Tapping the informational wealth of elderly natives

[Guest guest]

Carol prabhu--

 

Very interesting post. Last July when the devotees came to Maine for the

Kandavaprastha Varnasrama Curriculum Development workshops, one of our

presenters

was Mrs. Wanda Garland, my son's highschool biology teacher. Some of her

ancestors were Micmac Indians (the Micmac are a Native American tribe of

Maine),

and her knowledge was phenomenal because she was able to combine information

from

her Micmac background, formal college degree in biology, and also her

association

as a student of James A. Duke who was the USDA's chief researcher on plant

medicines for about 20 years.

 

Anyway -- to get back to the point -- as you say, getting closer to information

of the native peoples of any area is a good way to unlock vast amounts of

knowledge about self-sufficient lifestyle in that area.

 

When Phalguna prabhu asked her to give suggestions about what might be

important

things to do to set up an excellent program for herbal training in a varnasrama

college, one of the things that she mentioned was the importance of learning at

least some of the language of the native peoples of the area you are studying,

"The secrets of many of the plants are locked in the native language. When you

learn the native language, you find out that this tree is a "basket tree," that

tree is a "boat tree," this herb is a "headache cure," that herb is a "bone

healer," and that herb is a "bleeding stopper."

 

She told him that another important factor in building a strong curriculum in

all

self-sufficient subjects was to search out and befriend the elderly members of

the local groups. Usually, they are treasure-troves of information which their

modern descendents no longer care about. Due to loneliness, neglect and

general

lack of respect for them, they generally respond quite well when someone comes

and demonstrates respect and that he or she values the information that they

can

offer.

 

your servant,

 

Hare Krsna dasi

 

 

 

DGilsen (AT) aol (DOT) com wrote:

 

> [Text 2926851 from COM]

>

> Hari Krishna to all

> At the risk of being called a fool (nothing new there) Most City folk

> simply do not have the necessary background to determine the usage's and

> manufacturing methods of our ancestors. We can't make a stringed instrument

> that sounds like a Stradivarius (sp?) That is not a mystery it is a lost

> construction technique. In the seventies a group of anthropologist build

> stone age type pit houses and lived in them for a year. My husband told me

> when he visited there that just as he entered the building he saw a shallow

> depression in the dirt to the right. He ask what that depression was that he

> had found them at all of that type of pit house. There had been many theories

> most involving ceremonial purposes or offering places for their deities.

> Actually said one of the residents that is where the chickens dust them

> selves when they come in for the night! Thirty year mystery solved by being

> there and living like them. Chickens no less!!!!

> I used to make flint and obsidian arrow heads, drills fish hooks and

> baskets. I was terrible at basket weaving, but I do know how to weave

> baskets, throw a spear with an ataliatal, make a fish spear, and live off the

> land. My husband would have starved to death in a supermarket if he didn't

> have a can opener. If you walk in the shoes of the people you are trying to

> figure out it really helps. Most mysteries have simple explanations if you

> understand the problem. I consider my scanner a mystery. But if I just took

> some time and figured it out well I would much further ahead. But I haven't

> so it is a mystery to me. It is probably simple to you, to me it is a first

> water mystery.

> Carol