Forest Reveal Lingering Effects of Native Cultures

Honey locust with pods.
Image Courtesy of Robert J. Warren II and ScienceDaily.

March 16, 2016.

SUNY Buffalo State, of Science Daily, wrote an exploratory article about the recent research of Robert J. Warren who argues that the distribution of Honey Locust trees (Gleditsia triacanthos) throughout the southern Appalachian Mountain region in the United States can best be explained by ancient cultivation practices of the Cherokee.

"He points out that the Cherokee had reason to cultivate the honey locust as a source of sugar, and as wood for game sticks and weapons. The tree also had spiritual significance. He conducted extensive searches for honey locust trees and then used sources including military maps, historical accounts, archeological research, and historical markers to identify Cherokee settlement sites. He verified the information with sources including the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation (EBCI) Tribal Historic Preservation Office. His results strongly suggest that G. triacanthos distribution in the Southern Appalachian region are more strongly patterned by Native American settlements than by niche requirements or alternative methods of seed dispersal."

-SUNY Buffalo State, ScienceDaily.

To read the full article, click here.

For more information,

Visit:

• Eastern Band of Cherokee
• History & Culture
• Cherokee Preservation Foundation
• RTCAR, Revitalization of Traditional Cherokee Artisan Resources
• Ghosts of Cultivation Past- Native American Dispersal Legacy Persists in Tree Distribution
• Robert J. Warren II, PLOS One, March 2016.
• PLANTfacts
• Honey Locust Tree (Gleditsia triacanthos)
• Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioica)
• Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
• Pleistocene Epoch: Facts About the Last Ice Age
• livescience.com, 2013.
• Mastodon and Mammoth Fossils
• Ohio History Central
• Mastodons
• Illinois State Museum
• EDSITEment! The Best of the Humanities on the Web
• Traditions and Languages of Three Native Cultures: Tlingit, Lakota, & Cherokee
• Grades K-2
• Fort Recovery Research, Ball State University
• March 15, 2016.
• Meet Native America: Michell Hicks, Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
• April 23, 2015.
• Meet Native America: Cara Cowan Watts, Cherokee Nation Tribal Council
• March 19, 2015.
• Meet Native America: Bill John Baker, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
• April 20, 2015.
• Survival and Change: The Significance of Contemporary American Indian Art
• February 26, 2015.
• 10 Things You Should Know About the Cherokee Nation
• February 5, 2015.
• Adobe Typekit Introduces Cherokee Font
• August 18, 2014.
• Oklahoma Historical Society American Indian Records
• August 5, 2014.
• Public Broadcasting Station
• April 1, 2014.