“Plants are thought to be alive, their juice is their blood, and they grow. The same is true of trees. All things die, therefore all things have life. Because all things have life, gifts have to be given to all things.” – William Ralganal Benson, Pomo
“Nature is not a place to visit, it is home.” – Gary Snyder
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Indians who resided in Lake County hundreds and thousands of years ago – the Pomo, Miwok, Wappo, Yuki and Patwin groups – all employed multifaceted political and social structures.
According to the book, “Before the Wilderness – Environmental Management by Native Californians,” compiled and edited by Thomas C. Blackburn and Kat Anderson, research has shown that, today there is a better understanding “of the subtle, complex, and efficient manner in which native people managed, maintained and effectively transformed various habitats and their constituent resources.”
The most obvious way the land was controlled for their use was by fire – specifically, controlled burns.
This was a way for new plants to spring forth, certain animals in the ecosystems could be enticed to the regenerated burn areas, insects could be controlled and the undergrowth was considerably lessened.
This time-honored method aided in hunting. Another benefit of control burns was a reduction in wildfires.
All of these groups had complex reasons to manipulate their surroundings, which was woven into successive generation's customs and mythologies. There was always a protocol for the taking of plants and animals in the environment, be they used for shelter, food or medicine.
The blue elderberry, sometimes called a tree, but actually a shrub that is 6 to 25 feet tall, was an important plant in times past. Then, specialists in each group or tribe knew how and when to prepare foods and medicines.
It is very important to know how and when to prepare wild foods, as there have been many instances of illness due to modern-day foragers' consumption of plants found in the wild.
The leaves of the elderberry shrub grow in leaflets containing five to nine saw-toothed leaves.
Elderberry's prolific flowers show up during the months of May and June, and they are off-white, flat clusters about 8 inches wide.
The berries are dark blue with a powdery “blush” covering them, and grow in thick clusters. Once, the roots were used as a poultice for cuts and the flowers were dried for a medicinal tea. Elderberries were once consumed as a fresh fruit, late in summer months.
The buckeye tree or horse chestnut tree can be seen growing on slopes and canyons. This deciduous tree can reach a height of almost 40 feet. Buckeye trees have been determined to have a long lifespan- some, up to 300 years!
When it is flowering, the tree is fragrant with off-white to pink-tinted inflorescences standing out from the tree like so many bananas. The seeds are unmistakable, mahogany brown, around two inches in diameter, and smooth.
Characteristically they hang from the trees in late summer or on into early winter. The fruit is poisonous unless prepared with the greatest of care.
The Coast Miwok called it “ree ah'- te” and used its toxins to stun fish. The Pomo and other tribes collected buckeye seeds when their staple, acorns was low. Then they had to boil and leach the seed meats for days before it was ready for consumption.
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.