First Medicines of Spring: Indigenous Ecological Knowledge, Renewal, and Plant Wisdom
The first medicines of spring arrive without announcement. They emerge in quiet conversation with the earth—green shoots pushing through soil still carrying winter's memory, buds forming on branches before warmth fully returns. Their presence represents not just seasonal change, but the continuation of stories told for countless generations by those who have walked this land before us.
In our understanding of ʔa·knumu¢tiǂiǂ (Natural Law/Order), we recognize that spring is not measured by dates on a calendar. We feel it in the subtle movements beneath soil, in the changing scent of morning air, in birdsong that returns with the dawn. This is our way of observing phenology—the study of how our plant and animal relatives respond to seasonal cycles. For our people, this knowledge was never confined to books—it was lived, shared, and passed down through generations of careful observation.
The First Medicines That Return to Us
Among the first to emerge are the medicines that have sustained our communities through centuries of renewal cycles. They return as gifts of resilience, appearing precisely when we need them most.
When we walk with awareness across the land, we notice these first relatives emerging:
🌿 ¢uq̓kuna (Stinging Nettle)
cleanses and strengthens after winter’s stillness. Rich in minerals our bodies crave after months of preserved foods, nettle prepares us for the growing season ahead, clearing what no longer serves us.
💜 Wild Violets
appear when the land first softens, offering medicine for both heart and spirit. Their gentle presence reminds us that strength often comes in quiet forms, teaching us about the resilience we carry within ourselves.
🍃 ʔa·q̓uǂuk̓pak/ǂam (Willow)
shares its medicine through flexible branches and bitter bark. Before there was aspirin, there was willow—our ancestors’ remedy for pain and fever. Its early buds signal that the time of healing has returned.
These plants do not just appear; they arrive in accordance with the rhythms of ʔamak·is Ktunaxa (Ktunaxa territory). They return when needed, following the same patterns our ancestors recognized through generations of relationship with this land. This is the wisdom of our ecological knowledge—understanding that these medicines are not separate from us but part of the covenant of "Yaqaⱡ Hankatiⱡiⱡki na ʔamak" (our people care for the land, the land cares for our people).
The Stories Our Plant Relatives Carry
Every plant holds a story. Some stories have been woven through our families for generations, embedded in the ways we prepare food, medicine, and prayer. Others come to us through dreams or moments of quiet connection when we open ourselves to listening.
For me, ¢uq̓kuna (Stinging Nettle) carries the story of my first true understanding of plant medicine. When my body began rejecting ibuprofen after years of tension headaches, Jenny offered me nettle tea instead. I had only known this plant as something to avoid, something that stung when touched carelessly. That cup of tea transformed my relationship with nettle. It taught me that healing isn’t always comfortable at first, that the most powerful medicines often ask us to slow down, pay attention, and work with them rather than against them.
For Jenny, nettles were among her first teachers—one of the first plants she learned to harvest with bare hands, moving with such care and intention that she rarely felt their sting. This relationship taught her about respect and attunement, about how to move gently upon the earth and listen before taking.
We believe every plant carries lessons. Every plant offers gifts. When we approach them with gratitude and proper protocol, they share their medicine generously.
A Season of Renewal and Reciprocity
As the land awakens, so must we. This is a time for listening—to the plants, to the shifting winds, to the way the earth moves beneath our feet. It is a time for practicing the five principles that guide our relationship with the land:
✨ Gratitude – Acknowledging the gifts that return to us each spring.
✨ Integrity – Harvesting with good intentions and clean hearts.
✨ Reciprocity – Taking only what we need, giving back in equal measure.
✨ Protocol – Approaching each plant with respect and proper introduction.
✨ Humility – Recognizing that we are always students, learning from these ancient teachers.
The first medicines of the year are here, offering renewal, healing, and continued relationship. They speak in the language of growth and transformation.
Are we ready to listen?
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