Story on Trees

Story by: TAMARACK VERRALL

Location: CANADA

From her teenage years, Tamarack's purpose in life has been to speak out about what is being done to us as women and to work for change. In the 1960's, they created a new wave of the women's movement in Canada. Working against violence against women became her life work.

I have always loved trees. They sing songs to us as they sway in the breeze. They give us shade. When they drop their leaves and their needles, they feed the Earth. They give homes to birds and little animals. And they're so beautiful.

When I was in my early 20s, I took a pen name, the name of a tree, Tamarack. I wanted to be free to write, and I wanted to take on the name of a tree. Since then on two different pieces of land together with friends I have planted 1000 of these trees, trees that are now grandmothers with generations of young ones, home to birds, an unusual tree, the only pine trees that drop their needles each year. From green, each autumn the needles turn bright gold and drop to create a bed that feeds the Earth.

The first piece of land that I bought was a haven for women to come and heal. It had one section that had been badly damaged by the previous owner, the topsoil scraped off and sold. I was told that the remedy would be to plant Tamarack trees because when they drop their needles they replenish the soil. We planted 500 trees which now are grandmothers with grandchildren, and on another piece of land I lived on later we planted another 500. Those too continue to flourish.

Plant knowledge held through the oral traditions of Indigenous peoples teaches us to view plants as living beings that make it possible for us to live. Trees give us oxygen, we give them carbon dioxide. We need each other. Among the Ojibwa Indigenous Nation in Canada the tamarack tree is called mshkiigwaatig in their language or “the growers of the world.” mshkikinek directly translates as medicines, with the root mshkiki meaning strength of the earth.

Tamaracks are a pioneer species, meaning after a large disturbance such as erosion, pollution, or fire causing other species to perish, this tree is known for being the first to regrow in those soils, an extremely resilient plant species.

Fungi are found burrowing in their tree roots, these microorganisms essential for 90 percent of all forest trees for nutrient cycling, plant health, decomposition, and carbon sequestration.

The turpentine from the cones of the tamarack tree heals wounds and aches, and the wood used for buildings never rots, used in China, Siberia, Mongolia, Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Nepal and across North America.

Indigenous groups and shamans have harnessed its bark, sap, and needles for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Local water management organizations have recognized the Tamarack for its role in stabilizing wetlands across North America.

Historians describe the Siberian Tamarack (also known as Larch) as holding great spiritual power to groups of people living in the region, and is the connection between their spiritual and physical worlds, this tree often painted on drum heads. As early as 600 CE, nomadic groups of families indigenous to northern Siberia, Mongolia, and eastern China honored this tree for its practical uses and spiritual meaning. In the winter its needles are used for insulation inside shelters as protection from the frozen ground. Its wood is used for ceremonial sculptures to signify the connection between the human and spirit worlds.

It is known as “world tree” in the Indigenous Siberian language, part of three worlds: the upper world, where deities and spirits of nature resided, the middle world, inhabited by humans, and the lower world, home to spirits of the dead. Siberian Shamans believe that the tree is the bridge that connects them to these three worlds. The Tamarack tree is chosen for its grittiness, its strength to survive harsh conditions and for its fire-resistant bark. Shamanic traditions that center on the Tamarack tree continue today, including tying ribbons to the tree trunk to symbolize offerings for the spirits. Ribbons are tied to the ancient tree branches, reaching toward the sun in search of nutrients, and passing down knowledge from the spirits above.

I love all trees. How wonderful that we give them our carbon dioxide, and along with so much else, they give us the oxygen that we breathe.