Why the ebony jewelwing?
Masters of land, water, and air, ebony jewelwing damselflies grace shallow, slow-running freshwater creeks, streams, & rivers of Central and Eastern Turtle Island with their strikingly iridescent blue-green abdomens and dark wings as they feast on large quantities of small insects including mosquitoes and gnats - often catching them in mid-flight. Curious and cautious, ebony jewelwings may be seen in sun-dappled forests hopping backwards from leaf-to-leaf on broadleaf plants such as wood nettles when approached by humans.
Damselflies, like our beloved ebony jewelwing, are distinguished from their larger dragonfly cousins by their size and delicate, vertically-folding wings. Females are distinguished from males by a white dot on the tip of each wing. The geographic range of the ebony jewelwing stretches from Florida to Maine, and westward to Texas. The distribution of the ebony jewelwing overlaps largely with the Misiziibi (mis - i - zee - bi; '“giant river” in Ojibwe; origin of name “Mississippi River”) and her tributaries - the geographic range of flora, fauna, & fungi centered in our folk medicine.
Mission
1.) Provide general science & history education of human relationships with flora, fauna, & funga living along the Misiziibi watershed.
2.) Preserve traditional wisdom.
3.) Provide resources for equitable access to the land we share for the use of food, medicine, & livelihood.
Values
Food sovereignty, self-reliance, body autonomy, social justice, landback, civil rights, & human rights for all.
Mutual aid & worker’s co-operatives.
Respect for all of our flora, fauna, & fungal relatives along the Misiziibi & her tributaries.
Mindful living through land stewardship.
Traditional and indigenous wisdom.
All efforts towards indigenization, decolonization, & post-colonial envisioning.
Reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Nonviolence & imperialism resistance.
Critical thinking, growth mindset, & open science practices.
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Crystal Jewell, M.S., PhD
Crystal specializes in alternative, complementary, & integrative medicines, with special attention to folk medicine & wildcrafting. A first-generation college graduate from a low-income background, she holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and M.S. in Psychology & Neuroscience from Iowa State University.
Rooted in the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, & Cumberland (Wasioto) River watersheds of Western KY and transplanted to the Skunk (Shecaqua) River watershed of Central IA.
To her, the Misiziibi’s tributaries and the life they support will always feel like home.
Crystal’s class on making balms out of acorn caps has evolved into its own business! To purchase miniature salves, solid perfumes, & candles inside acorn cap vessels, visit www.mashkikiiwimitigomininaaganens.com
