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Marijuana, Ukrainian Companion Plant

© Traute Klein, biogardener

In honor of Canada's multicultural heritage, I am highlighting the contribution of one of the most visible of ethnic groups in Manitoba, the Ukrainians. Note: Hold the mouse over the graphics to read the captions.

Historical Background

There is a close connection between Ukrainians and Germans and they get along very well, even though they come from totally different ethnic backgrounds. The reason is historical. Russian rulers liked to marry German princesses who brought with them their German culture and the teachers who were to impart that culture to the Russians. The vast expanses of the Russian steppes were inhabited by nomadic peoples, and the Russian court invited German farmers to settle those steppes, hopefully inspiring the nomadic tribes to settle down to try their hand at farming. Unfortunately, the nomadic tribes were not inclined to submit to the Russian rule until they were decimated by a systematic starvation campaign. Even though the German communities remained separated from the slavic population, their cultures mingled. Both united in spirit against the oppressive Russian rule. To this day, Ukrainians and Germans cooperate like brothers wherever they are found in the world. The only Ukrainian university is located in Munich, Germany, because the Ukrainian population in what is now Ukraine were deported by the regime of the USSR and replaced with Russians from the north. If you want to receive your university education in the Ukrainian language, you need to go to Germany. Several of my Manitoba friends have received their PhD in Ukrainian in Bavaria.

Natural Methods

Like German immigrants, the Ukrainians in Manitoba love natural methods of gardening. About 20 years ago, one Ukrainian lady was getting upset with the pests in her garden in Winnipeg. She remembered that in her homeland, she had used a companion plant to keep insect pests away from her veggies. She wrote to her family in the old country, and they sent her the seeds for the herb. The following summer, her garden was free of pests, protected by companion plants. Unfortunately, that companion plant was on the list of banned plants in Manitoba, and the police confiscated her plants and charged her with possession of narcotics. The plant was Cannabis sativa, commonly known as marijuana, a native of her homeland, a most effective natural protector from insect pests.

Don't Waste Your Resources

I have talked to my Ukrainian friends about their use of marijuana. None of them have ever thought of wasting it for hallucinatory purposes. "Why waste a perfectly good plant by burning it?" they ask me. "It does not even smell good."