Ethnobotany of the Meskwaki Indians / by Huron H. Smith.

212

BULLETIN, PUBLIC MUSEUM, MILWAUKEE.

[Vol. 4

furnish smoke in the sweat bath, and it is also smudged as a reviver
of consciousness for one who is ill. A paper cone is fitted over the
nostrils of the unconscious one and this smoke forced up into the
nostrils to revive him.
Starved or Calico Aster (Aster lateriflorus (L.) Britton),
"no'sikiin" [smoke a person] (M) "pfikwini'sikfin" [smoke a person]
(P P). The entire plant is used as a smoke or steam in the sweat bath.
The blossoms only are smudged to cure a crazy person who has lost
his mind.
Many-flowered Aster (Aster multiflorus Ait.), "wapfiskwi" [gray
color] (M) "pfikwini'sikfin [smoke a person] (P P). This is used as
a reviver of consciousness and in the sweat bath as are some of the
other asters.
New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae L.). The Meskwaki did
not use this, but McIntosh used it under the name "pfikwiinii'sikfin" to
revive consciousness by smudging.
Willow-leaved Aster (Aster salicifolius Ait.). The Meskwaki did
not use this, but McIntosh used it as a "pfikwini'sikfin" to revive
consciousness.
Narrow-leaved Purple Cone-flower (Brauneria angustifolia (DC)
Heller), "shika'wi," (M) "ashosikwimia'kfik" [smells like a muskrat
scent] (P P). Also sometimes called a widow's comb, "wetop" [to
comb the hair]. The root is used in a medicine to cure cramps in the
stomach and also to cure fits.
Specimen 5158 of the Dr. Jones collection is a mixture called
"potatcigan". Besides the root of Brauneria angustifolia, it contains
roots of Asarum canadense, Euphorbia corollata, and leaves of Monarda
punctata. It is used also to cure cramps in the stomach.
Under the name Echinacea, this plant is official with the white man.
It is stated to have diaphoretic, sialagogue and alterative properties,
and has been used in syphilitic and strumous conditions. It is especially useful in treating eczema and ulcerous conditions that do not
respond to iodides or other alteratives. The freshly scraped root was
used by the Sioux Indians as a remedy for hydrophobia, snakebite and
septic conditions.