Author Leigh Joseph, an ethnobotanist and a member of the Squamish Nation, provides a beautifully illustrated essential introduction to Indigenous plant knowledge.

*Honorable Mention, 2023 Foreword INDIE Book Award*

Plants can be a great source of healing as well as nourishment, and the practice of growing and harvesting from trees, flowering herbs, and other plants is a powerful way to become more connected to the land. The Indigenous Peoples of North America have long traditions of using native plants as medicine and for food. Held by the Land honors and shares some of these traditions, offering a guide to:

Harvesting herbs and other plants and using them topicallyNorth American plants that can treat common ailments, add nutrition to your diet, become part of your beauty regime, and moreStories and traditions about native plants from the author’s Squamish cultureUsing plant knowledge to strengthen your connection to the land you live on
Early chapters introduce you to responsible ways to identify and harvest plants in your area and teach you how to grow a deeper connection with the land you live on through plants. In the plant profiles section, common plants are introduced with:

Elegant, line-drawn botanical art for each plantInformation on their characteristics and rangeHow to grow and/or harvest themHow to use them topically and as foodSpecial features with recipes for food and beauty products along with stories and traditions around the plants
This beautiful, full-color guide to Indigenous plants will give you new insights into the power of everyday plants.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: Building Botanical Relationships
CHAPTER 2: Teachings from Plants
CHAPTER 3: Identifying Plants to Build Your Home Apothecary
CHAPTER 4: The Mindful Harvest
CHAPTER 5: Botanical or Land-Based Mindfulness Practices
INTRODUCTION
Reflections on Indigenous Plant Knowledge
& Building Relationships
Plant Profiles & Recipes
TREES
Amabilis Fir
Bigleaf Maple
Black Poplar
or Cottonwood
Grand Fir
Pacific Crab Apple
Spruce
Western Hemlock
Western Red Cedar
SHRUBS
Beaked Hazelnut
Blackcap
Blueberry
Bog Cranberry
Devil’s Club
Highbush Cranberry
Labrador Tea
Ocean Spray
Red Elderberry and
Blue Elderberry
Red Huckleberry
Red-Flowering
Currant
Salal
Salmonberry
Saskatoon Berry
Soapberry
Tall Oregon Grape
Thimbleberry
Trailing Blackberry
Wild Rose
FLOWERING HERBS
Bare-Stem Desert
Parsley or Biscuitroot
Broad-Leaved Plantain
Camas
Cattail
Cow Parsnip
Fireweed
Nodding Onion
Northern Rice Root
Stinging Nettle
Wapato
Wild Ginger
Wild Strawberry
Yarrow
FERNS, HORSETAILS,
LICHENS & SEAWEEDS
Beard Lichen
Common Horsetail
Licorice Fern
Red Laver
CONCLUSION
Botanical Glossary
Appendix
References
Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Recipe
Contributors
Index
 

“Generously thorough and lovingly illustrated guidebook to Indigenous plants for the absolute beginner to the seasoned expert. ... This book is the perfect place to begin a lasting friendship with plants!”

—Spirit Bound Press

“Exceptionally well written, illustrated, and organized, providing the reader with informative insight into the power of everyday plants for good health and medical applications.”—Midwest Book Review

"In this beautifully illustrated herbal guide, Indigenous ethnobotanist Leigh Joseph’s Held by the Land facilitates experiential learning that honors lineage, land, and ways of knowing."—Journal of the American Herbalists Guild

“This will deepen readers’ appreciation for the restorative power of the outdoors.”—Publishers Weekly

"This is the ideal read for anyone looking to deepen their connection with nature, and use its bounty to heal and sustain them."

—She Does the City