Medicine Walk

The students will have firsthand experience searching for and harvesting traditional Stó:lō medicines in a respectful way.

Safety:

• Students will be front loaded with safety precautions before heading outside
  • Stay together as a group
  • Do not wander off the path
  • Be mindful of where you step

Traditional Plant Introduction:

• Using images, students will be introduced to each plant: plantain, yarrow and clover. The educator will explain the benefit of each medicine and how each was used. The teacher will also use the Halq’eméylem names for the medicines:
  • Plantain: slháwels te pípehó:m (literally frog’s leaf)
    • Uses: “Leaves can be rumpled and used as a poultice. Also an antiseptic applied to open wound or blister (can be made into a salve for the same purpose). Plant can be used as medicine for rheumatism. Tea is good for stomach trouble.”
  • Yarrow: xaweqál (literally carrot like)
    • Uses: “Tuberculosis medicine.” Can also be used as an anti-inflammatory when made into a salve.
  • Clover: lhō:me
    • Uses: “Red flowers can be eaten.” Clover can also be used for cuts and burns as a salve.

Medicine Walk:

• Students will be introduced to the Stó:lō prayer in Halq’eméylem that should be spoken to the plants before they are picked. We will do this as a group outside before we pick.
  • St’ólmexw Sts’eheyelh

Le th’exwstelemt Ō Chichelh Síyám.
Maytólxwchexw.
Th’exwmetólxwchexw.
Lálhtset túlh tsós.
Qex te shxwhókwixtset.
Shxwemlólxwchexw.
Yálhyúxwkw’ashó:y.

• The students will be asked to identify clover, yarrow, and plantain during the walk and notify the educator
• The educator will model the plant prayer and encourage students to join in. It is important to explain that the Stó:lō people always thank living things for what they’re offering to us, which is why we say the prayer before we harvest
• It is also important to explain that we only take what we need. Taking more than what we need is disrespectful to the plants, to any living thing and the Earth
• The students will be given time to pick some of the plants before returning back to class

Plant Preparation

• In class, the students will rinse any dirt or debris on the plants and lay them out on paper towel by the window to dry for a few days

Reflection

• While the students are working on the plant preparation, they will be asked to think about what they felt about the medicine walk. The educator will do a check-in with each student and receive verbal feedback of the lesson and activities.

Homework

• The students will be given a plant identification worksheet to take home to complete and return the next day.

Spiritual

Traditional Stó:lō territory contains the plants and medicines responsible for the wellness of our people.  The guidance of traditional healers has and continues to play a major role in community health.  Much of today’s youth are unaware of many of the traditional uses of our plants, and so intergenerational transmission of this knowledge will greatly benefit students who thrive off of relational learning.

Emotional

Though an activity, the medicine walk is very much representative of a much larger healing journey.  The Elders who hold this knowledge serve as guides and teachers to our youth.  The process that goes into the harvesting and creation of our medicines largely serves as a means of restoring balance in the mind, body, and spirit.  It is also a means of helping our youth connect with their communities and local environment. 

Physical

The entire process is experiential and hands-on and provides an exceptional opportunity for experiential learners to thrive.  From the actual harvesting of local plants and medicines and preparation, to the creation of the final product – a salve, students are consistently given the opportunity to apply the acquired knowledge.

Intellectual

There are many ecological, nutritional, and medicinal facts that students will have to remember pertaining to plants and medicines. Students will also learn about the ways that plants adapt to survive within their environments.  Typically, students think that many of these plants are weeds before being taught otherwise.