At Penn Dixie Fossil and Nature Reserve the ancient past is easy to see, which is why, perhaps, it is a perfect place to connect with, and begin to learn the stories of this land.
Marve Jacobs, Wolf Clan elder says when he looks at a tree, he looks at the spirit of the tree. He knows the tree has good. If you look at the tree today blowing in the breeze and get hear the rustle of the leaves…the tree is alive; it has the spirit in her, and so that’s what he looks at when he looks at a tree.
Catherine Konieczyny, M.S., director of science at Penn Dixie and Nature Reserves says this is the third installment with Wolf Clan elder Marve Jacobs and this walk specifically is a tree walk and artifact talk. You will be going around the nature trail and stopping at different trees throughout our property that Marvin and his people would have used for different things.
Marve Jacobs says the walk that is coming up has to do with the forest trees; what we use them for as an Iroquois confederacy, which I mean by that is all the six nations, so mostly I am basing everything on us, the Iroquois, not just the Seneca or the Mohawk.
Catherine says whether you like animals or the nature aspect of things and the plants, you get an appreciation for your surroundings and also the people that came before you.
Catherine says every time she does a walk with Marve, she learns something new. Even though she has done two of the same walks she says she still has learned new things and it is so exciting to share. Something you could have walked by a hundred times has a new story, has a new life and you just start looking at things around you differently.
Marve’s collection of artifacts opens a window to the past. From 200ish year old corn husking pics to a maple syrup spigot that is likely around 150 years old and a bow that pre-dates the civil war.
Marve says what you don’t realize when you look at some trees, how important these trees were to us. He says every tree, every shrub, every plant was beneficial to us in some form, way or another and says we utilized them, and we respected them; they are spirits, they have spirits in them.
You can join the tree walk and artifact talk with Marv Jacobs this Saturday at Penn Dixie from 1 – 3pm.
For tickets call 716-627-4560. You can also email Catherine at Catherine@Penndixie.org
