Gifts of the Plant Nation: Bee Balm

Our final program of our Gifts of the Plant Nation webinar series aired on June 22, 2023 and focused on bee balm, also known as wild bergamot or waḣpe waṡtemna (wah-pay wash-tey-mna) in the Dakota language.
We are honored to have had some of our wonderful staff members at Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi share their ecological and cultural knowledge of bee balm at this webinar. Our presenters included our Environmental Justice Educator and Stewardship Coordinator - Jenna Grey Eagle (Oglala Lakota Sioux), our Restoration Manager - Gabby Menomin (Potawatomi), our Dakota Cultural Educator - Fern Renville (Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota), as well as Mishaila Bowman (Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota) who will serve as our event moderator. These knowledge keepers shared their stories, medicinal uses, and the environmental benefits of bee balm, and the importance of viewing this plant as a relative to be protected and preserved.
(This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.)