FR^fRE^L^uafco'"''''''^^ ETHNOBOTANY OF THE TEWA INDIANS 9 



Be, meaning originally ' roundish fruit,' as that of the chokecherry 

 or wild rose, has become applied to all kinds of introduced fruits and 

 also to the plants which bear them. Thus he means fruit tree, as 

 apple, peach, plum, or orange tree. Fruit tree may also be called 

 hep^e {he, roundish fruit, fruit, fruit tree; p'e stick, plant). 



To, meaning originally piuon nut, i. e. nut of the id, ' pinon tree,' 

 has become extended in application to all kinds of nuts except coco- 

 nuts. Nut tree might be called top'e{fo, pinon nut, nut; j^'e, stick, 

 plant), but there would rarely be occasion to use so general and inclu 

 sive a term. 



P'e^nseM, 'rubbish,' 'litter,' 'lint,' 'weed,' 'herbaceous plant,' is 

 very common, its application not being restricted to useless plants. It 

 is the nearest equivalent of Spanish yerha. Cf. French chenille which 

 originally meant only 'rubbish' and now usually means 'cate-rpillar'. 



PrJbl, 'flower,' like the English word 'flower,' in the case of smaller 

 plants of which the flowers are a conspicuous part often loosely de- 

 notes the entire plant. Several of the Tewa specific plant names con- 

 tain potl with the meaning ' flower plant'. 



There is no w.Drd meaning 'vegetable' in the sense of German 

 Gemuse. 



^Ap^, 'vine', exactly covers the meanings of the English 'vine'. 



Ta 'grass,' 'hay'. 



Te is said to signify almost any kind of fungus. 



IC'owa, 'tegument', 'skin', is applied to any skinlike vegetal 

 growth, as manj^ kinds of moss and lichen. 



Discrimination 



Small differences in plants are observed by the Tewa. It is remark- 

 able how closely distinctions are made by them. For instance, they 

 have a name for every one of the coniferous trees of the region; in 

 these cases differences are not conspicuous. The ordinary individual 

 among the whites does not distinguish the various coniferous trees, 

 but, as a rule, calls them all pines. It is clear that the majority of 

 white people are less observant and in many cases know far less about 

 plant life than does the Indian, who is forced to acquire knowledge in 

 this field by reason of his more direct dependence on plants. 



