Wild Harvest in the Heartland

Newswise — When cultural anthropologist Justin Nolan looks at a wild persimmon or a basket of hickory nuts, he sees more than good eating. He sees natural resources of rural Missouri that "sustain and syncopate human belief and behavior into a rhythm, one with ineffable meaning in everyday life."

In his book Wild Harvest in the Heartland: Ethnobotany in Missouri's Little Dixie, Nolan, a research assistant professor at the University of Arkansas, examines people, plants and their interrelationships " the science known as ethnobotany " in a cultural region of central Missouri. His study of the vital social role that wild plants play in this particular rural area has implications far beyond Little Dixie.

"Purposeful inquiry into human ecological relations, in the United States and beyond, is critical for cultural survival not only in the ethnobotanical sense, but for the well-being of present generations and those to follow," Nolan writes.

His three summers of field research yielded a nuanced picture of a relatively unstudied area and of the local experts and novices whose gathering of wild plants is both "socially meaningful and revivifying." In Little Dixie, gathering, using and understanding wild plants is part of a sense of place, and "a creative and functional response to the need to sustain regional cohesion in a globalizing world," according to Nolan.

Little Dixie was settled in the early 1800s by migrants from the southern United States who established a thriving plantation economy until the end of slavery. Agriculture remains an important part of the economy. Nolan describes the distinct Southern identity of the area, apparent in "the local dialect, antebellum architecture, foodways, traditional arts and music, and the strong influence of the Democratic party." Festivals, parades, pot lucks, pageants, craft fairs and square dances are ritualized expressions of "a powerful sense of place and belonging."

At the same time, the culture of Little Dixie prizes independence, and one way to maintain self-sufficiency is through seasonal gathering of wild plants. Most are used for food or preventive medicine and are valued for their purity, wholesomeness and at times for their rarity. Gathering wild plants is part of the region's identity and heritage, as the custom tends to distinguish local people from outsiders.

"There is sublime significance in the sharing of wild plant foods in Little Dixie. It is at once personal and meaningful to receive a jar of mulberry jam or a gooseberry pie from a friend, or a savory bundle of pinecones and firewood from neighbors at Christmastime. Procuring wild plants demonstrates craftsmanship and reverence for tradition," Nolan writes.

Of the 40 residents of Little Dixie interviewed by Nolan, 20 were experts, including herbalists, medical practitioners, conservationists and shopkeepers who market botanical products. Another 20 were novices, people with an interest in wild plants but with less experience or formal training.

During individual interviews, the participants identified a total of 187 wild plants representing 75 families. The most frequently mentioned botanical families were the rose family, which includes blackberries, raspberries and wild apples; the walnut family, which also includes hickory trees; and various members of the sunflower family, which includes dandelions, chicory and purple coneflower, also known as echinacea.

The participants told interviewers the ways each plant was used, such as for food, medicine, furniture construction, animal grazing or ornamental purposes. Some of the uses can be found in Southern Appalachia and the British Isles. Others are unique to those who settled in Little Dixie.

"Because the relationships between people and plants continue to change through time, plant traditions are dynamic and in flux. Although a number of historic customs have persisted across time and space, the settlers' interaction with new species has generated traditions unique to Little Dixie," Nolan writes.

For example, the tender, young leaves of burdock are a favorite spring green in Little Dixie, and its roots are also added to spring tonics. While the edibility of burdock is more culturally significant in Little Dixie, the roots of the plant have long been used in Great Britain and Appalachia as a traditional remedy for coughs and asthma.

Settlers in Little Dixie also learned from local American Indians how to use some plants. While hickory nuts are delicious cracked and eaten by hand, some residents enjoy hickory nuts boiled into a sweetened tea, a tradition probably learned from the local Cherokees, who also eat a hickory nut soup called Kanuchi.

In addition to analysis of how experts and novices categorize and understand wild plants, Wild Harvest in the Heartland includes botanical drawings and descriptions of habitat, history and uses of the wild plants most commonly used in Little Dixie. The book is written for a broad audience, from anthropologists and folklorists to naturalists and outdoor enthusiasts.

Wild Harvest in the Heartland is published by University Press of America, part of the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group.

Nolan is an assistant professor of anthropology in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. His research for Wild Harvest was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.