
“meskwa” (Sauk), “Giizhik” (Odawa), “gicigan” (Potawatomi), “kesa’sata’uk” or “kesa’-wuna’ukai” (Menominee), “aba’busun” or “gi’jik” (Ojibwe)
Cedar is an important tree with many uses. Many groups used the inner bark as twine for bags or to weave baskets. It was even used to make cloth. The wood was used as firewood or to build canoes and frames for houses. Leaves were used as perfume, as mothballs, or in tea for treating headaches or colds.
Cedar is one of the Ojibwe’s four sacred plants (Tobacco, cedar, sage, and sweetgrass), and was used in almost every religious or healing ceremony. It would also be used to purify people or sacred objects before ceremonies.
Northern White Cedar, photo from Adirondack Nature
Historians have identified over 21 traditional uses for birch trees. The thin bark is an effective paper used for crafts and transferring designs –frequently prints from leaves– to textiles for beadwork. The bark was also used to waterproof wigwam roofs or canoes. It is important in the kitchen and used for utensils and storage baskets of all shapes and sizes. It would keep any edibles from decaying. Hot stones were placed in some of these baskets and used for cooking. Twigs would be soaked, and the oil extracted was used to season medicine.
Birch Bark Canoes were particularly important, as they were incredibly lightweight and well suited for the Great Lakes Region’s frequent lakes and rivers. They revolutionized transportation in the region and were eventually used by French traders and other settlers.
Paper Birch, Photo from ujamaa seeds
Ojibwe Birch Bark Canoe, photo from Minnesota Historical Society Collections.png
Dental Pictographs: “Dental pictographs were originally an art form unique to the Ojibwe. A thin sheet of birchbark was folded two or more times and designs were pressed or bitten into it with the canine teeth. The technique is similar to the way paper snowflakes are folded and cut. When the bark is unfolded, it shows a mirror pattern. Traditionally, making dental pictographs (also called “bitten bark”) was a source of amusement for children, but today, some Indian women create these patterns as an art expression and a commercial craft.”- Milwaukee Public Museum, Material Culture and the Arts
Birch Bark Transparencies, photo from How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine, and Crafts, Frances Densmore
Dark Green Bulrush
“ana’gûnûsk” [mat weed] (Potawatomi), “nipia’skûn” [weed that grows in the water] (Menominee), “jîka’miûskûn” (Ojibwe)
The Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Menominee bleached bulrush stems in the sun and dyed them for use in mats and baskets. Many of these mats were sewn together and used to cover the sides of wigwams and medicine lodges or for sleeping on or drying food.
Dark Green Bulrush, Photo from Upper Peninsula Native Plants
Dyed bulrush mat, photo from Minnesota Historical Society Collections.png
Cattails were important in wigwam construction and used to weave wind and rainproof mats on the sides of the wigwam. They would be sewn together with a bone needle and basswood thread and could be rolled and transported. Cattail fluff, called “bebamasû’n” [it flies around] by the Ojibwe, was used to make mattresses, sleeping bags, and other padding. The cattail bedding was warm and soft in cold winters.
Pitcher plant roots were used by the Ho-Chunk and Potawatomi to treat nausea during pregnancy. In addition, the cupped leaves were used as a drinking cup in the woods or to hold berries or sand to use as children’s toys.
Pitcher Plant, Photo from Special Vegetation
Ojibwe cattail Toys, photo from How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine, and Crafts, Frances Densmore
Children’s Toys: Not only were pitcher plants used as toys, but many other materials were used to make dolls and other toys, such as leaves, pine needles, or cattails. Masks of birch bark were also made for many purposes, including amusement.
Red and White Pine
“Rugihasarasarake” [tree that has no branches] (Ho-Chunk), “Jingwak” (Odawa), “skako’sa wenakä’x” (Menominee)
Both red and white pine were used by several Wisconsin groups, including the Odawa who regard it as a “great tree of peace and prayer”. The Ho-Chunk would mix the pitch (sap) with fat and use it as a salve to heal sores. Wood was used by groups like the Odawa and Ho-Chunk to make dugout canoes. In addition, the Odawa and Menominee would steep the bark in water to cure chest pain or use it as a poultice for wounds. White pine is one of the most important Menominee medicines.
In addition, pine sap, or pitch, was used to waterproof and caulk canoes, wigwams, and other items.
White Pine, Photo from Gardening Know How
Ho-Chunk Dugout Canoe, photo from https://www.wxow.com/news/ho-chunk-nation-dugout-canoe-journey-passes-through-coulee-region/article_982633d6-290e-11ef-984a-63b4e2f7b4e7.html
Native Plant Dyes used for Textiles
Natural dyes were used in a host of different ways by First Nations groups in Wisconsin. The Bulrush and Cattail mats were occasionally dyed in decorative patterns, and porcupine quills were dyed to decorate sheaths for weapons, clothing, or birch bark boxes.
Huron Indian Moccasin Decorated with Quillwork, photo from Penn Museum
Western influence brought more synthetic dyes into traditional quillwork and weaving, but a few traditional plant dyes were still common.
Staghorn Sumac is another plant with many uses. Boiling the roots yields a strong yellow dye, called “wasa’ukik” by the Menominee, used by many. Sumac berries were used to make a sweet beverage like lemonade or as a medicinal tea, and the Ho-Chunk used the wood to make love song flutes.
Staghorn Sumac, photo from fs.usda.gov
Plants and Us
Long before the Ridges Sanctuary was established as Wisconsin’s first land trust in 1937, it and the land that surrounds it was cared for under the stewardship of the First Nations groups that lived here. Now, the Sanctuary plays an active role in this stewardship, protecting the area and preserving the biodiversity that thrives in this environment.
Protecting the woods around us is critical in preserving the stories that the plants hold, both those that happened hundreds of years ago and those that will be told hundreds of years from today. Plants and people are inextricably linked through how we affect each other. We care for them and in return, they support us in so many ways.
The next time that you walk through the woods, think about why these plants are important to you. Do they hold onto memories, easily recalled by their scent or by the sound of the leaves in the wind? Do they provide food, like berries warmed by summer sun? Are they carved into your favorite chairs or the table you sit around every morning? Are they a backdrop to a place that brings you peace?
Though the things we use every day are often several steps removed from the outdoors, we can still be aware of the massive role a variety of plants have in our lives. Like First Nations people who have lived here for hundreds of years, we can learn the stories of the specific plants around us. We can learn of the roles they play in their ecosystems and the roles they play in our own lives. Through understanding plants in this way, we deepen our connection to the expansive web of ecology which we all have the pleasure to be a part of.
Resources
To learn more about indigenous plant use in the state of Wisconsin and specific plant uses, check out the following resources used in the making of this project:
