TSI SHONKWAIENTHO:WI TANON OHONTESHONAH IE SMALL PLANTS AND GRASSES

Introduction

As Onkwehon:we (Native Peoples), we have a special relationship with the small plants and grasses. This relationship goes all the way back to the time of Creation. In this chapter, I will express our thanks and appreciation to the small plants and grasses by using the Thanksgiving Address (ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen). I will explain why the grasses are important and discuss their relationship and value to all of creation. I will also talk about why we need the small plants to sustain life on Mother Earth. By starting with the people and moving up to the sky, I will also discuss the interrelationship between the grasses and small plants and the rest of Creation.

The People

The people’s duty here on Mother Earth is to give thanks to all creation and to never take it for granted. If we ever forget our original instructions and stop giving thanks, the other beings will go away and never come back. We give thanks to the small plants and grasses for the many great gifts that they bring to us. The small plants and grasses provide us with food to eat. Many plants are edible in the wild and they are there for us when we need them such as mushrooms, wild rice, dandelion and fiddleheads, to name just a few. Even our corn, a staple of our diet, is a grass.

The plants are also valuable to us because they filter toxics out of the air and provide us with clean air. They also speak a language to us. They tell us what region we are in. If you are lost in the woods, look at the plants. They will tell you where you are. For example, the mosses grow on the north side of trees. Some plants only grow in cold regions; some only grow in wet regions. All are specially adapted to the particular climate of that region.

We also use the fibers from the plants to make clothing and rope. Wild flowers are used for dyes to make our clothes more colorful so we don’t all look the same. We use some plants, like the sunflower, to make oil for our lanterns.

The small plants and grasses have many uses and purposes here on Mother Earth. This is why the Creator gave us so many different kinds of plants. It doesn’t matter if they are big or small. They are all important.

The relationship that we have with the grasses and small plants is based on mutually beneficial interactions. They are thankful to the people because we create habitat for the grasses to grow. When we burn thick brush in old fields or the edge of forests, we make room for new life. It all starts with the grasses and small plants that need the clearing to see and feel the warmth of the sun for their growth. The grasses and small plants need people to continue to exist for the future generations. This is how we are supposed to co-exist on Mother Earth. It took a long time for Onkwehon:we to develop this relationship with the plants. It has taken generations of living together to strengthen our common bond. This is why it is so important for our people to pass this knowledge on to the next generation.

Mother Earth

The plants are also thankful for Mother Earth for giving them the soil that supports their existence. Some consider the grasses reciprocate by providing a matting of protection for the soil that is our Mother Earth, so this living matter does not erode into the waters or blow away into the air. Humans and other animals look to the earth as our garden. The grasses and small plants are what we eat. We have to always remember that power and strength does not lie with the people but is within the land itself and its ability to produce food and medicine to sustain and heal the people and the rest of creation.

Foods and Berries

The foods and berries are thankful to the small plants because this is where they originated. Foods that we eat today such as potatoes, beans, squash, onions and corn where once wild. It wasn’t until Onkwehon:we domesticated these plants that they became what we know and eat today. The same is true of the berry plants. They are still wild in some areas where they can be found and picked. The small plants and grasses give thanks to the foods and berries for bringing great respect and recognition to the small plants and for providing sustenance for the two and four legged animals so they can walk on Mother Earth for another day.

Medicines

The medicines give thanks to the small plants and grasses because this is where they originated. Each plant has a purpose and each is unique. If we are sick, the plants will speak to us in our dreams. They will tell us where to find them. If you respect the plants, they will be there for you. The small plants and grasses give thanks to the medicines for bringing them respect and recognition and for healing the two and four legged animals on Mother Earth.

The Waters and Fish

The plants and grasses are thankful to the waters for quenching their thirst and allowing them to grow. All plants need water for survival. The waters in turn are also thankful for the plants and grasses because they provide oxygen, food and shelter for all of the water beings. The plants help to purify the waters. They absorb toxicants from the water and give off oxygen for the fish to breath. This is another reason why the people are thankful to the plants because they keep the fish alive to provide food for us. Without the macrophytes, the small plants in the water, the lakes, rivers, streams and ponds would be devoid of life.

Animals

The animals give thanks to the small plants and grasses for providing them with food and shelter. Without them, all the animals, from the largest moose to the smallest insect, would not be able to survive. The grasses and shrubs provide food for the herbivores (plant eaters) who in turn provide food for the carnivores (meat eaters). When there are fewer plants or when some disappear, the balance in the ecosystem becomes severely disrupted and the animals suffer. The grasses and shrubs also provide the small animals with shelter from predators and severe weather.

The plants in turn are thankful for the animals and insects for spreading their seeds as they travel. Some plants are completely dependent on animals for their existence since the animals and insects help them reproduce by spreading pollen from plant to plant. Without bees, hummingbirds and small mammals, we would have many fewer species of plants. Even large animals such as bison help to support the grasses and small plants by trans­porting their seeds in their fur. When the bison were exterminated, many species of prairie grasses disappeared. When Native peoples brought the bison back, the prairie grasses also returned.

Birds

The birds are thankful to the plants because they provide food such as berries and seeds for some birds. They also provide food for insects, which sustain other species of birds. The plants are thankful to the birds for spreading the seeds of the wild plants and for helping to keep their diversity alive.

Trees

The plants are thankful for the trees since they provide shade from the powerful sun. The trees are considered to be the protectors of the small plants. Many plants would not survive without the protection they receive from the sun and wind. The trees in turn are thankful to the plants, since following their death, the small plants provide nutrients for the trees.

Winds

The winds are thankful to the plants for purifying the air, absorbing toxicants and providing oxygen for all living things on earth. The plants are thankful to the winds for helping them reproduce by spreading their seeds on the ground so that new life will continue.

Skyworld

The plants look up to the skyworld and give thanks to the Thunders, Sun, Moon and Stars. Each of these things possess special powers that enable the plants to exist on Mother Earth. The Thunders bring the rains which quench the thirst of the plan life. The sun’s rays give strength and warmth to the plants, allowing them to grow and reproduce. The moon provides special powers at night to make sure the plants continue to grow and reproduce until the next rise of the sun. The stars spread the dew at night, which cools the plants and quenches their thirst when the Thunders are not around.

Creator

The plants give thanks to our Creator who made them and gave them their duties. The Creator also made human beings so that they could give thanks to the plants. It is in giving thanks that we are reminded about the importance of the grasses and small plants. All plants have a right to exist. I we are disrespectful to the plants, then we are disrespectful to the Creator. One of the most important things that we have to be thankful for is that the plants are still performing the duties as the Creates instructed them to do.