The golden rays of the rising sun shone over the rounded uplands with
their long grass-covered slopes and wide valleys; upon the giant peaks
of the Rockies with towering precipices, dark forests and everlasting
snow. Many birds were singing, meadow-larks, white-crowns, and
thrushes. The west wind bore the scent of pine and cedar from the
mountains, the fragrance of prairie wild flowers and sweet grass. I
took a last look at the broad plain with its great circle of deserted
lodge-fires; and turned my face toward the rising sun. That was the
last I ever saw of Mad Wolf, my Indian father. He soon went over the
Wolf Trail to the ghostly Sand Hills. And now all that old generation
of Indians have followed him.
THE END
APPENDIX
MEDICINAL AND USEFUL PLANTS OF THE BLACKFOOT INDIANS [7]
By WALTER McCLINTOCK
The following collection of herbs and plants with their Indian names,
uses, and methods of preparation by the Blackfoot, is deposited in the
Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh. The specimens were identified by Mr. O.
E. Jennings, Curator of Botany in the Museum and Professor of Botany in
the University of Pittsburgh.
1. MATERIA MEDICA OF THE BLACKFOOT
Katoya. Sweet Pine. Balsam Fir. Abies lasiocarpa. Burned for incense in
ceremonials. It was used in poultices for fevers and colds in the
chest, also for hair oil by mixing with grease and for perfume. It is
more fragrant than ordinary balsam. When it grows in dry places it has
a more concentrated and sweet odor.
Se-pat-semo. Sweet Grass. Vanilla Grass. Savastana odorata. After
drying, Sweet Grass was generally kept by plaiting several strands. It
was burned for incense and used also for making hair tonic by soaking
in water. In northern Europe and Sweden it is called Holy Grass,
because with other sweet-scented grasses, it is strewn before the
churches. It is found throughout the world in the cold north-temperate
zone, northern Europe and Asia, Newfoundland to Alaska, south to New
Jersey and Wisconsin to Colorado.
Ek-siso-ke. Sharp Vine. Bear Grass. Yucca glauca. The roots were boiled
in water and used as a tonic for falling hair. The Blackfoot thought
there was no better remedy than the Ek-siso-ke for breaks and sprains.
The roots were grated and placed in boiling water. The inflammation was
reduced by holding the injured member in the rising steam. The roots
were also placed upon cuts to stop bleeding and to allay inflammation.
Nits-ik-opa. Double-Root. Squaw-Root. Carum Gairdneri. Used for sore
throat and placed on swellings to draw out inflammation. It was also
eaten raw or boiled as a vegetable and used for flavoring stews.
Oks-pi-poku. Sticky-Root, also called Ap-aks-iboku. Wide Leaves. Tufted
Primrose or Alkali Lily. Pachylobus caespitosus. The root was pounded
up and applied wet to sores and swellings to allay inflammation. It
grows in alkali soil and is generally found in gravel beds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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