I would like to tell you about my herbal journey. This goes back to when I was researching Chi Pisa La Chike: An Irishman’s Promise. After attending a workshop for Choctaw writers, led by Sarah Sawyer, the group was asked to write a family story about the Trail of Tears. I didn’t really need a reason to spend time with Grandpa, but this assignment gave him an excuse to talk about his family. He was born in Frogville, Oklahoma. Don’t waste your time trying to find it on a map. The town no longer exists. The census lists his birthplace as Kiamichi County, Indian Territory. I heard wonderful stories about bringing home a Christmas ornament from the school Christmas tree, paying the family down the road in slaughtered pigs to help bring in a harvest, riding the ferry across the Red River, and so many more.
During one visit, he told me about breaking his arm as a young boy. His great-grandmother, Harriett, was the family doctor. She set the bone and gave him medicine for the pain. As she did this, Harriett explained how to be brave. She told him about being separated from her dad and older brothers while she was on the Trail of Tears, and only a few years older than he was. I was fascinated by this and learned as much as possible about Grandmother Harriett and the types of medications the tribe had access to.
After I wrote the story, I could not get Grandmother Harriett out of my mind. Not only did she doctor anyone who knocked on her door, but she was also very well known for her spinning and weaving. Her husband built a Spinning House, where she spent the majority of her time. I also learned to spin wool into yarn and the very basics of weaving.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything was shut down, and I was completely out of roving. So, if I couldn’t spin, I looked into the other thing she was known for, herbalism. I’ve been studying ever since. That is a long way to say, I was inspired by my g-g-g-g grandmother and found a subject I love as much as writing.
Tell me about who inspired you? What did they inspire you to do?
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