roots

Use of a root to prevent a man from being burned. Roots mentioned a number of time in this account, all with great powers, some to turn oneself into a lizard so as to sneak up on and kill an enemy. "The name Mitaawau is said to have been received from the original founders of the society, and is not used, but in application to it. All the roots and stuff used or pretended to be used by them is called Medecine or Maungeeshee. They don't pretend to account for the manner in which other nations have received these mysteries. Each root used in the Society has a particular song, and, to use their own language, a song is as distinctly designated by the root to which it belongs as the songs of the whites by their paper and black marks. They have no musick boards or hieroglyphicks in this society."                                    

Use of a root by a 'medicine society' of the Myaamia. The root was used to make a medicine, that when rubbed upon a knife will allow the victim of stabbing from this knife, will die but then be revived, unscathed. The root can be used to send to any person against which they have malice, to torment that person--the person wishing to torment another would chew the root and the other person would be tormented while smoking his pipe.

"They [the Illinois] eat fourteen kinds of roots which they find in the prairies; they made me eat them; I found them good and very sweet".                                                                                                                                                                                                     

keeshikeehaukee is a small plant growing in the dry prairies, and is about six inches in height, with small roots about an inch long growing in a cluster. These are boiled and eaten with sugar.

Waukeepaaneekee is a plant growing in the bottom lands that is similar to the onion in root and shape. It is boiled 12 hours before eaten. It is not a popular food because it causes constipation.

Red root of huckleberry-like prairie plant used to treat various diseases. "nipi'kitcikakwi, red root--Finely says this is the name of a medicine plant, which he describes as a small bush like a huckleberry, that grows on the prairies, and has a short thick red root, from which they made a tea. He says "it is good to break any disease".

Special medicine men could cure a patient of a disease originating from a poison. The medicine man coughs up a white substance, places it in his hand. If it goes through the medicine mans hand, the patient will die, if it does not, he will live. Before this is known, the medicine man give the patient a small supply of roots and tells him to have good faith, then leaves.

A kind of homeopathic medicine using roots. Some medicine men used the same root that conveys the disease to cure it.

"The most common medicines are emetics . . . composed of roots, which are pounded and mixed with water." "There are many roots and weeds used by them for emetics, the most common of which is the root of the Buckeye."                                                                                      

Treatment for rheumatism is to apply pounded roots and weeds with a bandage to affected areas.

"sweet roots" and vegetables were usually cultivated or gathered in large quantities. Mentioned by Trowbridge in the context of wedding gifts, a series of reciprocities, where sweet roots and vegetables being given by the older women in-laws of the bride  in return for the meat given by the bride's brother.

Root used to cure rattlesnake bite.  ". . . they have an admirable root, which, as soon as it is applied to the wound, softens the swelling so that by the next day one is cured. This root is found in the prairies and is shaped like an onion. The stem grows two feet high; the leaves are very narrow and somewhat resemble those of the sumac. It forms large buds in which the seed is lodged. I have made a point of hunting for it in this country, but have never been able to find any. I have been told that they had still another kind, but I have not become acquainted with it." ("qu'ils ont d'une Racine admirable, sitot qu'on en a mis sur la playe elle fait amolir L'enflure et le Lendemain on est guery, cette Racine se trouve dans Les prairies et est faitte comme unoignon,La tige vient de deux pieds de deux pieds de haut, La feuille fort etroitte qui aproche celle des Vinaigriers, Il se forme de gros Boutons dans quoy est la graine, je me suis attachez a en chercher dans ce pays mais je n'en ay jamais pu trouver, on ma dit qu'il y en avoit encore d'une autre sorte, mais je ne la connois point").                                                                                                       

"They also store up onions, as big as Jerusalem artichokes, which they find in the prairies, and which I find better than all the other roots. They are sugary and pleasing to the palate. They are cooked like macopines" ("Elles amassent aussi des oignons gros comme des Topiniamboures, qu'elles trouvent dans les prairies que je trouve meilleures que toutes les autres Racines, ils sont sucre et font plaisir a manger on les fait cuire comme les Macopines"). 

"mic8siaki", "roots for tinting in red" ("racines pour teindre en rouge").

Root used to cure internal bleeding. "When one is wounded by a gunshot, or arrow, or fall, or when one has been crushed under some tree, and when one loses blood by the mouth, they use a root they call by the generic term Ouissoucatcki, which is to say, has many legs; they crush this root and put four inches of it with a quill in a little bit of warm water that they make the sick one to swallow, who is marvelously strengthened by this medicine. If he is in a delirium he returns to his good sense, and the blood that he vomits begins to stop; when he has breathed a little they give him some of that which we have shown above to stop the blood entirely [sumac berry/root mixture] and for the perfect cure. . . The natives don't have a proper name for it [this root]; the root is full of holes" ("Quant on est blesse d'un coup de fusil ou fleche out tombe, ou qu'on a este accable sous quelque Arbre, et qu'on jette du Sang par la bouche, on se fer d'une Racine qu'on appelle de mot generique, Ouissoucatcki, c'est a dire a plusieur pattes, On pile cette Racine et on le met quatre pincees avec un plume dans un peu d'eau chaud qu'on fais avaler au malade, le quel est merveillusement fortiffie par cette medecine, S'il est en delire reviene dans son bon sens, et le Sang qu'il vomissoi commence a s'arreter, quand il a un peu respire on luy donne de celle qu'on a marque y dessus pour arreter entierement le Sang et pour la parfaite guerison . . . Les Savages n'ont pas de nom propre, la Racine est pleine de trous").

"For scrofula they use the root of the herb of the rattlesnake which they call Akiskiouaraoui, they chew this root and they apply it to the injured part and theygive a little of the ame root to the sick person to drink with a little water. This root is very good for the bite of the snake, but the orvietan and the theriac have a faster and more certain effect" ("Pour la scrouelles on se fait de la Racine herbe a Serpent sonneste qu'on appelle Akiskiouaraoui, on mache cette racine et on l'aplique sur la partie lezee, et on donne a boire au malade un peu de la meme racine d'etrampee dans n peu d'eau, Cette Racine est tres bonne pour la morsure du serprent, mais l'orvietan et le Theriaque, ont une effet plus prompt et plus sur").

Roots used to make a tea to cure female problems.

Various roots used as medicine. "She used lots of roots. -- She knew how to dig down and was very careful not to take . . . not to kill the plant. That was it.. . .she was a great root gatherer. She gathered all of this and doctored".                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Village location sometimes was chosen for its nearness to an abundance of root crops ("y en a une si grande quantite dans la Riviere et principalement dans le Lac au bout duquel les Illiois sont Etablis du coste du nord a cause de la quantite de Racine qu'il").

The Old Illinois term nimic8picahan translates to modern French as "je l ay cherche dans l eau avec un baston et je la ay trouve," meaning "I looked for it in the water with a stick and I found it". 

"I found some roots, potatoes, for example digging with a stick etc." ("j ay trouve  des racines, pommes de terre, 8g fouissant avec un boic &c.").

"mamakipeniki, vide racines", living roots