Trees, often referred to as the "Standing People," hold a significant place in various cultures and belief systems around the world. Beyond their ecological importance, individual tree species are imbued with unique qualities, symbolism, and practical uses that have been recognized and utilized by humans for centuries. From spiritual connections to medicinal applications and everyday tools, the "Standing People" offer a wealth of knowledge and resources. This exploration delves into the specific characteristics and associated meanings of several prominent tree species, revealing the diverse roles they play in our lives and understanding of the natural world. This is The Standing People (trees) each have different qualities.
White Pine: The Peace Tree
The White Pine, majestic in its stature, holds a profound significance as the "Tree of Peace," particularly within Native American traditions. The Iroquois Confederacy, in their "Legend of the Peacemaker," enshrines the White Pine as a symbol of unity, harmony, and the alignment of human laws with the spiritual and natural realms. The "Tree of Peace" embodies powerful concepts of social order and the pursuit of peaceful coexistence.
Beyond its symbolic value, the White Pine is believed to possess a gentle and communicative spirit. Those who spend time near these trees often describe a sense of connection and responsiveness. Legend has it that the pines whisper secrets amongst themselves, a testament to their interconnectedness and sensitivity to their surroundings. One can test this by whispering a secret to a companion near a pine tree, and then wait quietly. It is said that a breeze will soon rustle through the branches, carrying the whispered words on the wind.
The essence of the pine tree is thought to soothe emotions, fostering a sense of clarity and balance. It encourages individuals to make decisions from a place of inner peace, untainted by undue influence or emotional turmoil. The pine also heightens psychic sensitivity, enabling a deeper connection to intuition and inner wisdom. It inspires the expression of creative energies without guilt or inhibition.
The resin of the White Pine can be gathered, dried, and used as incense, possessing the remarkable ability to cleanse spaces of negative energy. It is also believed to repel and return malevolent energies to their source, a quality that made it a valuable tool in sick rooms for promoting healing and protection.
Historically, boats patched with pine pitch were considered to have special protection on the waters, highlighting the tree’s association with safety and resilience. Furthermore, the White Pine is said to have the ability to predict the weather. Its pinecones remain open during periods of fine weather, but close in anticipation of rain, serving as a natural barometer.
The very name "pine" is derived from a word that translates to "pain," reflecting the tree’s capacity to alleviate suffering on multiple levels. Its essence offers solace and comfort to those grappling with emotional, physical, or spiritual pain.
Birch: Truth, Love, and New Beginnings
The Birch, with its distinctive white bark, stands as a symbol of truth, love, new beginnings, and the cleansing of the past. Its resilience and adaptability are evident in its role as one of the first trees to return after the Ice Age and one of the earliest to leaf out in the spring. This association with renewal makes it a potent symbol of rebirth and fresh starts.
The Birch tree’s uses are incredibly diverse. Its wood is tough, heavy, and straight-grained, making it ideal for crafting handles, toys, canoes, and turned objects. Traditionally, babies’ cradles were made from birch wood, drawing upon the tree’s inherent symbolism of new beginnings and nurturing.
The bark of the Birch contains tannin, a natural preservative that explains its historical use in making baskets for food storage. Tannin is still used today in the commercial tanning of leather, highlighting the bark’s enduring value. Of course, the birch bark is famous for its use as one of the earliest forms of paper for writing, a testament to its versatility and significance in the development of communication.
Folklore and herbalism attribute numerous medicinal properties to various parts of the Birch tree. The leaves are diuretic and antiseptic, offering relief from cystitis and other urinary tract infections. They were also used to dissolve kidney stones and alleviate rheumatism and gout. The sap, consumed as wine or cordial, is believed to prevent kidney and bladder stones, treat rheumatism, and address skin complaints like eczema.
Birch bark is considered a potent agent for generalized love spells. Strips of bark gathered beneath the new moon can be inscribed with a short spell requesting true love, before being burned with love-related incense or cast into flowing water. However, due to the Birch’s association with new beginnings, the spell must not be directed toward a specific person, as this could corrupt the spell or even transform it into a curse. Birch bark is also said to ease muscle pain when applied externally.
The Birch also has strong fertility connections. Scottish Highland folklore suggests that a barren cow herded with a birch stick will become fertile. Birch brooms are said to be the type of wood used to make a proper witch’s broom. Birch shavings make excellent kindling, as they burn even when wet.
The word "birch" is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit word "bhurga," meaning "a tree whose bark is used to write upon." Another source traces it back to an old Germanic root word meaning "white, bright, or to shine," referencing the tree’s distinctive bark.
There is an Ojibwe legend about Winabojo and the Birch Tree.
Cedar: Cleansing and Connection to Mother Earth
The Cedar tree, known for its longevity (often living for 1,500 years), embodies cleansing and a profound connection to Mother Earth. Its wood cells contain high concentrations of tannins, aromatic oils, and resins that inhibit the growth of wood-decomposing fungi and bacteria. This natural resistance to rot, combined with its straight grain, light weight, and thin fibrous bark, has made the Cedar a highly valued and versatile tree for centuries.
The Cedar tree is said to represent the essence of Mother Earth. To tap into the Earth energy of these trees, one simply needs to place the palms of their hands against the ends of the cedar’s leaves while they are still attached to the living tree. This act is believed to facilitate a direct connection to the Earth’s vital energy.
The Celts of continental Europe historically used oil from the cedar tree to preserve the heads of enemies taken during battle, showcasing the tree’s preservative properties.
The name "cedar" is derived from modern Indian language derivatives of the Sanskrit name "devdar," meaning "timber of the gods," reflecting the tree’s revered status and its use in sacred constructions.
Aspen: Determination, Overcoming Fears, and Clarity
The Aspen tree symbolizes determination, overcoming fears and doubts, and the ability to see clearly. Its leaves, which tremble even in the slightest breeze, have earned it the nickname "quaking aspen." The Aspen is a symbol for seeing clearly, since there are many eye shapes on the trunk.
Individual aspen trees have a relatively short lifespan of around 100 years. However, Aspen trees reproduce by sprouting shoots from their roots, allowing them to grow in cohesive groves. These groves are actually single living organisms that can reach several thousand years in age. Even fire damage will not kill a grove of Aspen trees if the roots remain alive, demonstrating the tree’s remarkable resilience.
Aspen was a vital resource for Native Americans, providing food, medicine, and wood. Many medicinal uses relied on the presence of salicin and populin, precursors of aspirin, found in all members of the Populus genus. Native American women would drink a tea made from the leaves to ease menstrual cramps, alleviate diarrhea, and treat urinary disorders. The leaves were also used to treat bee stings. A poultice made from the root was used for cuts and bruises. The aspen tree also works well with snake medicine.
Aspen bark had the most medicinal uses; preparations were used to treat ailments such as stomach pain, colds and coughs, fevers, heart problems, and venereal disease, and to dress wounds, stimulate the appetite, and quiet crying babies. The inner bark was considered a sweet treat for children, and it could be eaten raw, baked into cakes, or boiled into syrup and used as a spring tonic. An infusion of the roots could be used to prevent premature birth. Even the white powder on the surface of the bark had uses: to treat venereal disease, to stop bleeding, and to apply to the underarms to prevent hair growth or as a deodorant and antiperspirant.
Aspen logs were used to make Sun Dance lodges, dugout canoes, and deadfall traps for bears. Poles provided tepee frames and scrapers for deer hides. Knots could be made into cups, and bark could be made into cording.
The Thompson tribe of British Columbia used a preparation of the bark to rub on the bodies of adolescents for purification. Stems and branches helped with insanity caused by excessive drinking, and made a protective bath against witches. Anyone observing a liquid taboo in the Blackfoot tribe could suck on Aspen bark to quench their thirst. The Blackfoot also made whistles from the bark in the spring when it could be slid from the branches. The Apache of the American Southwest used the sap to flavor wild strawberries, and the Utes of Colorado and Utah considered it a delicacy.
The Upper Tanana of Alaska mixed the ashes of burnt Aspen wood with tobacco and used it as chewing tobacco. The Carrier of British Columbia used rotten Aspen wood for diapers and cradle lining. Aspen stems were used to make a hoop for the Navajo Evilway ceremony. The Shoshone used Aspen for building shelters, as pole scrapers, and as a season marker.
Used in anti-theft spells, the Aspen tree was also planted in gardens and fields to protect the property from thieves. Placing an Aspen leaf under your tongue is believed to enhance eloquence. Burning incense made of Aspen is said to protect you from unwanted spirits and help you release old fears as you move forward into the new year.
Douglas-fir: Medicinal Uses and Practical Applications
All parts of the Douglas-fir possess medicinal uses. The pitch was used for cuts, boils, and other skin problems, coughs and sore throats, and injured or dislocated bones. It could be mixed with oil and taken as an emetic (to promote vomiting) and purgative (a strong laxative) for intestinal pains, diarrhea, and rheumatism, among other ailments. It was also taken as a diuretic for gonorrhea. The bark had antiseptic properties and was useful for bleeding bowels and stomach problems, excessive menstruation, and allergies caused by touching water hemlock. The needles were used for a good general tonic and a treatment for paralysis. Bud tips were chewed for mouth sores. A decoction or infusion of young shoots was used for colds, venereal disease, kidney problems, an athlete’s foot preventative, or an emetic for high fevers and anemia.
The Douglas-fir didn’t provide quite as much food as some other trees, but the pitch could be chewed like gum or eaten as a sugar-like food. The needles and young shoots could provide a tea, and seeds were used as food, though they weren’t nearly as large and nutritious as the seeds of the pinyon.
Douglas Fir wood found its way into such useful implements as snowshoe frames, bows, spear shafts, tepee poles, and dugout canoes. Boughs made good camping beds and sweathouse floors. Twigs could function as a coarse twine wrap in basket making, and pitch could be used as glue and a patching material for canoes. The rotten wood was used to smoke buckskin, thereby preserving and dying it. Many tribes had various ceremonial uses for parts of the Douglas-fir.
The interior Salish tribes of B.C. ate a white, crystalline sugar that sometimes appeared on the branches during hot weather in early summer. The coastal Salish steamed tree knots and placed them in kelp stems overnight, then bent them to make fishhooks. The Okanagan-Colville of British Columbia used the branches as a purification scrub for the bereaved. The Thompson tribe used them in a similar fashion for good luck. They also chewed the peeled plant tops as a mouth freshener, and used the shoots in moccasin tips to help keep their feet from sweating. Hunters made a branch scrub to prevent deer from detecting their scent.
The Karok used soot from the burned pitch to rub into the punctures of girls’ skin tattoos and the wood to make hooks for climbing sugar pine trees. The Northern Paiute of Oregon used the branches as a flavoring for barbecued bear meat. The Swinomish of Washington used the boiled bark on fish nets as a light brown dye to help camouflage the nets from fish. The Chehalis and Cowlitz of Washington used the cones as charms to stop the rain. The Shoshone used this tree for shelter and its sap for sealing water jugs. The Legend of the Douglas Fir Pinecone explains the shape of this tree’s cone.
In conclusion, The Standing People (trees) each have different qualities and meanings and uses.