Settlers kept some records, but did not thoroughly or American Indians In Northern Virginia Quartizite Rock accurately record the ways of Native Americans American Indians are said to have lived in this area The Nanticoke people used quartzite to make their Little Library before those ways were changed or lost. for more than 11,000 years. The Chesapeake Bay arrowheads. Quartzite is readily found in this area, area was home to the Nanticoke, Piscataway, and and was formed through geologic processes 544 Gardens In the 1910’s and 20’s, a cultural and political revival Powhatan tribes who shared the Algonquian million years ago. A sample of quartzite can be occurred for the Algonquian peoples. The Powhatan language. All of these Algonquian tribes were found in the fern collection. and what was left of the Nanticoke, created accustomed to living on the banks of the rivers and Native American Collection associations meant to push for Native American major tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay. They relied Further Information rights. The Great Depression and World War II on these water courses for food and communication. Learn more about Native Americans in The halted these efforts because people were more Farming areas were situated next to waterways, and Powhatan Indians of Virginia, Their Traditional focused on their immediate survival. In 1964, the the woods around these areas were used for hunting Culture, by Helen C. Rountree, University of Civil Rights Act reinvigorated the movement and foraging. Oklahoma Press (July 10, 2013). towards rights for Native Americans. In the 1980’s, Virginia passed legislation that officially recognized The Nanticoke lived in the wetlands areas of Learn more how Native Americans used plants in the Powhatan Tribes. Delaware. Plants that grow in wetlands were used for Native American Ethnobotany, by Daniel E.
food and clothing. The Powhatan and the Piscataway Moerman, 1998, Timber Press, Inc., Portman, OR;
Descendants of the Nanticoke, Piscataway, and tribes lived north and south of the Potomac river, or at: http://naeb.brit.org/ for an online database of Powhatan tribes continue to have a presence in the including southeast Virginia. They lived in zones of foods, drugs, dyes and fibers of Native American Chesapeake Bay region today. Understanding and mixed forest that were dense with nuts and berries. peoples, derived from plants. Dennstaedtia punctilobula preserving customs of Native Americans encourages Eastern Hay-scented Fern respect for people who are different than ourselves, The mixed forest is made up of three stories. The Visit the ongoing exhibition: “Return to a Native broadens our knowledge about the very land we live upper story, with trees that can grow up to 100 feet, Place: Algonquian Peoples of the Chesapeake” on, and promotes respect for our natural includes various species of oak and pine. The online and at the National Museum of the American environment. understory consists of plants growing up to 30 feet, Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.
such as dogwoods and sassafras. The bottommost
About the Garden layer is the shrub cover, which includes blueberries The Little Library Gardens Native American and spicebush. Collection is an opportunity for the visitor to learn how Native Americans in this area would have used In the 16th century, the Algonquian tribes of the The Ayr Hill Garden Club is the oldest garden club in the local, native plants for medicine and food. The Chesapeake Bay, were among the first Native National Capital Area Garden Clubs. It was founded in Lobelia siphilitica Great Blue Lobelia collection has two parts, one focused on ferns, and Americans to encounter Europeans. With the 1929 and named after Ayr Hill, the original name for Sanguinaria canadensis Bloodroot one that focuses on other plants that are found in the Vienna. The club also maintains the Little Library Garden establishment of Jamestown in 1607, settlers started Located alongside the shrub cover. There are also native upper and under to overtake Powhatan people and lands. This was the Colonial Herb Collection at the back of the Little Library, story trees in the vicinity of the garden that had food beginning of American colonization. the Pollinator Garden at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, the Little Library or medicinal uses. This Native American Collection W&OD Trail Garden at the intersection of Maple Avenue At the corner of Church and Mill Street is located within the mixed forest area known to the By the early 1700’s, the colonists had continued to next to Whole Foods, the Children’s Discovery Garden by the caboose and the Salsbury Spring Native Garden, at the Guided tours available by appointment at the Piscataway and Powhatan peoples. expand their territory, forcing most of the Nanticoke corner of Windover Avenue and Lawyers Road. More Freeman Store and Museum
and Piscataway to leave the Chesapeake Bay Area information about Ayr Hill Garden Club can be found at For the purpose of this garden, it has been assumed for Pennsylvania, Ohio, and eventually towards www.ayrhillgardenclub.org. Installed and maintained by that plants native to the mixed forests of Virginia Canada, where they assimilated into the Iroquois and were used in a similar fashion by the various Native Lenape tribes. American tribes that lived among the same plants up Historic Vienna, Inc. was incorporated in 1976 to preserve and down the eastern seaboard. Consequently, some Those who stayed behind were restricted in their the history of the town of Vienna. The Little Library is of the uses given for the plants grown in this garden freedom of movement. Even though many continued operated by Historic Vienna, Inc. and is open the first Sunday of the month from March to December and at are derived from records of the Cherokee, Delaware, to farm, trap, hunt, and fish, old customs became special events. More information can be found at and Iroquois in addition to what little is known about harder to maintain. Without a written language, www.historicviennainc.org. the ways of the Algonquian speaking tribes. many of the traditions of the Algonquian were lost. www.ayrhillgardenclub.org 05/18 A = Algonquian, C = Cherokee, D = Delaware, I = Iroquois, R = Rappahannock Perennial Collection Lobelia siphilitica Great Blue Lobelia for head colds. Mashed plant put on sores and cuts. Osmunda cinnamomea Cinnamon Fern Asarum canadense Canadian Wild Ginger Medicine (I) Used for coughs. Used to help Dried roots used for ear drops and sore eyes. Dye Medicine (I) Taken for headaches, joint pain and Medicine (A) infusion of roots given to against bewitchments. (Summer Blooms) (A) Red dye for clothing, skin, and weapons. (Spring colds. Fiber (I) Made into pillows and used by Blooms) small children for convulsions and children to prevent bed-wetting. fevers. (I) Roots used as a tonic colds, Mitchella repens Partridge Berry Medicine (D) Roots used as in a steam bath for Solidago flexicaulis Zig Zag Goldenrod Polystichum acrostichoides Christmas Fern coughs, scarlet fever and typhoid fever. Medicine (I) Compound of plant taken for Plant used to protect people from rheumatism. (I) Plant used for labor pains, Medicine (C) Compound of root applied for stomach aches and kidney problems. Also used in gastric distress and heart disease. (C) Used rheumatism. Compound used for toothache, colds witchcraft. (Semi Evergreen) for fevers. (Fall Blooms) love medicine. Food (I) Fruit mashed, made into and diarrhea. Smashed roots applied to children’s Cimicifuga racemose Black Cohosh, Black small cakes that are dried used in the future. Thalictrum dioicum Early Meadowrue back and head for red spots. Food (C) Fiddle heads (Evergreen) used for food. Bugbane Medicine (I) Roots used as a wash for sore
Medicine (I) Roots or plant used for rheumatism Mitella diphylla Bishop’s Cap, eyes. Roots taken for heart problems. (C) Pteridium aquilinum Western Brackenfern in a steam or soak bath, roots taken to help in Two leaf Miterwort Roots used for diarrhea and vomiting. Medicine (C) Root used as a tonic and (Spring Blooms) breastfeeding. (D) Roots used as a tonic. (Summer Medicine (I) Whole plant taken for Blooms) as an antiseptic. (I) Taken for diarrhea, vomiting and as a wash to Vaccinium angustifolium Lowbush rheumatism and tuberculosis. Root Claytonia virginica Virginia Spring Beauty counteract bad luck. Infusion of plant used as Blueberry shaped into person and placed in coffin Medicine (I) Powdered roots drops in sore eyes. (Spring Blooms) Medicine (A) Infusion of leaves given to babies for for witchcraft purposes.
given to children with colic. Food (A) Berries used fresh or made into convulsions. Food (A) corm Penstemon digitalis Bush Penstemon Medicine (I) Plant is used to cure a love medicine. preserves and fruit pemmican (I) fruit mashed, cooked and eaten like potatoes. make into small cakes and then dried for future use. Used to help with breast feeding. (Summer Blooms) Nearby Native Trees (Spring Blooms) (Spring Blooms)
Acer saccharinum Silver Maple Gaultheria procumbens Eastern Teaberry, Podophyllum peltatum May Apple Viburnum acerifolium Maple Leaf Viburnum Medicine (C) Bark used for cramps, hives and as a Wintergreen Medicine (D) Roots used as a Medicine (I) Infusion of bark mashed and applied wash for sore eyes. Hunting (I) Plant used as an Medicine (A) Used for headaches and aches. (D) laxative. (I) Leaves with other as poultice for pain caused by witchcraft also used aid on traps. Food (A) Used to make sugar (I) Bark plants used with poke root, mullein leaves, wild plants used to soak corn seeds for cramps and colic. ( Late Spring Blooms) dried and make into bread. Fiber (C) Wood used cherry and black cohosh as a tonic for rheumatism. before planting. Also used for to make baskets and furniture. (I) Wood used for (I) Roots taken for tapeworms, arthritis, and colds. boils. Food (I) Fruit mashed and bowls. made into small cakes that is dried for future use. Food (A) Berries used as a snack. (I) Fruit mashed Fern Collection and made into small cakes. (Evergreen) Dried fruit eaten when hunting. (Spring Blooms) Betula nigra River Birch Dennstaedtia punctilobula Eastern Medicine (C) Leaves used for colds Hepatica nobilis Sharp-lobed Hepatica Polygonatum biflorum King Solomon’s Seal Hay-scented Fern and dysentery. Medicine (I) Plants used to help women in Medicine (R) Roots applied as a salve to sores, Medicine (C) Compound infusion taken labor and taken for shortness of breath. cuts, and bruises. Food (C) Roots dried, pounded for chills. Cercis canadensis Eastern Redbud Roots used to tell fortune and chewed by into flour and made into bread. Leaves cooked and Medicine (C) Bark used for Dryopteris marginalis Marginal Woodfern women to bewitch men. (Spring Blooms) eaten as greens. (Spring Blooms) whooping cough. (D) Bark used for Medicine (C) Infusion of root used for vomiting and fever. Food (C) Jeffersonia diphylla Twinleaf Prenanthes alba Lion’s Foot, White rheumatism, emetic and toothache. Fiber (I) Made Flowers eaten by children. Medicine (C) Used for sores, ulcers and dropsy Rattlesnake Root into pillows for children to prevent bed-wetting. (I) Used for diarrhea. Medicine (I) Mashed roots applied to dog bites and Ilex opaca American Holly rattlesnake bites. (Fall Blooms) Onoclea sensibilis Sensitive Fern Medicine (C) Berries used for colic. Lindera benzoin Northern Spicebush Medicine (I) Used for arthritis, Dye (C) Berries used as a dye. Tool (C) Medicine (I) Leaves and twigs taken for colds and Sanguinaria canadensis Bloodroot tuberculosis and infection. Mashed Wood used to make spoons and carved in steam baths (R) Taken for menstruation pains. Medicine (A) Used as a tonic for heart leaves used on deep cuts. Food (I) into decorations. Food (C) Used as a spice to flavor opossum or problems (D) Combined with other Cooked and seasoned with salt and ground hog. (Spring Blooms) roots and used stomach aches. (I) pepper or butter. Fiber (I) Made into pillows and Plants taken for diarrhea and used by children to prevent bed-wetting. Source: Native American Ethnobotany, by Daniel E. Moerman © 1998, Timber Press, Inc Portman, OR. tapeworms. Dried plant used as snuff