BEARBERRY-Camp

In tradition the stories will only be posted in the winter months as they where told in the past when the tribal peoples retired to their lodges and spent many cold days and nights at a time telling one story, It is said that it could take more then three days to tell one story. 

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE YOUR PEOPLES STORIES OF THE PAST WITH ME AND OTHERS HERE ON MY PAGE.

Of plants animals peoples and geological events that would indicate there presents before the time of the Bering Strait Theory , on both sides of the northern Isthmus that was once there that separates Turtle Island and Asia.

Remember all Ancient stories are welcome here.

 Thank you      THE GIFT OF THE BEAR

The plant contains arbutin,, a bitter principle, ursolic acid, tannic acid, gallic acid, some essential oil and resin,hydroquinones (mainly arbutin, up to 17%), tannins (up to 15%), phenolic glycosides and flavonoids.

The leaves are picked any time during the summer and dried for use in infusions, liquid extracts, medicinal tea bags and tablets. The plant has the following claimed properties: anti-lithic, aromatic, astringent, disinfectant, diuretic, lithontripic, sedative (renal), stimulant (mild), tonic, urinary antiseptic. It has been used to treat arthritis, back pain (lower), bed wetting, bile problems, bladder infections, bloating, bright’s disease, bronchitis, cararrh of the bladder, cystitis, diabetes (by removing excessive sugar from the blood), diarrhea, fevers, fluid retention, gallstones, gonorrhea, headache (smoked), haemorrhoids, indigestion, kidney stones, kidney infections, liver problems, lung congestion, excessive menstruation, nephritis, obesity, pancreatitis, prostate gland weakness, rheumatism, chronic urethritis, vaginal discharge, vaginal diseases, and water retention.

It is claimed to strengthen the heart muscle and urinary tract, return the womb to its normal size after childbirth, and prevents uteral infection. It is also claimed to be a powerful tonic for the sphincter muscle of the bladder so it helps with bladder control problems. It has a strong bacteriostatic action against Staphylococci and e. coli.The leaves have strong astringent properties.

Bearberry is relatively safe, although large doses may cause nausea, green urine, bluish-grey skin, vomiting, fever, chills, severe back pain, ringing in the ears (some people can withstand up to 20g and others show signs of poisoning after just 1g); take no more than 7–10 days at a time.

It should not be used by people who are pregnant, breast feeding, nor in the treatment of children (under 12) and patients with kidney disease. Drug interactions have been recorded with diuretics, as well as drugs that make the urine acidic (such as ascorbic acid and Urex).

KINNICKINNICK:

INDIGENOUS Peoples of Turtle Island used it with tobacco and other herbs in religious ceremonies; used as a smudge (type of incense) or smoked in a sacred pipe, it carried the smoker’s prayers to the Great Spirit. When mixed with tobacco, it was referred to as Kinnikinnick, from an Algonquian (probably Delaware) word for “mixture”. The Indigenous also used Bearberry tea to treat inflammation of the urinary tract, urethritis, kidney stones, and cystitis. The Cheyenne used the tea to treat back sprains. Some Indigenous tribes powdered the leaves and applied them to sores. Other tribes drank it to treat venereal diseases. The berries were also made into a tea that was used to ward off obesity. Early European settlers in the Americas used the leaves taken internally as an astringent to treat nephritis, kidney stones and other diseases of the urinary system.


THE KNOWLEDGE AND IT’S FIRST TELLING

According to the original telling of the Anishaanabek, the first council of spirits was held Center-of-Earth, and it was called by the Upper-Air Spirits to ask assistance of the Under-Earth Spirits in saving a strange, unfurred group of animals.

Otter and Bear, two of the most famous dodemog, were chosen to push the first Tree of Life (Nokonis Giishik-Grandmother Ceder) from Center-of-Earth though to the surface, forming the fisrt channel of communication between Above and Below. In those days, it is siad, the main communicator of the on-surface world was Bahmbetah-Benaysee (Rhythm-Beater/Pace-Setter) whose gregarious nature led him to snoop into every thing and then disperse messages by beating rhtyms on anything available. He saw the first tree of life and the first Bear-Berry pulled though.

“HURRY UP” called otter down to the crack in the earth where the top of the first ceder began to appear.

” My fur is drying out in the warm winds of Above.
Give it your best effort” So Bear, who was still down inside pushing, gave one last mighty heave with his powerful muscles, The earth trembled, and the first Tree-of-Life emerged in the sunlite, quickly followed by Bear himself.

“COME ON” urged Otter, “we have done as Council told us.I am auxious to return to Below”

“Not so fast there” growed Bear. He lifted his great head and curously sniffed the warn smells of “Above”.

“I would like to see the unfurred creature for whom the whole Council is concerned.”

“Very well” bobbrd the agreeable Otter, “but make it snappy” The two dodem animals did not have far to look. They came upon a cluster of the unfurred creatures pounding bark. Seeing the dodemog, they howled, dropped the bark, and fled all but one small creature who could not even stand on his own hind legs, Bear stared at the naked little beast.

“No wonder they need help; no claws, no fangs, no fur, no chew-teeth. Not even a berry”

“Not even, a what?”

“Not even a berry”

Bear pointed down an opening in the little beast’s head head, out of which came wails of piercing annoying sounds.

“Gaween Kagagee. No safty berry. Like mine, see”

Bear leaned back his huge head, parting his gleaming jaws, and Otter obligingly peered in the cavern. There, hanging from the back of Bears throat, was a round, ripe miskomin (rose colored berry)

“Sure enough siad Otter. What do you do with it?’

“What do i do with it” That’s the last berry. it holds all the other berries I’ve ever eaten before, down inside… And I never starve becouse the last berry is always there”

Otter slid impatiently into the water.

” I don’t really understand why anyone would eat beeries” he called, “but if you think that beast=child needs one…. give him a bear berry too. and then lets go”.

Bear scrunched down on his great buttocks and slid down the sand dune onto the beach. Behind him, where his rump had opened up the sand into a furrow, grew a long vine with shining green leaves and little round red berries just like the one hanging in Bears thoart. Bear reached over, yanked off a berry, and pop it into the wailing beast-childs mouth.

“There , now,” as he rumbled in tender bear tones, “you shell not starve. You have a bear berry too”

The astonished little beast was still, trying to keep his bear berry down.

(That is what babies are doing, you know, when you see them silently swallowing, swallowing…trying to keep their bear berries down).

The warm sunlight of Above shone out upon the first cedar, upon the new bearberry vine, and upon the plunge circles in the water, as Otter and Bear returned to Below.

Bahmbetah-Benaysee, who had closely watched everything that happened, flew to the Tree of Life. Carefully he positioned his grabbing toes onto the oily bark. Then he threw back his handsome hammer head and wapped out the first rhythmic beat ever sounded on cedar?

(Origin tellings o of the first bearberry plant retold by Keewaydinoquay from stories Mideogema told his grandchildren. 1923-1927)