Herb Camp Day 19: Harriet Tubman, the Herbalist

WELCOME TO HERB CAMP 2020! In this third of three weeks of herb camp, the theme is “Herbal Creativity” Come gather around the camp fire, while we listen to ghost stories and explore the lives of herbalists of the past.

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad

Araminta Ross was born into slavery in Maryland, around 1822.  No one really knows the date.  One of 9 children born to Harriet (Rit) Green and Benjamin Ross, Minty was a tiny girl that grew into a legend.   

She was taught about herbs and herbal medicine by her father, at a time when it was a crime to teach herbs to slaves.  The white masters feared that their slaves would poison them if they understood the way of herbs. Slavery was a harsh life and Minty was mistreated.  At the age of 12 she was injured when a slave owner threw a metal weight at another slave and hit her instead.  The impact broke her skull and caused permanent injury including tinnitus, seizures, and hallucinations. Later Harriet would call her hallucinations “visions” and guidance from God.  She was deeply religious.

In 1844, Minty married a free black man named John Tubman and took his name.  She started using her mother’s name “Harriet”.  A few years later she decided to runaway with her two brothers.  But they were afraid and turned back, putting Harriet at risk as well.

In 1849, at the age of 27, Tubman escaped from slavery by walking to Philadelphia, where slavery was illegal.  It was a 90 mile journey through forest.  But Harriet didn’t journey alone.  On the way she was helped by the stations of the Underground Railroad, a network of trails and safehouses that helped escaped slaves get to slave-free states.  Harriet took work as a cook and housekeeper to save money so that she could help her family escape slavery, too.   In 1850, Shortly after her arrival in Philadelphia, she was made an official conductor in the Underground Railway. She knew all the routes to free territory and she had to take an oath of silence so the secret of the Underground Railroad would be kept secret.

She returned to Maryland to rescue her niece before her niece was sold further south.   She also made a second trip to the South to rescue her brother James and other friends. They were already in the process of running away so Harriet aided them across a river and to the home of Thomas Garret, a stationmaster in the Underground Railway.

She tried to bring her husband John, North but he preferred to remain with his new wife in Maryland.

In  1850, the Fugitive Slave Act allowed fugitive and free slaves in the north to be captured and enslaved again. This made Harriet’s job as an Underground Railroad conductor much harder and forced her to lead slaves further north to Canada, traveling at night, usually in the spring or fall when the days were shorter.  Her knowledge of foraging and herbal medicine helped her keep her charges fed and healthy.  She also used her knowledge of herbs to keep babies quiet so that their position would not be given away, when bounty hunters were close by.

Harriet made her headquarters in St. Catherines Ontario but continued to travel to the South to bring out slaves.  People nick-named her “Moses”.

Tubman’s daring rescue incursions were well-organized. She forged her own routes through the swamps and forests of various states, using the North Star to navigate her path. She traveled only during the night and hid her passengers during the day in inconspicuous locations. Tubman created her own network of safe houses and employed many strategies to conceal her charges and their identities. For instance, several of her missions left on a Saturday night in order to buy enough time before runaway notices were published in Monday’s newspaper. In total, Tubman made at least 10 trips and transported at least 70 people, her own family included, to freedom in Canada. Remarkably, she always eluded pursuit and never lost a passenger.

Tubman made ten trips from Maryland to Canada from 1852-1857. Her most famous trip concerned a passenger who panicked and wanted to turn back. Tubman was afraid if he left he would be tortured and would tell all he knew about the Railroad. The unwilling passenger changed his mind when Tubman pointed a pistol at his head and said “dead folks tell no tales.”

When the civil war began in 1861, Harriet enlisted in the Union Army, first as a cook then as a nurse, am armed scout, and a spy.  With her connections in the South she was able to go behind enemy lines and get information that helped the Union army.  The first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, she guided the raid at Combahee Ferry, which liberated more than 700 slaves.

Harriet used her knowledge of herbal medicines to help treat sick soldiers and fugitive slaves.  She used plants to cure dysentery and small pox and never got sick herself.

In spite of her military service, the government refused to acknowledge her service or grant her a military pension.   She struggled financially most of her life, giving away much of her income to charitable causes.  Finally in 1895 she was granted a widow’s pension of $8 a month.  4 years later, an act of congress granted her an additional $12 per month for her service as a nurse during the civil war.

Harriet Tubman passed away from pneumonia in 1913, at the age of 91, but her legend lives on.

Find out more about this legendary Black Herbalist and Activist

Many books and films have been created telling the legend of Harriet Tubman.  Few have focused on her knowledge of herbs and foraging.    The most recent film, is the 2019 movie, “Harriet” that weaves a fictional account of her biography with many facts about her life.  “Harriet” is available on several movie streaming platforms for rent or purchase.

Your Challenge:

Which herbs would YOU use to quiet a baby, and keep from giving away your position to the enemy?  Think about what might be growing in the forest or swamps around you.  Leave your ideas in the comments of this post OR in the Facebook group here.

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