Apr 10, 2015
Price: US$ 16.95 Includes Shipping Item #C103 Mail Order Plants of the Cherokee: Medicinal, Edible, and Useful Plants of the Eastern Cherokee Indians After languishing for 50 years in libraries, archives and attics around the southern Appalachian region, the following manuscript by William Banks was brought to the attention of Great Smoky Mountains Association by two of the organization’s most active members: Jerry Coleman and Ila Hatter. Mr. Coleman and Ms Hatter live near the Cherokee reservation in western North Carolina and are recognized experts on edible and medicinal plants in the area. They were overjoyed to discover the existence of the manuscript and devoted themselves to seeing that it be published. Staff at the National Park Service and Association were equally excited to learn of Banks’ masters theses. During the early 1950’s, when Banks did his research, there were still quite a few elder Cherokee and others who continued the old ways of using wild plants for a wide variety of medicines, food crafts, and other purposes. Today, attempting to conduct such research would be much less fruitful. It should be mentioned that Banks’ thesis advisor and mentor, Dr. A.J. Sharp, was one of the most widely recognized and respected experts on the botany of the Great Smokies and southern Appalachians. His career as botanist, professor, writer and advisor spanned more than 60 years. Sharp’s role as overseer on this project lends it great credence. Plants of the Cherokee Serendipity: “…making desirable but unsought-for discoveries by accident” was exactly how this manuscript came into my hands. I heard of Banks’ thesis from Dr. Jack Sharpe (Professor Emeritus of UT)...
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