=Bristly Crowfoot= (_Ranunculus pennsylvanicus_ L. f.), “manweˈ gons”.
The Flambeau Ojibwe smoke the seeds of this in their hunting medicine
to lure the buck deer near enough for a shot with bow and arrow.
ROSACEAE (ROSE FAMILY)
=Hawthorn= (_Crataegus_ Sp.), “mînesagaˈwûnj”, shown in plate 77, fig.
2. The bark of the Hawthorn was used by the Flambeau Ojibwe in making
up their deer scent for smoking to attract deer while hunting.
SCROPHULARIACEAE (FIGWORT FAMILY)
=Wood Betony= (_Pedicularis canadensis_ L.), “mandaˈmînîodjiˈbîkêns”
[little corn root]. This is a sort of love charm according to John
Peper, Pillager Ojibwe, who said that the root was chopped up and put
into some dish of food that was cooking, without the knowledge of the
people who were going to eat it, and if they had been quarrelsome, then
they became lovers again. However, he said it was too often put to bad
uses.
TYPHACEAE (CAT-TAIL FAMILY)
=Cat-tail= (_Typha latifolia_ L.) “bebaˈmasûn” [it flies around]. The
Flambeau Ojibwe used to throw the fuzz of the fruit into the eyes of
their enemies, the Sioux, claiming that it blinded them.
UMBELLIFERAE (PARSLEY FAMILY)
=Musquash Root= (_Cicuta maculata_ L.), “abagwasîˈgans”. The root of
this is used in making a hunting medicine to be smoked to attract the
buck deer near enough to shoot with bow and arrow.
=Cow Parsnip= (_Heracleum lanatum_ Michx.) “pipigweˈwanûck” [flute
reed]. According to the Flambeau Ojibwe, there is a bad spirit
“sokênau”, who is always present trying to steal away one’s luck in
hunting game. He must be driven away from the camp of the hunter
by smudging a fire with the roots of the Cow Parsnip. This gets
into Sokênau’s eyes and he cannot see the hunter leave the camp, so
naturally does not follow and bother him. Other Flambeau Ojibwe call
it “acaweˈskûk” but use it in the same way. The Pillager Ojibwe have
the same name for the plant, but put the seed of the plant on a fire to
drive away Sokênau. They boil the root to sprinkle their fishing nets
and lure fish.
=Water Parsnip= (_Sium cicutaefolium_ Schrank.), “waneˈmîgons”. The
seed of this is smoked over a fire by the Flambeau Ojibwe to drive away
and blind Sokênau, the evil spirit that steals away one’s hunting luck.
=Yellow Pimpernel= (_Taenidia integerrima_ [L.] Drude), “manweˈgons” or
“manweˈkos”. The Flambeau Ojibwe declare that the seeds of this plant
are very good for smoking in a pipe when one goes hunting for they will
bring him luck.
CONCLUSION
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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