Baashkojiibikonii

Arisaema triphyllum
जैक-में-मंच
Jack-in-the-Pulpit

These flowers are absolutely amazing in so many ways, except medicinally, there is little knowledge around their medicinal use, which is unfortunate. The only stories gleaned are those that tell of its virtues in midwifery.  The name “Baashkjiibigonii” is describing an anticipation around the time when this flower blooms. Early spring after the snow melts you probably notice everything outside is super quiet, not too many birds, few insects, no frogs just silence. Now, bashk-azigan is a gun, describing the loud bang. Bashk-jiibikonii is describing what happens when this flower blooms the explosion of noise.

This noise is probably mostly due to insects, some of which add to the noise themselves but mostly are food for frogs and birds. The frogs start singing, insects start making their noises, the birds start singing - especially the warblers, which are collectively probably the loudest birds. When this flower blooms is when the explosion of loud noises in spring begin!  

Trillium roots are used in traditional Anishnaabe fishing strategies.We net fish using mended basswood fibres, unlike nylon, basswood nets will absorb oils from the trillium tea they are soaked in. Trillium root tea is used like a conductor; once a net is washed with trillium roots it is ready for other roots to be added to attract certain species of fish.Trillium roots and Star-Flowered Solomans seal (Nimebinegodek) are for Nimebine Suckers. Trillium roots and Canadian Ginger (Nimepin) are used for sturgeon Nime, With this method you don't get a net full of suckers, catfish and pike, you only get pike, or only sturgeon, or only trout and when you mix some of the attractant roots together we can control the mixture of fish we get!

Every plant has a creature, it has a special relationship with, and trillium roots are an amazing conductor that allows us to connect to the fish world."

Nimepin

Asarum canadense
जंगली अदरक
Wild Ginger

Every creature has a plant that they are connected to. We all know cat-nip right? It's regarded as a pseudo-narcotic, for cats! Its legit too, go try it! When you give a cat cat-nip, it goes super bonkers, eats, then chills for the afternoon.All you dog owners, can you recall your dog doing a similar thing to grass? Tearing up a patch of grass, eating a ton and then losing its mind in a field, sprinting back and forth, jumping and rolling, Only to end the exciting session by grabbing a bite to eat then chilling for a few hours.Imagine a moose on ... moose-nip?

Nmepin, our Canadian wild-ginger has a connection, a special relationship with sturgeon! Yes, this idea of plants and creatures extends to the world of fish!

I heard of this ancient practice of washing fish nets with different plant teas to attract different species of fish. At first, I thought it was ludicrous. Until it was put to the test.Our knowledge holders talk about Nmepin and how if you wash your nets with the roots you will catch sturgeon. I got to tell this to different research groups conducting research on sturgeon, and we have had truly phenomenal results. 

This species of fish faces a huge threat. That is, hydro. Dam's that control the level of the waters is what is mainly responsible for their decline. The species stays too small and vulnerable for too long. The dam raises the water levels and the tiny vulnerable sturgeon are washed out and that's it, that's all. Due to hydro not caring about sturgeon what-so-ever, we have to figure out an alternative. We resort to research to help this species.

If only we can just catch more fish!  

Lucky for sturgeon we have retained some traditional harvesting practices that might actually be responsible, in the near future, for the saving of their species! Is that ironic or what?! I have worked with a research team who used this method and caught more fish in 2 nets than in the last 4 years!

When you talk to elders about this plant, they all seem to be saying the same thing. It is called sturgeon potato because they eat it! ""They crawl up on shore and eat that plant!"" especially one elderly lady from Birch Island, she spoke of it as though it just happened a few moments ago, like, you just missed it!After a bit of research, I realized that sturgeon is actually a prehistoric fish, they have remained basically unchanged since the dinosaur days. Guess what we understand from fossil records: sturgeon lost their ability to crawl five-hundred-thousand years ago! Guess what else we understand from fossil records: when sturgeon used to be able to crawl, their diet was full of vegetation. That means this lady from Birch Island told me a five-hundred-thousand-year-old history as if it just happened. So I went back to her story immediately and it turns out that I was wrong, it did not just happen moments ago.

She did not grow up stepping over sturgeon in the middle of the forest and that in fact, they were just stories her parents told her of, "an older time, a long time ago."" Not only did she give a five-hundred-thousand-year-old history, but she gave me an accurate five-hundred-thousand-year-old informal history. This means, this history was not institutionalized, it’s not an important history that we made or are making an actual effort to keep, like say our ceremonial tradition. Imagine what happens when it is a history we do want to retain?