They enjoyed challenging each other with queries concerning the medicinal values and identification of plants. Kindred would mention fever, and Newota would name wolfsbane, woodbine, and willow bark, and tell him that some of these could also help with arthritis or pain. Wolfsbane root, he said, could be poisonous. Diarrhea could be controlled by ground pine, which looked like a vine with pine needles, and menstrual cramps were treated with black haw and spikenard. Eye diseases were treated with nightshade, which was also a strong narcotic. Kindred already knew this plant as belladonna. They laughed about some of the names and uses. Puke weed was used to induce vomiting, and passionflower was effective against both depression and hemorrhoids.

Newota explained that it was the men’s job to get meat, and they began learning the techniques of hunting and trapping at a very early age. Even little boys knew how to snare birds, squirrels, opossums, raccoons, and rabbits, and they soon learned to use blowguns and small bows and arrows to kill the quarry. After they were accepted as mature members of the tribe and given an adult name, they spent much of their time hunting the more elusive, larger game, especially white-tailed deer, turkey, and an occasional bear. Good hunters attempted to adopt the habits and even the character of their quarry, and to imitate the animal sounds as realistically as possible.

Kindred asked about the women.

Newota continued, “Our women are closer to the earth than the men and are taught to be self-reliant. They care for the crops and gather fruit, nuts, and edible roots. At childbirth, a woman is prepared in body and mind to be alone during this holiest of times, to deliver her baby and then to bring it back into the village as a gift. The young child is her responsibility. The newborn baby is rolled in snow or dipped in cold water, rubbed with bear grease, and bound to a cradle board for the first year of its life. Almost always held next to its mother, the child, especially if it was premature or weak, benefits from constant care, frequent feedings, and the mother’s body warmth. She begins training her infant in the value of silence and respect for elders. Soon her brothers and sisters join in both instruction and discipline. Children are not to be noisy, must never interrupt an adult who is speaking, and are chastised severely if they walk between their elders and a fire or commit some other impolite act. As a youth, I could never join in a discussion unless questioned directly by one of the adults.