ROBBiNS,HARRixGTON,-| ETHNOBOTANY OF THE TEWA INDIANS 111 



To revive a person from a fainting- tit, the Tewa put a piece of 

 "strong" onion to his nostrils. 



Tsidl {<Sipan. chile). Hano Tewa, ^sim. 

 Pepper. New Mexican Spanish chile, fimlento. 



In Tewa, as in English, both kinds of 'pepper' (Span, chile and 

 pimiento; Ger. Paprika and Pfefer) are called by a single name. 



The Navaho "curse word" fsindi, 'wizard,' 'witch,' 'devil,' is 

 known to some of the Tewa and sounds very similar to their tsidl, 

 'pepper.' 



The chile pepper of the varieties which bear fruits that are eaten 

 green is called in Tewa tsidl tsaywse'vj, 'green chile' {tsidl, pep- 

 per; tsqrjws^, blue, green), and in New Mexican Spanish chile verde 

 or chile de California. The Tewa of Hano call commercial pepper 

 Uini tsqywsei'iy, 'blue chile,' because it is gray or bluish. 



Chiles are strung on yucca slips and dried for winter use, ground to 

 powder on a metate, and cooked with meat or eaten as sauce with 

 tortillas. 



A string of chiles is called fi<id\ Jcqto {tsid\ chile; k'qto, string. 

 Gatschet has commented on the excessive use of chile pepper 1)y the 

 Pueblo Indians.^ 



Beny,ndl, Hano Tewa melone (< Span, melon). 

 Muskmelon. New Mexican Spanish melon. 



Fresh melons are much enjo3'ed and are given as presents. 



Women prepare dried muskmelons, hen^ndi t'a, for winter use 

 by shaving oft' the rind with a sharp knife, then cutting off one end 

 of the melon and scraping out the seeds and liquid pulp. A cotton- 

 wood sapling has been prepared by cutting off the branches and twigs, 

 leaving only short stumps. This tree is set up in the field, or on the 

 roof of the house, or on a platform in the plaza, and the emptied melons 

 are hung on the stumps to dr3^ Next day, if diy enough, each melon 

 is torn by hand, spirally, into long strips, and the strips are hung on 

 a branch or line. When they arc dry enough, a number of strips are 

 laid together, with their ends doubled up, and other strips are wound 

 round them, making a stout bundle 10 or 13 inches long, which is 

 compared to the queue of Pueblo Indian hairdressing. Pairs of 

 such bundles, coupled with a rag or string, are hung up in the store- 

 room. In winter the women cut the dried melon fine, stew it and 

 make it into pies; it has a sweet, fermented taste. 



Sqndia. Hano Tewa, sannia (<Span. sandia). 

 T'y..wl''irj, 'spotted' {f'u, spotted). 

 Watermelon.^ New Mexican Spanish sandia. 



> A. S. Gatschet, Zivu!f Sprachcn aus dem Siidwcsten Nordamcnkaif, Weimar, 1876, p. 44. 



2 At Taos watermelons are called fcic^pd/id, 'Mexican S(iuash or pumpkin' (fcw^, "Mexican'; pi, 

 'sqnash, pumpkin'=Tewa po). This name shows clearly that the watermelon was introduced ]>y the 

 Mexicans. 



