By Nicole Lim, J.D. (Pomo/Miwok)
Bah’-ki is the Southern Pomo word for elderberry. Throughout Sonoma County and the state, California Native Americans continue to gather and steward elderberries as an important nutritional, medicinal and cultural resource. Elderberry has and continues to be one of our most important plant relatives. California Native Americans share spiritual and physical connections to elderberry due to its diversity of uses. Its flowers can serve as medicinal teas; its leaves and stems can induce vomiting; the berries can be transformed into immune boosting sauces, syrups and tinctures; and the wood can be transformed into musical instruments, carrying our ceremonial songs and prayers. Elderberry is often called “the keeper of the music“ because its hollow branches are transformed into flutes, whistles and clapper sticks that celebrate the songs of our people.
The seasonal lifecycle of the elderberry can signal the readiness of other indigenous food harvests. Coast Pomo and Miwok use elderberry flowering to track and monitor shellfish harvesting cycles. Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria Tribal Chairman Greg Sarris explains how traditional ecological knowledge of Coast Miwok people observed the elderberry in communication with the ocean: “It tells us when the red tide is in and you don’t eat the shellfish. Each year from the time the elderberry blooms until it drops its fruit, you do not eat the shellfish.”
California Native American stewardship practices around elderberry demonstrates the indigenous science behind fire suppression. Sustainable agricultural practices integrated the application of “good fire” to reduce density, foster regrowth and generate nutrients for berry production. M. Kat Anderson commented on the importance of California indigenous land stewardship and fire ecology in her book Tending the Wild: “California Indians’ management of fruit-bearing native plants in many ways laid the foundation for domestication of some of the berries grown today. Picked from and tended over hundreds or even thousands of years, wild straw- berries, raspberries, blackberries and others had already become adapted to human cultivation when horticulturists began the selective breeding that led to modern varieties. Further, many of today’s berries have benefited from crosses with wild genetic resources, which has conferred such benefits as disease resistance. Thus, the stewardship and preservation of these wild plant resources by California Indians has tremendous value today for the berry farmer.”
California tribal people use elderberry for multiple ailments, including treating pain, fevers and respiratory infections. Its flowers and leaves can treat inflammation, and the bark can be applied to heal open wounds. Elderberries can be boiled or dried but must be prepared before consumption to eliminate toxic cyanogenic glycosides. They are a “superfood” rich in vitamins A and C, essential B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus and iron that support both metabolic and cellular health. In our tribal oral histories and cosmologies, elderberry is a sacred plant. Elderberry serves in the role of a “protector” in many of our stories, helping our teachers navigate dangerous decisions and continue their journey safely. In everyday life, elderberry plays a similar role in helping us navigate illness and health challenges. We value elderberry and the critical role it plays in connecting us to our ancestral landscape.
Elderberry BBQ Sauce
by Sean Sherman
Featured in Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America.
Ingredients
1 cup of dried elderberries
2 cups of water
1 (15 oz.) can of tomato sauce
¾ cup of maple vinegar or cider vinegar
½ cup of maple syrup
2 teaspoons of chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons of onion powder
1 teaspoon of paprika
½ teaspoon of fine sea salt or more as needed
2 tablespoons of masa harina or more as needed
Preparing the Sauce:
Use a medium saucepan to combine the dried berries with two cups of water and cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Stir the berries until they are soft and plump and have released their flavor into the liquid.
Transfer the sauce to a blender. Once it has cooled, puree the berries and strain the liquid through two layers of cheese cloth. Pour the liquid back into the saucepan and discard the solids. Stir in the tomato sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, chili powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and masa harina. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. There should be a nice balance between the sweetness and tanginess from the vinegar. Add more masa harina, one teaspoon at a time for thicker sauce. Season with salt as needed.
About the Author:
Nicole Lim is the executive director of the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center (CIMCC). She is working to establish a Traditional food incubator at the museum and advocates for food sovereignty and ancestral gathering rights for California Native people. CIMCC’s work will be featured in the forthcoming book by Sean Sherman (The Sioux Chef), Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of Indigenous Peoples of North America.
For more information about CIMCC food sovereignty efforts, visit cimcc.org and acornbites.com.