=Shell-bark Hickory= (_Carya ovata_ [Mill.] K. Koch.), “mîtîgwabaˈk”
[wooden?]. The Flambeau Ojibwe use the wood for making bows. Some are
quite particular about the piece of wood they select, choosing a billet
from the tree that includes heart wood on one side and sap wood on the
other. The heart wood is the front of the bow in use, while the sap
wood is nearest the user. It is likewise a wood of general utility.
JUNCACEAE (RUSH FAMILY)
=Dudley’s Rush= (_Juncus dudleyi_ Wiegand), “jîgomiˈûskûn”. The
Pillager Ojibwe use this tiny rush in their finest mat work, for small
pieces.
LEGUMINOSAE (PULSE FAMILY)
=Creamy Vetchling= (_Lathyrus ochroleucus_, Hook.), “bûgwaˈdjûk
pîniˈkmîneˈbûg” [unusual potato, berry leaf]. The leaves and roots of
this were used by the Pillager Ojibwe to put spirit into a pony just
before they expected to race him.
=Marsh Vetchling= (_Lathyrus palustris_ L.), “bebejiˈgoganjiˈ mackiˈki”
[horse medicine or literally “animal with only one hoof” medicine]. The
foliage was specially fed to a pony by the Pillager Ojibwe to make it
grow fat.
MYRICACEAE (BAYBERRY FAMILY)
=Sweet Fern= (_Myrica asplenifolia_ L.), “gibaimeˈnûnagwûs” [coverer].
This word is almost the same as the Menomini word for Sweet Fern and
means the same thing. The Flambeau Ojibwe use the leaves to line their
buckets when they pick blueberries and also cover them with the leaves,
to keep them from spoiling.
OLEACEAE (OLIVE FAMILY)
=Black Ash= (_Fraxinus nigra_ Marsh). Black Ash is the wood chosen
for basketry splints by the Ojibwe. While our Wisconsin Indians are
skilled at basket making, their product is more useful than highly
ornamental. If they had the yucca leaves, the devil’s claw fiber, the
sumac twigs, the bunch grass, and the other splendid basketry fibers
of the southwestern Indians, no doubt they would make equally fine
baskets. The Wisconsin Indians exercise possibly more ingenuity in
gathering and preparing their basketry material. They select a Black
Ash log from a swamp and peel it carefully. Then with a butcher knife,
they make a cut about a half inch deep and by pounding with an axe head
cause it to split up from the log, as seen in plate 50, figure 1. By
inserting wedges, and continually pounding ahead of them, they cause
the wood to separate along the annual rings. Then a further cut is
made in the center of the annual ring and the two halves peeled back
leaving a glossy surface. These splints are curled up into coils to be
immersed in kettles of dye stuffs. Then they are woven by the women of
the household as shown in plate 50, figure 2.
=Red Ash= (_Fraxinus pennsylvanica_ Marsh.), “aˈgîmak” [snow-shoe
wood]. All ash wood is quite valuable to the Ojibwe, as they use it for
bows and arrows, snow-shoe frames, sleds, basketry splints and cradle
boards as shown in plate 49, fig. 2. The Red Ash is not used for the
basketry splints when they can get Black Ash.
PINACEAE (PINE 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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account