by Janice F. Booth
Jun. 14, 2023
A new, collaborative project gathers wisdom from the Indigenous Peoples of Maryland’s Eastern Shore
Tidewater, Nanticoke, Algonquin, Powhatan. Do these names sound familiar? Perhaps a restaurant or creek come to mind. But originally these were familiar names in the Algonquin language and lives of the Indigenous People of our region. The Nanticoke Nation was referred to as the Tidewater people of the Eastern Shore; they spoke Algonquin and were allied with the Powhatan Confederacy of what became Virginia. The Nanticoke leaders, referred to as warriors, generously welcomed Captain John Smith in 1608 as he led an expedition into the lands and rivers where the Nanticoke resided, the Delmarva Peninsula.
When the Europeans began to explore the East Coast of North America, there were and still are five indigenous nations or tribes. Until the late-17th century these tribes lived in established villages, farming and hunting the Delmarva Peninsula, as they had been doing for over 2,000 years, from 1000 BCE to 1608 CE. These five tribes are the Wicomiss, Choptanks, Nanticokes, Pocomokes, and Assateagues.
So, let’s get the tough truths out of the way: In the early part of the 17th century (before being decimated by plagues and attacks), the five indigenous nations greeted and aided colonists. However, it was not until 1879 that the United States Federal Government granted the Indigenous People “personhood.” In 1921, the Nanticoke Nation formed a legal organization to provide a united voice to defend their rights. Finally, in 1924, the Indigenous People were granted U.S. citizenship.
Today, Marylanders living on the Eastern Shore are exploring, acknowledging, and honoring the Delmarva’s often painful and complex history—slavery, the Underground Railroad, and the Indigenous Peoples are major components of that history. Among the Eastern Shore’s projects to honor what had been repressed are the Harriet Tubman Museum, the Self-Guided Underground Railroad Tour, the Frederick Douglass Driving Tour, and the rebuilt Nanticoke village, Chicone at Handsell, Maryland.
Expanding that examination and honoring what had been suppressed in the past, Washington College’s Food Initiative program (WCFI) collaborated with Adkins Arboretum and the Botanical Art League of the Eastern Shore on a project studying tribal life and focusing on 21 of Maryland’s native plants prized and used as food and medicine by Indigenous People.
A view of the Nanticoke River looking southwest shows wetlands in the foreground, which remain much as they were several hundred years ago. Photo by Matt Rath/Chesapeake Bay Program.
Top Photo: A wetland with cattails and a raised walkway is seen at Adkins Arboretum in Caroline County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The natural, native landscape harkens to an earlier time of indigenous Americans. Photo by Chesapeake Bay Program.Bottom Photo: An interpretive sign explaining a forested floodplain is seen at Adkins Arboretum. Photo by Chesapeake Bay Program.
According to Adkins Arboretum, there were approximately 20,000 Choptank living on the Eastern Shore prior to 1600 CE. Adkins Arboretum is situated on land once inhabited by the Choptank People. Daniel “Firehawk” Abbott, a member of the Nanticoke Nation and respected historian of Indigenous Peoples, consulted on the project and vetted the material on the project’s web pages. “WCFI shares a passion for healthy food that honors our cultural, ecological, and ancestral heritage” observed Washington College Program Director Shane Brill in an interview with Amelia Blades Steward.
From the three entities’ collaborative research, came the Adkins Arboretum’s interactive and informative website named, Indigenous Peoples’ Perspective Project, which offers a “field trip” into the world of the native populations of the Eastern Shore. The site discusses the tribal nations, including historical perspective, interactive maps, the plants favored by Indigenous People and their uses, as well as three videos.
The Arboretum explains: “The project seeks to encourage a paradigm shift from land as capital to land as sacred teacher, healer, and sustainer…Through the Indigenous Peoples’ Perspective Project, the Arboretum and the WCFI strive to honor the wisdom of native peoples and their unique relationship with nature by sharing their ecological perspectives, history, and traditions.
The website and a native-plants art exhibit, held earlier this year (in January and February), bring to life what might have otherwise been dry research. The 21 native plants that were studied for the Indigenous Peoples’ Perspective Project were captured gracefully in botanical illustrations—many by renowned artist Anna Grace Harding—using graphite, watercolor, and colored pencils. Washington College, Adkins Arboretum, and the Botanical Arts League’s Indigenous Peoples’ Perspective Project’s website and art exhibit were funded with a grant from the Maryland Historic Trust along with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and private funds.
Visit Adkins Arboretum’s Indigenous Peoples’ Perspective Project Here.
Bring up the Adkins Arboretum link on your smartphone; you’ll find a self-guided walking tour through meadows, forests, and marshlands. Each stop on the tour includes a brief history of the Indigenous People who inhabited the natural space. The page has illustrations of the people and the plants found in the area. For example, on the meadow page, Sumac is one of the plants showcased. The Choptank people ate the red berries like candy, dried berries were smoked, and a paste made from the plant was used to treat blisters and rashes. (Caution: Green or White Sumac berries are poisonous.) The meadow page also talks about deer tracks and the significance of the deer to the native people. The site’s information will capture the imagination of young people as well as interest adults.
The forest page includes illustrations and explanations of the shelters—wigwams and long houses built by the Choptanks. The forest page also introduces pawpaw fruit and the tree that produces it. The page notes that the pawpaw is a tropical plant that was brought north by the droppings from long extinct, migrating animals. The pawpaw is such a versatile and useful fruit that native Americans cultivated the trees. Pawpaw could be eaten raw, made into custard, and dried to become flour for cakes. The tree’s bark was woven into rope or string.
The Elderberry plants discussed on the marshland page capture the imagination of children by referring to Harry Potter’s “Elderwand,” which was made from elderberry wood. Children are even encouraged to try weaving a mat of cattail reeds. We’re told the various uses for the cedar tree’s feathery branches and cones that resemble blue berries. All three of the self-guided tour web pages suggest small projects for children to attempt.
Three beautifully produced videos show the various plants, berries, and seeds with a voice-over explaining the uses of each variety. And, if you haven’t time for the videos, the site has a list of the 21 plants. Click on the names and you’ll go to a page that explains how the plant was used by the people who lived on the land. Among these interesting plants is the Shagbark Hickory. Indigenous People found uses for the entire tree—leaves, nuts, bark, fruit, wood, and sap. The nuts were prized for food and drinks. The bark provided an astringent prized as a salve to stop bleeding and cleanse wounds. The hickory wood could be fashioned into useful tools, and the bark woven into baskets.
The Ground Nut, commonly called a potato-bean, is more than a pretty face, with its pink or lavender blossoms. Like other tubers, the Ground Nut’s fibrous roots were harvested year-round and cooked into tasty, nutritious dishes. The softened tubers were also used as a compress on wounds and skin abrasions.
Another common tree that was prized as useful to Indigenous People was the Slippery Elm. It was a veritable medicine bag! Chewing the soft, inner bark (thus the name “slippery”) calmed stomachs, relaxed bowels, cured heartburn, and soothed sore throats. The same inner bark was made into a poultice or paste and applied to burns, wounds, and other skin irritations, even being used on the eye.
And let’s consider the mighty Milkweed. Not only loved by butterflies and bees, Milkweed was prized and used by resourceful Choptank natives—cooked and eaten like asparagus, added to soups, and mixed with animal fat to create chewing gum. The stalks give off a milky juice that was made into glue, and the soft seeds from the pods were used to stuff pillows. Medicinally, Milkweed was used to treat rheumatism, backaches, and urinary problems.
There are 17 more plants showcased and explained, along with interactive maps and videos within the Adkins Arboretum’s Indigenous Peoples’ Perspective Project website. The research, creation of the website, and art exhibit showcase our region’s native history and offer perspective about the life and times of Indigenous Americans.
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What an interesting article!! Loved it.