FOOD PRODUCTS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 407 
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children of the whites do confectionery. The Mormons, during their 
first years in Utah, cansamed this root extensively. 
Bdosmia montana. —The Nez Perces Indians collect the tuberous roots 
of this plant and boil them like potatoes. They are the size of a man’s 
finger, of a very agreeable taste, with a cream-like flavor. ; 
Licorice, (Glycyrrhiza lepidota. )—This American form of licorice root 
is eaten by the Indians of Alaska and the northwestern States. . 
Wild artichoke, (Helianthus tuberosus.)—Very common on the river 
banks of the St. Peter’s and St. Croix, and is much eaten by the Dakota 
Indians. 
Helosciadium Californicum —The tubers of this species form one of 
the dainty dishes of the Oregon Indians. Tliey are black, but when 
boiled like potatoes they burst. open lengthwise, showing a snowy-white 
farinaceous substauce, which has a sweet, cream-like taste, with a slight 
parsley flavor. It is an excellent root, the cultivation of which might 
prove useful among the whites. 
Wild potato vine, (Ipomea leptophylia. \—This showy plant of the dry 
deserts of the West is commonly called man root, or mau of the earth, 
being similar in size and shape to a man’s body. ’ The Cheyennés, Ara- 
pahoes, and Kiowas roast it for food when pressed by hunger, but it is 
by no means palatable or nutritious. Its enormous size and depth in 
the ground make its extraction by the ordinary Indian implements a 
work of much difficulty. 
White Lewisia, (Lewisia rediviva.)}—The Indians of California call it 
spatulum. The root is large and fusiform, the outer portion of a dingy 
color, the inner white and farinaceous. It abounds in concentrated 
nutriment, a single ounce of the dried article being sufficient for a meal. 
It is worthy of cultivation. 
Yellow pond lily, (Nuphar advena.)—The roots grow four or five feet 
deep in water, and Indian women dive for them, obtaining large quanti- 
ties, one or two feet long. They are very porous, slightly sweet and 
gintinous, generally boiled with wild fowl; but often roasted. Muskrats 
- store large quantities of these roots in their dwellings for winter use, 
which the Indians contrive to steal. The plant is called tah-wah-pah 
by the Dakota Indians. The seeds form an important part of the diet 
of the Klamath Indians of California, and when pulverized they are 
made into bread or gruel, but are often parched and eaten as pop-corn. 
Ginseng, (Panax horridwn.)—Some of the Alaska Indians believe that 
the root of this plant, consumed by their sorcerers, gives them power 
over others. It is therefore an important ingredient of the medicine- 
man’s commodities. 
Kouse root, (Peucedanum ambiguum, Figs. 2 and 3, Plate 1.)—The 
root of this plant is dug in April or May when in bloom. It grows on 
hills and mountains which are so poor that grass will not grow upon 
them. When fresh it is like the parsnip in taste, and as it dies becomes 
brittle and very white, with an agreeable taste of mild celery. Itis easily 
seas the to flour. When its brown epidermis is removed, innumerable 
mall dots are revealed. Both the roots and the flour will keep several 
siiiiiia, It is sometimes called bread or biscuit root by travelers, and 
Kouse root by the indians of Oregon and Idaho. The Canadians know 
it by the name of Racine blanc. After the bread has been made g short 
time, its taste is not unlike that of stale biscuits. When the roots have 
been pounded fine, the flour is pressed into flat cakes, one foot wide, 
three feet long, and from a quarter to half'an inch thick, of an oblong 
rectangular form, with a hole in the middle by which they are fastened 
on the saddles when traveling. The cakes have a ribbed appearance, 
