This book is an attempt to help complete the story of the Cherokee people, their relationship with each other and with their environment. To accomplish this we are dealing with the plants and some of the uses made of them by the Cherokee people during the past 400 years. Some of the uses have gradually passed; many of the rituals related to medicine plants and their healing have already been lost for lack of the right people to carry them forward. This book is organized into two sections. The first section contains general information on how and why plants are used. Our concept of the spirit of the Cherokees' relationship to their environment is presented here. Please accept and observe this spirit when you use this book. The second section contains lists of plants from the earliest recorded contacts of Cherokees with other peoples. This can be used in conjunction with a good wildflower or tree guide to appreciate southern Appalachian forests as seen through the eyes of a Cherokee.
By Paul B. Hamel and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Paperback