Ohkehteau (Plants of the Earth): A Shinnecock Oral History - Milkweed
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Discovery Garden
This plant is one of our cordage plants that makes natural rope or twine. In the fall, when the plant starts to die, it is time to harvest. We roll the stalks and the bark breaks off. The inside of the stalk has fibers that can be spliced into cordage. The cordage is oftentimes dyed and woven into baskets, bags, and belts. The plant itself has fleshy leaves and nice, straight stalks.
Plants of the Earth
Ohkehteau (Plants of the Earth): A Shinnecock Oral History highlights native plants around Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the ways that Indigenous peoples use and know them. On your self-guided tour, hear Chenae Bullock tell stories passed down to her and describe traditional uses for plants, including medicines that have been used for thousands of years
“It’s hard to protect what you cannot recognize. This tour was made with good intent to share the value of the plants and in turn, protect our Earth.” —Chenae Bullock
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Chenae Bullock is an enrolled Shinnecock Indian Nation tribal member and a descendant of the Montauk Tribe in Long Island, New York. Chenae is a community leader, water protector, cultural preservationist, Indigenous perspective historian, and humanitarian and has worked at many accredited Indigenous museums. She is the author of 50 Plant Medicines: Indigenous Oral History and Perspective, on which this exhibit is based.
