Eastern white cedar is an evergreen tree. With short, scale-like, lance-shaped leaves (3-6mm) that are yellowish-green in colour, the cedar does not lose its leaves in winter. Eastern white cedar is dense, compact, cone-shaped. It has reddish bark when younger, but pales as it gets older, with flat, narrow strips along the bark, and egg-shaped cones. It is often found in wet habitats. Its leaf-covered twigs are a favourite food of deer in winter. (Tabitha Martens for Winnipeg Trails, 2021).
The leaves of the eastern white cedar contain vitamin C. While it has medicinal properties and is used by Indigenous peoples across the country, care should be taken when consuming cedar because it contains thujone, a toxic chemical responsible for the plant’s smell. It is always a good idea to know exactly which plant you are harvesting from. The inner bark contains an edible starch and it is a tree that is used easily for natural cordage. Cedar bark has mold-retarding chemicals making it great for bags and baskets used for food. Some teachings say that Grandmother cedar tells us about balance: the upper shape is a mirror of the root system below ground. (Tabitha Martens for Winnipeg Trails, 2021).
According to Keewaydinoquay Peschel, cedar containers (made from bark) can help prevent food from molding. The containers can be sealed with pine pitch.
When someone gets lost, they are told to climb a big tree. Those that are looking for them will make a big fire made out of cedar. The smoke from the fire makes it easier for the lost person to find their way back to their group. (Erminie Wheeler-Voegelin, notebook, 1941, 19a).
Ojibwe: Giizhik / Giizhikaatig*
*Note: aatig = tree
Narrator: Frank Beaulieu