"Why the story of the poinsettia is a troubling one.
...
Depending on where you live, there is one plant that you can spot anywhere during the winter holiday season (outside of, well, Christmas trees): poinsettias. It was named for the first US minister to Mexico: Joel Poinsett. In Mexico, Poinsett saw the plant — called cuetlaxochitl by the Aztec and with a long history of use in the region — and shipped some cuttings back to the US.
Many around the world started calling the plant 'poinsettia' to celebrate Poinsett’s legacy. But that legacy is a troubling one. Poinsett was a slave owner, a firm believer in American expansion, and during his tenure as secretary of war he oversaw the displacement of thousands of Native Americans. In his role as minister to Mexico, he meddled so much in local politics that he was asked to leave the country.
Because of that history — and the fact that the US still corners the lucrative poinsettia market while restricting their imports from Mexico — many people today reject the name poinsettia in favor of the plant’s Native name, cuetlaxochitl. Check out the video above for more on how the US got the poinsettia..."
2 Comments
visionepsays...I don't think using the notoriously brutal and horrific Aztec society as an alternative base for naming, makes things any better. Looking into the atrocities committed by that society makes the trail of tears look like a Sunday stroll in the park.
It would be better to use the meaning of the Aztec name "flower that grows in residues or soil" or even just make up a new name like "holiday flower" if we really want to clean up the historical associations of things that we like but are uncomfortable with the historical associations.
drradonNot so inconsistent with how Christianity has been practiced in the past (Spanish Inquisition ring a bell, anyone?) and the looting of resources of native cultures by "Missionaries"... even to the extent of hijacking a pre-Christian "pagan" celebration (winter solstice) in order to draw adherents... Why pick at historical nits when there are much more impactful transgressions related to the holiday celebration???
Discuss...
Enable JavaScript to submit a comment.