Nanise', A Navajo Herbal: One Hundred Plants from the Navajo Reservation
"Nanise' A Navajo Herbal: One Hundred Plants from the Navajo Reservation" is a special illustrated plant guidebook identifying 100 plants found in the area of the Navajo reservation, a 25,209 square mile area which covers four states and is roughly equivalent to the area of the state of West Virginia. "Nanise'" which is the Navajo word for "vegetation" is described as a botanically accurate specialty field plant guide for outdoor adventurers, hikers, and Navajo culture aficionados. Each plant is labeled by its common name or names, in English, its Latin name, and its Navajo name, along with a precise brief description and distribution and list of Navajo uses for the plant. Black and white illustrations of the flower, leaves, fruit, and whole plant are displayed for each plant named. In addition, further references are cited and there is also a center collection of color photographs of many of the plants with accompanying names and page numbers. The plants selected to be included came from a wealth of over 1,500 species by the Navajo Health Authority, Ethnobotany Project staff, and was approved by the Navajo Medicine Men's Association. Some of the plants may be familiar, such as sumac, vervain, mistletoe, and horsetail. Others may be less well known, such as gilia, or cliffrose. In addition to the plant descriptions and illustrations, there is an illustrated appendix of miscellaneous related information, such as dye or food recipes, and instructions for games played by the Navajo using plant materials. There is also detailed information on the nutritional content of such plants as prickly pear fruit, pinyon seeds, purslane goosefoot, and sunflower seeds. Finally there is an annotated bibliography of books of related interest areas. "Nanise', A Navajo Herbal" is a book of great beauty, accuracy, and practicality which should interest all students of Southwestern area cultures, as well as a casual horticulturist.(Nancy Lorraine, Senior ReviewerMBR Bookwatch: November 2012)In this compilation of information from the Navajo Ethnobotany Project, Mayes (a range-conservation instructor) and Lacy (formerly with the Navajo Health Authority) present an overview of Navajo history, land, and plant use. Profiles of 100 plants grown on the Navajo Reservation include scientific, common English, and Navajo names; description and distribution notes; Navajo medicinal/ceremonial/ household uses; references; and illustrations by Navajo artists Jack Ahasteen and Jason Chee. The work also features a map, color plates, nutritional tables, and recipes. (Annotation ©2012 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)(Mayes, Vernon O. and Barbra Bayless LacyBook News Inc.)Nanise', A Navajo Herbal: One Hundred Plants from the Navajo Reservation, by Vernon O. Mayes and Barbara Bayless Lacy  Barbara Bayless Lucy worked at the Navajo Health Authority, and among her duties was collecting information about traditional Navajo medicine. Her research into this field was the inspiration for Nanise', A Navajo Herbal. The book details 100 plants found on the Navajo Reservation, including ferns, horsetails, and conifers. Coauthor Vernon O. Mayes brought his own expertise to the topic, having first lived on the Navajo Reservation in 1958. One does not need to be a botanist to be fascinated by how the tribe used these plants for ceremonial, medicinal, or household purposes.(Cowboys & Indians: The Premier Magazine of the West)Navajo plant use detailed in new book “Nanisé, A Navajo Herbal: One Hundred Plants from the Navajo Reservation” covers 100 plants found on Navajo lands and their various uses.  Navajo-Hopi ObserverDid you know that Scrambled Eggs can soothe a sore throat? No, not the breakfast food. Scrambled Eggs, also called golden smoke or mountain corydalis, is among the 100 plants detailed in Nanisé, published by Five Star Publications, Inc. Vernon O. Mayes, a range-conservation instructor who has worked for the U.S. Forestry Service and National Park Service, and Barbara Bayless Lacy, a former public relations/researcher with the Navajo Health Authority (NHA), have combined their years of research to create a literary tour of Navajo plants, land and lore in "Nanisé, A Navajo Herbal: One Hundred Plants from the Navajo Reservation."Mayes recounts ways that the Navajo people used the plants in everyday life, whether for ceremonial, medicinal or household purposes - complete with illustrations.The 100 plants were selected from more than 1,500 species of wild, vascular plants, including ferns, horsetails, conifers and flowering species by the Navajo Health Authority, Ethnobotany Project staff and approved by the Navajo Medicine Men's Association.Nanisé, the Navajo word for "vegetation," is designed to be used in the classroom and is a must-have field guide for hikers, botanists, and others who are interested in Navajo culture. The book discusses native uses of plants such as Crownbeard (Verbesina), Sandpuff (Tripterocalyx) and of course Scrambled Eggs (Corydalis) - a flowering herb that Navajos use to treat arthritis, snakebites, and sore throats."This book is a wonderful collection of plant descriptions and habitats that are native to the beautiful Navajo Reservation," said Linda F. Radke, president of Five Star Publications, Inc. "It gives the reader not only a complete botanical understanding of the plants and their uses, but a glimpse into Navajo culture, as well."Navajo plant uses have been transcribed since explorers, missionaries, traders and soldiers first encountered the Navajo people. But their reports, and those of early scientists, were published in limited scholarly editions.As the reservation becomes increasingly modernized, the old ways are sometimes forgotten. The materials collected to write Nanisé came from the obscure studies and journals of early scientists, missionaries and priests that are not available to the public."By taking the point of view of plants and plant use, Nanisé offers a singular perspective on reservation life," said Donna Muller from The Herb Companion magazine. "Readers outside the reservation will be fascinated by this glimpse of a geographically and botanically specialized area and its people."Jack Ahasteen and Jason Chee illustrated the book."Nanisé, A Navajo Herbal: One Hundred Plants from the Navajo Reservation" is now available in print and through electronic media. It is distributed by Midpoint Trade Books and www.eStarPublish.com. More information is available at www.nanisenavajoherbal.com.(Navajo-Hopi Observer)Navajo Culture Highlighted in New Book: Nanise' A Navajo Herbal Vernon O. Mayes and Barbara Bayless Lacy's book "Nanise' A Navajo Herbal" features 100 plants from the Navajo Reservation. Each plant's profile includes its common, Latin, and Navajo name as well as its common Navajo uses. By Hannah KincaidJanuary 28, 2013 The plants described in "Nanise' A Navajo Herbal" grow on the Navajo Reservation, a 25,209-square-mile area covering the Northeastern corner of Arizona, the Northwestern corner of New Mexico, and a portion of Southeastern Utah. The area is comparable in size to the state of West Virginia.Many North American plant lovers have a go-to field guide that helps them identify local flowers, shrubs and trees.  But what if you’re interested in more than the scientific name? What if your curiosity is tickled by a specific plant’s story, its place in the old world and the songs and games created in its honor? Unless you have the uncanny ability to speak to the trees, sources for that historical knowledge are rare and hard to find. Fortunately, the residents of the 25,209-square-mile Navajo reservation in the Southwestern United States pride themselves on passing that knowledge from one generation to the next. Inspired by the Navajo’s extensive plant knowledge, Vernon O. Mayes and Barbara Bayless took it upon themselves to interview Navajos who know how to do things the “Navajo Way.” The duo also interpreted decades worth of Navajo anthropological texts. Their hard work paid off with the publication of Nanise’ A Navajo Herbal.  The book provides a glimpse into the wealth of preserved Navajo knowledge, including which plants make the best medicine, building materials, dye and more. Organized into alphabetical profiles of 100 Southwestern plants, each plant’s profile includes its common, Latin and Navajo name as well as the plant’s physical description, Navajo uses and a botanical illustration.  In the center of the book are colored photographs of each plant to make identification all the easier. The back of the book includes two indexes, one for each plant’s common name and one for the scientific. Uncovering the Navajo uses for even the most everyday plants provides a real thrill for any plant or history lover. Allow yourself to get transported back in time as you learn detailed recipes for natural dyes made from mahogany rootbark, alder, aluminum sulfate and more. The appendix of Nanise’ A Navajo Herbal even includes directions for games that use homemade cottonwood dice and instructions for how to make a traditional Navajo bow or ponderosa cradleboard. While the instructions for natural dyes and games are detailed enough to replicate, the medicinal information is not. Each plant’s healing qualities are mentioned, however this is not a pharmacopaeia and there are no detailed how-to instructions. The authors clearly state that only Navajos who have gone through an extensive apprenticeship with a medicine-person should have access to in-depth medicinal and ceremonial information. If you’re interested in the traditional Navajo uses of alder, birch, brown-eyed susans, or juniper, look no further. Nanise’ A Navajo Herbal provides a colorful and inspiring glimse into traditional Navajo life and cultural practices. (Mother Earth News: The Original Guide to Living Wisely)