What is the history of White Oak ?
The history of white oak provides valuable knowledge that reveals the ongoing relationship between the earth and humans. Native American communities value white oak for its nutritional and healing properties. For instance, tribes such as the Menominee and Meskwaki recognize acorns as an important food source. Other tribes such as the Iroquois have used decoctions of white oak psychologically to counteract loneliness. The Mohegan Tribe, who originally occupied most of the nearby upper Thames valley in present-day Connecticut, make infusions of white oak bark as a lotion for muscles, and as a pain remedy for humans and horses alike.
Throughout the early modern period in England, white oak trees served humans both personally and economically in a variety of ways. While some early modern writers indicate that white oak holds no palatable nourishment, others used the ashes from white oak to make salt for seasonings. Early modern English writers also documented several medicinal uses for white oak. According to John Evelyn’s Sylva (1664), from the rare book library at the Kinney Center, the leaves of white oak trees improve a sore mouth, and acorn infusions can heal illnesses such as ulcers, inflammation, and worms. Evelyn also imagines the restorative properties of the tree itself, claiming that the shade of the oak tree has the power to heal ailments, including paralysis, if one sleeps or lies underneath it. Some early modern writers even advised readers to consult a white oak tree to learn about the weather, as farmers might turn to an almanac. For example, if the oak produces a high yield of acorns, it foretells a long winter ahead. Additionally, if the acorns produce flies, it predicts abundance, but if they produce spiders it foretells scarcity. Reflecting on the differences in white oaks’ reception, it is fascinating to consider how oak has served different purposes for different people over time.
“The Oak Tree with his Acorns and Moss.” (Gerard, 1339)
Throughout the early modern period in England, white oak trees served humans both personally and economically in a variety of ways. While some early modern writers indicate that white oak holds no palatable nourishment, others used the ashes from white oak to make salt for seasonings. Early modern English writers also documented several medicinal uses for white oak. According to John Evelyn’s Sylva (1664), from the rare book library at the Kinney Center, the leaves of white oak trees improve a sore mouth, and acorn infusions can heal illnesses such as ulcers, inflammation, and worms. Evelyn also imagines the restorative properties of the tree itself, claiming that the shade of the oak tree has the power to heal ailments, including paralysis, if one sleeps or lies underneath it. Some early modern writers even advised readers to consult a white oak tree to learn about the weather, as farmers might turn to an almanac. For example, if the oak produces a high yield of acorns, it foretells a long winter ahead. Additionally, if the acorns produce flies, it predicts abundance, but if they produce spiders it foretells scarcity. Reflecting on the differences in white oaks’ reception, it is fascinating to consider how oak has served different purposes for different people over time.
White oak is also valuable for the range of material goods that humans produce using different parts of the tree. Take, for example, oak galls, produced when an insect called a gall wasp generates abnormal, sac-like, growths on oak trees to store their eggs and larvae. These abnormalities, known as oak galls, are made of plant tissue, and eventually die once the adult insect emerges. In the early modern period, people used oak galls to produce a variety of dyes and inks. The Kinney Center holds many examples of books printed with ink derived from oak galls.
“The common Oak with his Apple or green Gall” and “The dwarf Oak” (Gerard, 1340)
During the Renaissance, white oak was also valued for its timber, which is a strong, but not too heavy, wood, with great water resistance. Colonists in early America soon realized that oak served as a useful material for crafting a variety of tools such as pails, shingles, posts, rails, and boards. Due to its lightness and water-resistance, oak wood was quickly deployed for ship building, producing faster and stronger vessels.
Visual representation of using a “German-devil” engine for pulling up tree roots and “prostrating” huge trees.(Evelyn, 24)
After looking at the vast history of white oak throughout North America, it is clear how the oak tree has grown and transformed the lives of humans for centuries. White oak provides a vital food source and healing properties over its long life-span, while it also plays a fundamental role in the colonialist enterprises of the early modern period. Ships made from white oak facilitated the forced migration of the period and inks derived from oak galls circulated big ideas through printed books. The contributions of white oaks to early modern America have impacted generations of humans and animals throughout the U.S and abroad.
What is White Oak?
Many of us already know that acorns come from oak trees, but did you also know that the acorns from white oak (Quercus Alba) trees have been used for centuries as food and medicine? A single tree can live from 500-600 years and its wide-spreading canopy offers plentiful nesting space, cover, and shelter for various wild-life species including birds, squirrels, and foxes. Thanks to its abundant acorns, white oak functions as a great food source for birds and wildlife–it also acts as a host to insects, including butterflies and caterpillars. The white oak is native to North America, particularly Massachusetts, and reveals a long history of connection between humans and trees.
—Hannah Gould, RoE Fellow
References:
“Coastal Landscaping in Massachusetts - Plant List.” Mass.gov, www.mass.gov/service-details/coastal-landscaping-in-massachusetts-plant-list.
Evelyn, J. (1679). Sylva. John Martyn.
Gerard, J. (1633). Herball. Spring Books.
“Native American Ethnobotany Database.” BRIT, naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=quercus%2Balba.
“Oak Galls: What Are Oak Galls: Davey Tree.” What Are Oak Galls | Davey Tree, www.davey.com/insect-disease-resource-center/oak-galls/.
Worlidge, J. (1681). Systema Agriculturae. Thomas Dring.