Historical Herbalists: Keewaydinoquay
Introduction
There are many amazing herbalists that come from the Indigenous communities of North America, including Keewaydinoquay Pakawakuk Peschel. She was born in 1919 on a fishing boat on the way to the hospital from Garden Island, Michigan. Her name, Keewaydinoquay, means “Woman of the North
Teaching continues
In addition to Keewaydinoquay’s seven publications during her lifetime,2 two books about her life were published posthumously.1 The books she published during her lifetime covered a wide variety of topics including herbalism, Native American medicine, and ledgends.2 However, this is not the only way her legacy lives on. While she was alive, she founded a non-profit called Miniss Kitigan Drum, which preserves the traditions of the Great Lakes Native American people.1 Â
Where Tradition and Western Education Meet
Keewaydinoquay received her Master of Education and finished her Ph. D. coursework for ethnobotany in her late 50s1. In 1975, she was honored with Teacher of the Year at the University of Michigan.2 She continued to teach classes in the 1980s in ethnobotany1 and taught the philosophy of the Great Lakes American Indians at the University of Wisconsin-Milwuakee.2
Sources
1 – Keewaydinoquay Peschel – Wikipedia
2 – Keewaydinoquay Peschel – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
