Plants Culturally Significant to Native Americans

The following information can be found in Plants And The Blackfoot by Alex Johnston.

Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis)
This was used to forecast the weather. If the culm had only one fruit spike, the winter would be mild. However, for every spike after that, the winter would grow increasingly more severe.

Poplars and Cottonwoods (Populus spp.)
These were used for firewood, to make winter shelter and to feed horses when food was scarce. Apustam, a kind of punk removed from the inner bark of the cottonwood tree, was used in the ceremonial lighting of pipe. Also, when going to steal horses, cottonwood sap was rubbed all over the body to disguise the human scent.

Winter Fat (Eurotia lanata)
The leaves of this plant had very diverse purposes. One of the uses was to be made into a beverage. Another use was for the leaves to be steeped in water and then used to wash hair.

Bitter-root (Lewisia pygmaea)
The main purpose of this plant is for the roots. As soon as flower buds were visible, the root was dug up, peeled and dried. It broke into short strand that resembled spaghetti because of their white color. If fresh, they were steamed, but if dried they were boiled.

Purple Clematis (Clematis verticellaris)
This plant grew along trails and over any surrounding vegetation. It’s Blackfoot name (Ghost’s Lariat) came from the often occurrence of it growing over trails, and making the Indians trip unexpectedly.

Cut-leaved Anemone (Anemone multifida)
When ripe, the seeds form a tuft, which was burned. The smoke was inhaled and was said to cure headaches.

Saskatoon Berry (Amelanchier alnifolia)
These berries are dark blue in color and are very sweet to the taste. They were once a staple in trade between the Blackfeet and the traders. However, trade and being a main dietary substance were not its only purposes. The shoots from the plants were dried, forced through small holes and made into arrows.

Skunk-bush (Rhus trilobata)
In the mid- to central 1800s many Native Americans were diagnosed with smallpox. In a vain attempt to cure this, they ground up the dried berries of the Skunk-bush and put it on the abscesses formed. Since no cure for smallpox was ever discovered, almost 6,000 people from the Blood and Blackfeet tribes died.

Prickly-pear Cactus (Opuntia polyacantha)
The Native Americans had many different uses for the Prickly-pear cactus aside from eating them. One use for the peeled stems was to bind them to wounds such as cutting off a wart of mole among other things. This was not the only part of the cactus used to cure wounds, however. The spines were also stuck into the injured area and lit on fire. The ones that sparked the most were said to be the most useful. One more use of this spiny little plant was to filter water. When the stem was split and placed in water, the sticky juice quickly cleared the water.

Tobacco (Nicotiana spp.)
Tobacco was most commonly used by the Native American men as a means of communal interaction. As they considered the actions they were about to take, they passed around a tobacco pipe to strengthen the bonds of unity as well as to enhance their minds.

Common Annual Sunflower (Helianthus annus var. lenticularis)
The seeds of this plant proved to be very useful for a few reasons. The first reason was that they could be eaten. However, the oil that was extracted from these seeds was also used as face and body lotion, as well as a hairdressing.

Squaw-root, Yampa (Perideridai gairdneri)
The roots of this plant were extremely beneficial to the diets of Native Americans in the reason that they were good sources of protein, potassium and vitamins A and C. The liquid excreted from the roots was used to cure sore throats and a poultice could also be made from the roots to help swelling go down.

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