Marykatherine's herb garden, where
she grows the clary sage from which she extracts the wonderful
oil that is the basis of her soaps and salves. Also grown here
are wild basil (trifolia) and mullen (both used in Dine' ceremonies)
and hops.
Hops.
Purple-flowered clary sage.
Yellow-flowered mullen, also used
in Dine' ceremony.
At Marykatherine's Big Mountain home, where HerbsWerk
special soaps and salves are made.
HOW TO DYE WOOL
Many of the same plants used ceremonially by the Dine' are
also used as dyes for their wool. Katherine Smith, Marykatherine's
mother, gave this recipe for preparing a basic wool dye:
Flower or herb (for color desired)
1 teaspoon salt
Hot water
Boil for one hour. The water changes color. Take out the plants
and put in the wool to be dyed. Boil, stir, and check color until
the desired shade is reached. When it's the right color, leave
it overnight to cool.
Marykatherine's mother, Katherine Smith, taking out burrs and
twigs from washed white churro fleece. Some of this fleece may
be dyed with vegetal dyes from Marykatherine's herb garden and
other indigenous plants and trees near her Big Mountain home.
You can order Churro fleece and handspun yarn from the wool
for sale page Wool
or click on "Wool" on the button bar at the top of
this page).
ONLY THE FINEST & FRESHEST INGREDIENTS
ARE USED
Marykatherine says: "The base for HerbsWerk's skin care
products is made only from natural oils--primarily clary sage.
The aloe vera is fresh from its home in the temperate desert.
The beeswax for the salves is from the fresh harvest of the spring
honeycombs in our mountains. The products have been guided and
overseen by the Holy People from Dzil ni'tsaa, Dine' Bikeyah"
(Big Mountain, Navajoland).
Salvia (sage): The white sage of the mountains surrounding
the Pacific coastline has been used by indigenous people to treat
external inflammation long before the European settlers came
to this continent. This is a purification herb often used in
ceremonies. The oil extracted from Clary sage has a wonderful
aroma.
Soap: HerbsWerk
long-lasting and economical soap is made from all natural
ingredients and has an emotionally soothing aroma. This herbal
soap will not irritate and is excellent for sensitive skin. Each
bar of soap is crafted and cut by hand, then wrapped in attractive
hemp paper. The weight of each bar will vary slightly, but each
is about 3.5 ozs.
HEMPSAGE SOAP
& SAGE SOAP:
Individual
bar , 3.5 ozs. $5.50
Half-dozen
(6) bars, 21 ozs. $35.00
Dozen
(12) bars, 42 ozs, $60.00
Ingredients: Saponified olive oil, coconut oil, sage, distilled
water, grapefruit seed extract, essential oils.
Salve: HerbsWerk
herbal and natural salve does wonders for chapped
and cracked skin. Most users feel the healing effects of these
salves almost immediately. Salves are bottled in either plastic
double-wall (1/4 oz. sizes) or glass jars (1 oz. sizes) in the
following sizes:
SALVE:
Individual
1/4 oz. plastic jar: $3.00
Half-dozen
(6) 1/4 oz/. plastic jars $15.00
One
dozen (12) 1/4 oz. plastic jars: $24.00
Individual
1 oz. glass jar: $7.00
Half-dozen
(6) glass jars (6 ozs. total): $36.00
One
dozen (12) glass jars (12 ozs. total): $60.00
Plus shipping and insurance.
Here's some feedback on the salve from a friend in Maine to
whom I gave a jar as a gift: That pinyon pitch healing salve
is great stuff. How do I buy more? (No I didn't use it all up--
am using very sparingly, but am SO impressed, want to have a
stock of it!)
HerbsWerk is an indigenous home-based enterprise
that is part of the Dine' vision for a sustainable and balanced
environment on Black Mesa. By cultivating and incorporating native
plants that have been used by the Dine' for many generations
for ceremonies, healing, and wool dyeing, HerbsWerk is contributing
to the economic development and cultural sustenance of the region.The
soaps and salves made by HerbsWerk offer a fine application of
this Dine' indigenous history and knowledge to the public. These
are really good products!
For more information, or to place
an order, you can call Marykatherine on her cellphone at: 928-890-8058
or write
to her at:
Marykatherine
P.O. Box 259
Kykotsmovi, AZ 86039
You can also send an email to Marykatherine via me directly
from this page:
carol@migrations.com
As an enterprise of Black Mesa Weavers for Life and Land,
we are pleased to host HerbsWerk products, which I am using and
can happily recommend.