A Cultural Impact...

Strawberries are considered a gift from the Creator in the Haudenosaunee culture. As the first berries of the growing season, they are much more than a seasonal treat. In fact, they are powerful symbol of the heart, of earth, and of community. As such, this fruit holds many rich teachings for Indigenous cultures across Turtle Island (North America.)

This earliest of seasonal fruit is celebrated with a special ceremony in the month of June, carrying themes of forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace, and symbolizing the interrelated network of life itself.

As such, the Haudenosaunee make use of strawberries in a number of ways, not the least of which is for flavour. In our foods and our drinks, you’ll find this fresh June fruit is the foundation of a variety of tastes, plates, and beverages. Sometimes you’ll find strawberries mashed up and mixed with ground corn in order to make a tasty hot treat. Other times you can find it dried in small strips, similar to the much more commercialized “fruit rollups.” These can be eaten along or used later in cooking.

One of the tastiest summer treats, however,is that of strawberry juice. Sometimes featured in ceremonies but also simply enjoyed on a hot day or with friends and family, strawberry juice is a simple recipe:

Ingredients:

2 pints of fresh strawberries

2 tbsp sugar

2 L water

To make:

1. Remove the leaves from the strawberriesand slice them lengthwise.

2. Mash the strawberries using a fork orpotato masher.  

3. Mix the sugar with the mashedstrawberries and add this mixture to a 2 L pitcher.

4. Fill the pitcher with water and enjoy.

There are also a variety of ailments for which strawberries, their roots or plant parts can be used to help heal. Teas can be made using the roots or the leaves to assist with instances of aching joints, inflammation, and even diarrhea. It’s also considered a woman’s medicine in our culture. They are good sources of vitamins B-6, C, K, and folate, and are rich in antioxidants. In fact, the we give thanks to the natural world, our surroundings, and to life itself through strawberry ceremony in the cycle of ceremonies in a calendar year.

They are also made note of in the Haudenosaunee creation story. One version notes that North America was created when Sky Woman fell from the Sky World and landed on a turtle's back, bringing strawberries with her. A muskrat dove to the depths of the water below to find mud to place on the turtle’s back, helping to create what we now know as Turtle Island. This was where Sky Woman planted the seeds she carried. When she passed away, her body was then buried, and a variety of plants grew from that earth; corn, beans and squash were said to have come from where her head lay and various medicines and strawberries grew above where her feet were placed.

To this day, strawberries play a very vital role in our culture. As a result, they are celebrated annually through song, dance and storytelling.