Ohkehteau (Plants of the Earth): A Shinnecock Oral History - Boneset
Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Discovery Garden
Look at this plant—it seems as though it has two leaves connected at one base. These plants were given as traditional wedding gifts because they symbolized bond and connection. Boneset is found in damp prairies and bogs, which are moist-to-wet soils. It blooms during June to October. The plant is called boneset because it contains calcium and helps with bone strength. It can be used when someone breaks or fractures a bone. The dried leaves have been used to make a tonic, boneset tea, which was thought to be effective in treating colds, coughs, fever, and constipation.
Plants of the Earth
Ohkehteau (Plants of the Earth): A Shinnecock Oral History highlights native plants around Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the ways that Indigenous peoples use and know them. On your self-guided tour, hear Chenae Bullock tell stories passed down to her and describe traditional uses for plants, including medicines that have been used for thousands of years
“It’s hard to protect what you cannot recognize. This tour was made with good intent to share the value of the plants and in turn, protect our Earth.” —Chenae Bullock
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Chenae Bullock is an enrolled Shinnecock Indian Nation tribal member and a descendant of the Montauk Tribe in Long Island, New York. Chenae is a community leader, water protector, cultural preservationist, Indigenous perspective historian, and humanitarian and has worked at many accredited Indigenous museums. She is the author of 50 Plant Medicines: Indigenous Oral History and Perspective, on which this exhibit is based.
