Our Wild Foods & Medicines Team shares wisdom from local native plants, including skills for self reflection, mindfulness, and more. Their care for our plant companions reminds us to appreciate the beauty of nature. Read on to learn more about the lovely people who energize this team and which native plants represent their unique gifts.
Elise and Plantain
Plantain is the magic of healing found right under our feet. Plantain reminds us that we can draw on our more than human relations to help us self-soothe. Chewing on plantain or heating it gently in oil brings forth medicine for drawing out infection and soothing our skin and stomach lining. Plantain seeds develop a sticky outer coating which sticks to the bottom of feet so this medicine travels far and wide. Elise is like plantain. She reminds us of the medicine all around us and she generously seeds this knowledge throughout our GRuB ecosystem. Her teachings are sticky too, bc they are crafted with the love and intention of a devoted teacher who knows how to offer a lesson that will stick. When staff need a guide on our personal journey’s Elise is always willing to slow down and talk. Thanks Elise for helping us build our skills this year with your teachings!
Mariana and Camas
Camas teaches us about reciprocity. The stunning purple bloom on camas prairies reminds us of relationships of reciprocity between native people and the land. Mariana has told us the story of Grandmother Camas, a story from her Yakama Nation, many times to remind us how the Camas saved the people. Staff described Mariana as thoughtful, grounded, and a creative storyteller. Mariana’s storytelling and weaving of relationships in the tribal cohorts is medicine. We are grateful for her generosity in sharing stories with staff, youth and others throughout GRuB’s programs. Stories help us find our way back to connection with the land and each other and our cultural home in ways that point us to our power and responsibility. Thank you Mariana.
Yaya and Wild Strawberry
Wild strawberries are small but pack a very sweet punch. These strawberries tell us to remember to stop and smell the flowers through our hardships, and to bring more joy in our lives. Yaya is much like a wild strawberry, reminding us to have fun and to bring laughter in our work and personal lives. Having Yaya join the staff team was absolutely necessary, not only to help Wild Foods and Medicine program, but to bring a joyful and sweet energy to the entirety of GRuB. Yaya and strawberries tell us to expand our minds or our “runners” and to keep spreading more smiles and to not forget to really embrace the sweet moments that we may come across in life.
You can learn more about the different skills plants teach us by checking out our Plant Teachings portal here.
