You woke up to another dark and dreary day, had skim milk and a banana for breakfast. Kim and Paul called to wish you a Happy Father’s Day and Owen even chatted ‘Owenish’ into the phone to put in his two cents worth. Found they have been busy, a Greek Festival in the afternoon and they had a babysitter last night so they could go to a going away party. The day is a bit brighter because of their call even though you hear thunder rumbling in the distance as you write.
I assume we are going out to lunch today, either Outback or Longhorn I would imagine – if we go out. Tomorrow someone is coming to estimate a tree service trimming of several wild branches shooting out because of the earlier rains. Looking forward to Masterpiece Theatre tonight (a new PBS Poirot) and a new science fiction show on TNT called “Falling Skies”. Otherwise, a normal day. I haven’t even read the Sunday paper yet. Rather excited about my chosen physical characteristics for the shamans in scene nine. And, it is quite pleasant to find Grandma will be guiding me some of the way. It is one thing to be realistic and another to be realistic within a shaman’s character and perspective.
I did meet a shaman’s daughter, Gloria Moroyoque de Roque at the Mission of Tumacacori in Arizona about twenty miles north of Mexico on the early afternoon of 14 April 2006. She was volunteering cooking tortillas the day we were there (they were quite good and I ordered and ate a third), but she has other knowledge also. She was a delightful lady to talk to and she didn’t mind the photograph. I told her my fictional books had shamans in it after it came up in innocent conversation.
After some searching, I found more recent information about her on the website. Here is the information:
Tumacácori National Historical Park
Gloria Moroyoqui de Roque
Raised near the Yaqui River in southern Sonora, Mexico, Gloria's mother was Mayo Indian, her father a Yaqui shaman. As a little girl she was taught about native plant usage by her father, who was concerned that the old ways were being lost and desired that his daughter carry on the Yaqui traditions. Gloria knows literally hundreds of plants that grow in Sinaloa, Sonora, and Arizona and their usage as food and/or medicinal plants. Self-educated, Gloria taught herself to read and write. Now she is teaching her vast knowledge of the plants to staff and volunteers at Tumacácori National Historical Park, as well as cancer researchers at Brigham Young University.
While oral tradition among the native peoples teaches that the plants listed below can be used for the corresponding remedies, please bear in mind that they have not been clinically tested and you should not attempt to diagnose and treat yourself with any herbal remedies without first consulting a doctor of herbal medicine. Because of the harshness of their environment, many desert plants contain chemical combinations that can be used medicinally, but these compounds are often in such potent amounts that they render the plant highly poisonous and deadly if used incorrectly or without proper precautions.
The list of plants below is an attempt to show the vast knowledge of Gloria and her Yaqui ancestors and to help researchers in their quest to find and produce better medicines. More will be listed as information and pictures become available. Gloria is presently working with Alice Garate to produce the said information, but it is a painstaking process to translate the oral Spanish traditions into written English, especially where neither of the two ladies speaks the others language.
The following list of precautions for all native plant usage, as set down by Gloria, should be adhered to closely:
1. Everything you gather must be washed well before you use it.
2. Generally, a handful of fresh plant to a liter of water (boiled) is good for teas. A teaspoon of dried material to a cup of water is good.
3. Any reddish bark is good for the respiratory system.
4. If the birds eat it, then it is okay for people to eat.
5. When gathering plants make sure that you look at what is growing around the plant you intend to pick. Sometimes plants growing nearby can be poisonous and can cause some of the poisons to go into the soil, which are then picked up and taken into the surrounding plants through their root system.
6. Always have a professional diagnosis when you are ill and thinking of using herbal remedies. Do not diagnose yourself.
7. Herbs are used in groups of three together most of the time.
http://tumacacori.areaparks.com/parkinfo.html?pid=27526
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I have similar information that was given to me by the superintendent of the park when I requested it by email a few years ago. I have since misplaced that information. It is awesome to recollect those moments with the very kind Gloria Moroyoqui de Roque.
It is late afternoon and you are happy that you found the information so you could show Gloria the respect you feel she is due. Sometimes when you talk with a friendly stranger who is cooking and serving you food you are surprised. And, speaking of food, you and Carol enjoyed an excellent and special Father’s Day dinner at Outback Steak House this afternoon. Post. More later today; perhaps or perhaps not. – Amorella.
I have to add a little note I just found this on the US Route 89 website as a kind of validation:
US Route 89 Appreciation Society
Tumacacori Mission
One of the most interesting stops along this stretch of old highway 89 is the Tumacacori National Historic Park. Here you can learn about the early Spanish exploration of this region and spend time in the remains of the mission originally built in 1757. If you are fortunate to be there when Gloria Moroyoqui is demonstrating flour tortilla making, you are in for a real treat.
By James Last Modified 1/22/2010
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