Emerald ash borer, black ash, and Native American basketmaking

Abstract

Native cultures coevolved with the forests of the Great Lakes region following the last ice age. Plentiful water, abundant game, and fertile soil supported fishing, hunting, and gathering, as well as subsistence agriculture. Lakes and tributaries facilitated transportation by canoe and trade among tribes. Native Americans developed a semi-nomadic lifestyle, moving seasonally among camps as they harvested and cultivated foods, medicines, supplies, and ceremonial items (Kurtz et al., 2015). They relied on natural resources for clothing, shelter, and food. Their cultures continue to rely on natural resources, including trees and understory plants (wood, bark, branches, leaves, and nuts), nonvascular plants, fungi, and animals.

Citation

Poland, Therese M.; Emery, Marla R.; Ciaramitaro, Tina; Pigeon, Ed; Pigeon, Angie. 2017. ​Emerald ash borer, black ash, and Native American basketmaking. In: Freedman, Eric; Meuzil, Mark, eds. Biodiversity, conservation, and environmental management in the Great Lakes basin. Abingdon, UK: Routledge: 127-140. Chapter 11.