Living on un-ceded lands of many tribes including Clackamas, Cowlitz, Multinomah (to name a few) and the lands of the Duwamish people past and present, it’s impossible to ignore the wildfires raging up and down the coast.
Today we are feeling grief for the genocide that was intentionally committed by our European ancestors against native peoples on this land. We’re feeling grief for the land that was kidnapped and held hostage by colonists separating it from loving tribes who had deep relationships with this place. We’re feeling the sadness of lack of tribal burning practices and increased global warming that have led to fire seasons which feel out of balance.
Camille’s mentors at Holistic Resistance are often using song as they ‘holistically resist’. So, today Camille’s been listening to and singing this song to the trees.
In addition to singing and feeling our grief, we are working on staying hydrated and flushing the grief and smoke through our bodies. Below is a recipe for hibiscus tea because that’s what Camille had in her house and she is avoiding going outside. If you are looking for pre-made tea blends to support your lungs Camille loves adapta-lung tea which is being sold sliding scale from an herbalist who is a friend of the family. We also recommend getting tea from Clary Sage which is a local apothecary run by Laurie Lava-Books, who is a member of the Karuk tribe.
Serves: 16 oz
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
1 tbsp hibiscus leaves
2 inches ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp agave (or to taste)
Ice cubes
Water
1/2 small lime (optional)
mint (optional)
For hot tea: add 16 oz of boiling water to the hibiscus leaves and ginger. Steep for five minutes and strain. Add agave to taste and enjoy!
For iced tea: add 3/4 cup of water to a small sauce pan with the chopped ginger. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the hibisucs leaves and turn off the heat. Add the agave and let steep for 5 minutes. If you are using mint, add this after 2 minutes so that it only steeps for 3 minutes total. If you are using lime, squeeze this in at any time after the heat has been turned off.
While this tea is steeping prepare a 16 oz glass and fill to the rim with ice. Anne likes to add a long metal spoon to the cup of ice which can help absorb the thermal shock and potentially prevent breaking the glass when you add hot water over ice. Camille uses mason jars and hasn’t had an issue with breakage since they are designed to take more thermal shock. Once the tea is finished steeping, strain the liquid over the glass of ice. The hot tea will melt the ice leaving you with perfectly iced tea! If you want more ice, add some, if you want less ice add some cold water until you have 16 oz of tea (or to taste).
Note: A special thank you to our houseplants who are helping us filter this air!
