Venturing on the land during COVID-19 could boost knowledge of traditional healing.
As some choose to go on the land to socially distance, however, English River First Nation medicinal plant expert Victor Mispounas encourages them to familiarize themselves with traditional plants and healing.
“(They should) know what plants are good for what type of disease, (because) a person just pretending to have the knowledge of medicinal plants and their uses can seriously hurt people,” Mispounas, who has limited hearing, wrote over email.
One resource, a small booklet recently published by Dene Nation in NWT, was made to “support Dene communities to get back to the bush and to keep healthy as they deal with illness during the Covid-19 virus pandemic,” notes the book’s introduction.
It lists 10 basic plants used in traditional healing. They include options like Labrador tea, which can be steeped in boiling water to relieve ailments like colds, coughs and congestion. Others, like rat root, can be burnt at the roots to treat symptoms like headaches. The book also offers advice on equipment and preparations for people going on the land.
For some, it could be an opportunity to revisit traditional knowledge that was previously limited.
Mispounas, who is Cree and Dene, came from a family of knowledge keepers, but only learned about traditional healing later in life. Until 2000, he was “leery” of learning traditional practices that were repressed for decades, he said.
For those heading onto the land during the pandemic, there’s nothing wrong with gathering plants, he said.
Candyce Paul, an elder mentor with English River First Nation, agrees that going on the land could help spread traditional knowledge.
When living on the land in a remote area, there’s no health clinic nearby, Paul noted. She’s come to rely on her knowledge of first aid using traditional healing.
In her own work with youth, she makes sure to demonstrate respect for plants, including making the proper offerings and avoiding depleting the resources in one area, she said. She encourages people to learn more from experts like Mispounas.
“You’re much better off knowing something about plants that could be useful to you, say, if you got bit by an animal or (got) cut or injured or got sick. It would be good to know what plants are out there.”
