Navajo tea gatherer

Navajo tea gatherer
Photo by Venaya Yazzie 2016
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Its June according to the Euro-American calendar.

But, more importantly this season of the Diné year is expressed as T’áâchil, which refers to the beginnings of new plant grown, and or the growth of early plants both in the farmers garden and in the wild.

It is during this season that the Diné begin the gathering of wild plants growing in the diverse regions o the high desert and plain desert areas on and around the sovereign Navajoland. It is during this time that the women and Diné  herbalists gather the wild plants growing among them is déé. The most common growing plant is the 'Navajo tea' plant, one that is purely non-GMO and organic. This is a high desert medicinal plant which the Navajos use for many purposes to ingesting and in the dyeing of wool to use in their woven rugs.

Here I feature of pics of my másáaní as she has complete preparing of the wild 'Navajo tea' plant in tea bundles. This tea will be used throughout the year, but it usually consumed in the fall and winter months.

Blessings.