=Arum-leaved Arrowhead= (_Sagittaria arifolia_ Nutt.) “wabasiˈ pîn”
[white potato].[129] Both the Flambeau and the Pillager Ojibwe call
this by the same name and use it exactly alike as far as its food value
is concerned. The Pillager Ojibwe also use it as a medicine for man and
horse. The Flambeau Ojibwe recognize that it is also a favorite food of
ducks and geese. A similar species found in California is used by the
Indians there as a potato under the name “wappate” or “wapatoo”, and
is called by the whites there “Tule root.”[130] The corms are a most
valued food source to the Ojibwe. They will dig them if they cannot
get them more easily. Muskrat and beavers store them in large caches,
which the Indians have learned to recognize and appropriate. It is
difficult to dig them out still attached to the plant, because the
connection between the roots and the corm is so fragile and small. The
round corms are attached by a tiny rootlet to the main mass of fibrous
roots, and are capable of reproducing the plant in a vegetative manner,
just as the Irish Potato does. They are from one-half to an inch and
a half in diameter and about three-quarters to two inches long. They
are pure white inside, sweet and quite starchy. The Indian does not
differentiate between this species and the Broad-leaved Arrowhead. For
winter use, the potato is boiled, then sliced and strung on a piece of
basswood bark fiber and hung up overhead for storage. They also use the
fresh corms, cooking them with deer meat, and maple sugar. Some of the
potatoes are kept over after cooking and the maple sugar is thickened
until they might almost be called candied sweet potatoes.
ANACARDIACEAE (SUMAC FAMILY)
=Smooth Sumac= (_Rhus glabra_ L.), “bakwaˈ nak” [binding tree]. The
Flambeau Ojibwe gather the berries to make a pleasant beverage much
like lemonade. The berries are tart and are sweetened with maple sugar,
soaked in water until required for use. They also gather and dry them
for winter use. The dried berries are cooked in water with maple sugar,
and form a hot drink, instead of a cooling one, as used in the summer
and fall.
=Staghorn Sumac= (_Rhus typhina_ L.), “bakwaˈ natîg” [binding
tree].[131] The Pillager Ojibwe use the berries in the same way as the
Flambeau Ojibwe use this species, and under the same name. They also
store up the dried seed heads for winter use.
ARISTOLOCHIACEAE (BIRTHWORT FAMILY)
=Wild Ginger= (_Asarum canadense_ L. var. _acuminatum_ Ashe), “nameˈ
pîn”, [sturgeon potato].[132] The Pillager Ojibwe often use this root
in cookery to season the food. They claim it takes away any muddy taste
from fish, and will render any meat dish digestible by anyone, even if
they are sick. The roots are processed in lye water for cookery on a
large scale.
ASCLEPIADACEAE (MILKWEED FAMILY)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account