čarišmin

Yerba Buena

Satureja Douglasii

A beloved plant that smells sweet and tastes minty, čarišmin, the Chochenyo word for Yerba Buena, is an indigenous plant that sprawls down hillsides in shaded areas of the Creeks, Oak Woodlands, Bay Laurel and Redwood Forests here on Ohlone land. It is a traditional medicine, and one of the most favorite teas of Ohlone people.

minway mišk ‘imnyóm, ‘oo minway mišk ‘imnyóm, kaanak tuhruy ‘uyyakiš, ta-mak suyyakma, ta-k huššištak. mak-suyyakma hityu meene hemmen ṭuuxi. meenem ‘išša, hoosi makkin, ṭuyye ‘at nommo, manni meenem roote hemmen ṭuuxi. meenem huse kiiy ‘uyyakiš, meenem huse kiš kiiy ne ṭuuxi, meenem huse kiš heyye tuhruy huššištak.

čarišmin, mišk hityupe

When I’m near you, oh when I’m near you, I think of the old ways, of my family, of my future. Our family has always loved you. You are alive, like us, strong and here, where you’ve always been. Your scent tells of yesterday, your scent tells of today, your scent lets me think of the future.

Yerba buena, I love you.