Dorset, ROOTS, BEANS, ETC. 309 



of the water. The stalk comes up through the middle of the leaf, and 

 projects about two feet above the water. Ou top is a seed-pod. The 

 seed are elliptical, almost shaped like bullets, and they are black and 

 very hard. When the ice is firm or the water shallow, the Indians go 

 for the seed, which they parch by a fire, and beat open, then eat. They 

 also eat the roots. If they wish to keep them for a long time, they cut 

 off the roots in pieces about six inches long, and dry them ; if not, they 

 boil them. 



§ 175. Hi n/ qa is the root of a sahi or water grass which grows be- 

 neath the surface of Lake Nik'umi, near the Omaha Agency, Nebraska. 

 This root, which is about the size of the first joint of one's forefinger, is 

 bulbous and black. When the Omaha boys go into bathe they fre- 

 quently eat it in sport, after pulling off the skin. Two Grows says that 

 adults never eat it. J. La Fleche never ate it, but he has heard of it. 



§176. Savors, flavors, etc. — Salt, niski^g, was used before the advent 

 of the whites. One place known to the Omahas was on Salt River, near 

 Lincoln, Nebr., which city is now called by them "Ni-skifg." At that 

 place the salt collected on top of the sand and dried. Then the Omahas 

 used to brush it together with feathers and take it up for use. What 

 was on the surface was very white, and fit for use; but that beneath 

 was mixed with sand and was not disturbed. Rock salt was found at 

 the head of a stream, southwest of the Republican, which flowed into 

 the northwest part of the Indian Territory, and they gave the place 

 the name, "Ni-skufe sagi <£a n , Where the hard salt is." In order to get 

 this salt, they broke into the mass by punching with sticks, and the de- 

 tached fragments were broken up by pounding. 



Peppers, aromatic herbs, spices, etc., were not known in former days. 

 Clay was never used as food nor as a savor. 



§ 177. Drinks. — The only drinks used were soups and water. Teas, 

 beer, wine, or other fermented juices, and distilled liquors, were un- 

 known. (See § 109.) 



§ 178. Narcotics. — Native tobacco, or nini. The plant, nini hi was the 

 only narcotic known previous to the coming of our race. It differs from 

 the common tobacco plant ; none of it has been planted in modern times. 

 J. La Fleche saw some of it when he was small. Its leaves were "yd- 

 qude £ga u ," a sort of a blue color, and were about the size of a man's 

 hand, and shaped somewhat like a tobacco leaf. Mr. H. W. Henshaw, 

 of the United States Geological Survey, has been making some investi- 

 gations concerning the narcotics used by many of the Indian tribes. He 

 finds that the Rees and other tribes did have a native tobacco, and that 

 some of it is still cultivated. This strengthens the probability that the 

 nini of the Omahas and Poukas was a native plant. 



Mixed tobacco or killickinnick is called ninigahi by the Omahas and 

 Ponkas. This name implies that native or common tobacco Cnini) has 

 been mixed (igahi) with some other ingredient. " This latter is gener- 

 ally the inner bark of the red willow (Cornus sericea), and occasionally 



