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11/27/2023
profile-icon Mary Anderson

A turkey with chicks walkingHow did a North American bird and a country in Asia Minor come to share the name Turkey? It turns out to be a rather complicated story.

The name of the country came first. The Ottoman Empire was often referred to as the Turkish Empire in the Middle Ages. This name was given by the Crusaders in the eleventh century but derived from one of the ancestral tribes who went by the name Türk or Türük. The Medieval Latin term Turquia came into English as Turkeye, first used by Chaucer circa 1369. The Turkish version of the name was not adopted until the establishment of the republic on October 29, 1923, when it became Türkiye Cumhuriyeti (Republic of Turkey).

The naming of the bird is a bit more complex and there are a number of theories about its origin. One possibility involves the helmeted guineafowl of Madagascar. While these birds had been known by the ancient Greeks, they disappeared in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. They then were reintroduced by Portuguese explorers beginning in the 14th century. The birds were easily domesticated and soon became popular with Europeans. One of the main trade routes one which they were transported went directly through the Ottman Empire. By the 16th century, this trade route was dominated by the English merchants of Levant Company, or Company of Turkey Merchants.  As a result of this connection, the birds eventually became known as turkey cocks/hens. When early settlers came to North American, they encountered similar looking birds. They then misidentified this new fowl as the turkey cocks/hens they already knew.

An alternative theory is that Spanish conquistadors and Portuguese traders discovered the new North American fowl and brought it back with them. It too became widely popular and gradually made its way north and east. In this process, the birds’ original origin became murky and some thought that they originated in the Ottoman or Turkish Empire.

Yet another theory also suggests that they were brought back from the Americans by the Spanish, but that they were captured during one of a series of naval battles fought between the Ottomans and Spanish in the 16th century. They then were brought to the Ottoman Empire where they were seen by Englishmen who began calling them “birds of Turkey.”

Whatever the reason for its origin, the name turkey has endured in the English-speaking world. So while the English settlers borrowed many otherBook cover of The Turkey: An American Story names for animals from the native people they encountered – racoon, opossum, and coyote, for example – they did not use any of the many possible terms for the unique North American fowl: monanow (Powhatan), tshikenum (Delaware), nahiam (Algonkian), nahenan (Narragansett), neyhom (Natick and Wampanoag), nahame (Abnaki), and netachrochwa gatschinale (Iroquois). Instead, they persisted with the word they already knew, turkey.

To learn more about this history and the impact and influence of turkeys, check out The Turkey: An American Story.

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11/20/2023
profile-icon Mary Anderson

President Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation  When you think of the first Thanksgiving, the popular image that comes to mind is that of Pilgrims and Native Americans sharing a harvest feast at the Plymouth colony. While early Puritan colonists and the Wampanoags did indeed share a meal in 1621 and later national and regional leaders occasionally declared days of thanksgiving, our regular national celebration of Thanksgiving in November traces its beginnings to the Civil War. In the middle of the war, in October 1863, President Lincoln declared a National Day of Thanksgiving to be celebrated the last Thursday in November. It continued to be celebrated at that time until for decades until President Roosevelt moved it a week earlier during the Great Depression in hope of stimulating the economy by extending the Christmas shopping season.  

Lincoln’s action was influenced, at least in part, by Sarah Josepha Hale, a writer and activist who had been advocating for a national thanksgiving holiday for the previous seventeen years. In her letters and editorials she asserted that the day could be unifying for the nation.

Lincoln’s proclamation reflects this hope for peace and unity. He began by recounting the reasons for the gratitude. He observed that despite “a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity,” Americans maintained their laws and kept peace with other nations. They expanded farming, industry, mining, and shipping. The population grew despite the losses on the battlefields. Lincoln predicted that the country would survive to be stronger and more vigorous than ever “with a large increase of freedom.”

Despite these blessings, Lincoln did not forget the strife and losses of the previous years. He called for “humble penitence” as well prayer for God’s care on “all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged.” Further, he called on Americans to “fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation, and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.”

Lincoln's proclamation set the precedent for Thanksgiving as an annual national holiday. In a time of national crisis, he recognized the importance of a unifying holiday, celebrating freedom, fortitude, and hope for peace.

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11/13/2023
profile-icon Mary Anderson

Ornamental corncobsFall in Iowa is not just about crisp cool days and the beautiful autumn leaves, but also corn. Autumn is harvest time, and farmers have been running their combines day and night to bring in the crop. But this cereal grain is not just crucial to Iowa, it has become one of the most important and versatile crops in the world.

The history of corn, also known as maize, dates back thousands of years. It was first domesticated about 9,000 years ago by the indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. Corn was an essential food crop but also central in their cultural and religious practices. It was viewed as sacred, a symbol of life and fertility, a gift from the gods.

Through trade, corn gradually spread both south and north. Archeologists have found evidence of corn in what is now Peru dating back to about 6,700 years and it first appeared in what is now the Southwestern United States about 4,000 years ago.  With the arrival of the European traders and colonists, corn was brought back to Europe and quickly adopted as a staple crop due to its high yield and adaptability to various climates.

Today, corn is a critical food source for billions of people around the world. It is consumed not only in its natural form but also processed into numerous products such as cornmeal, corn oil, corn syrup, and cornstarch. It is likewise a key ingredient in livestock feed, further influencing the global food supply. The impact of corn even goes beyond food. Corn serves as a raw material for a wide range of other products, such as biofuels, plastics, textiles, and industrial chemicals.

Corn is not without controversy, however. First, corn is one of the most widely genetically modified crops in the world. The introduction of GMO corn has led to concerns about its impact on the environment and human health, in addition to the questionable business practices of seed and agrochemical companies. Further, its use as a clean biofuel has not met expectations. A 2022 study found that not only does the use of corn for biofuels drive up food Book cover of The Story of Cornprices, ethanol is likely at least 24% more carbon-intensive than gasoline due to changes in land use to grow corn and processing and production emissions. Ethanol production has also negatively affected water quality and conservation efforts. The seemingly ubiquitous presence of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in processed foods and beverages has also raised concern. Numerous studies have linked HFCS consumption to several health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver disease, obesity, hypertension, and cancer.

Nonetheless, one cannot deny corn has shaped the course of history and continues to play an essential role in our lives. It is truly a-maize-ing! To learn more about corn, its history, and uses check out our book display on the fourth floor by the elevator.

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11/06/2023
profile-icon Mary Anderson

Native American Heritage Month" with native design backgroundIn her book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer shares the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, Greeting and Thanks to the Natural World as she mediates on gratitude. Haudenosaunee (hoe-dee-no-SHOW-nee), literally meaning “people who build a house,” is the name of the confederation of six Native American nations, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. The six nations are the Mohawk or Kanien’kehaka, Oneida or Onayotekaono, Onondaga or Onundagaono, Cayuga or Guyohkohnyoh, Seneca or Onondowahgah, and Tuscarora or Skaruhreh. While each of the nations has their own history and culture, one thing they all share is an emphasis on gratitude.

The Thanksgiving Address, sometimes also described as the “the words that come before all else,” is a daily reminder to appreciate and acknowledge all things. It is said before ceremonies, significant conversations, and every week at the Onondaga Nation elementary school Kimmerer visited and wrote about in her book. The address begins with the people:

Today we have gathered, and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as people. Now our minds are one.

It then continues with a litany of additional greetings and thanks to Earth Mother, Waters, Fish, Plants, Food Plants, Medicine Herbs, Animals, Trees, Birds, Four Winds, Thunderers, Sun, Grandmother Moon, Stars, Enlightened Teachers, and the Creator.

Braiding Sweetgrass book coverThe Address reinforces the connection that people have to the world around them. It calls for a revolutionary way of life, one that begins and ends with gratitude. This in turn requires rethinking other aspects of life. Thus, Kimmerer points out, the Address is a “lesson in Native science” as it recounts each element of the world and its role (108). It is, likewise, a lesson in economics, recognizing a world of abundance, gift, and satisfaction rather than a consumer society that focuses on scarcity, commodity, and unmet desire (111). It is also a lesson in civics, reminding the community that “leadership is rooted not in power and authority, but in service and wisdom” (112). The Address is a call to remember the deep connections with all things. These relationships are reciprocal where each being has a duty to one another (115).

When Kimmerer initially asked the Haudenosaunee for permission to write about the Thanksgiving Address, she was told repeatedly that this was their gift to the world and was meant to be shared. November marks Native American Heritage Month in the United States. This observance is an opportunity to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and contributions of the indigenous peoples of North America. It is a perfect time to reflect on what the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address has to teach us. To learn more about Native American heritage check out the book display on the Library’s main floor as well as the display of juvenile literature on the first floor. 

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