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Native American tribal knowledge and uses for Buffalo Berry

Native Language Names

Hidatsa

mah ma hi si – bullberry (buffalo berry)

ina hi si – the bullberry tree

inahupa – berry medicine (hupa def.- sacred medicine)

Crow

Among the Crow, the Buffaloberry is known as Baishhesha, meaning “red face.” This name is attributed to the physical reaction someone may experience when eating an especially pungent berry.

Gathering & Processing

Among the Hidatsa, Mandan and Arikara tribes berries are gathered using two sticks. [* we may be able to include a photo of these tools] The “holding stick” is formed from a hard wood such as water birch or chokecherry that contains a natural crook. The other stick is used to hit the holding stick encouraging the berries to fall onto a tarp placed below the shrub. According to the traditions of each tribe, gathering is practiced with great care and necessary ritual to ensure that each plant is honored for its importance as a source of food and medicine.

If more pectin is desired berries may be gathered earlier in the season.

In addition to being sweeter, berries are often easier to pick after the first frost.

Crow elder, Alma Snell expressed the importance of cleaning the berries outside so that the small bugs that like to inhabit them are not invited into your home. They may be cleaned by placing them in a bowl or bucket of water. Leaves, twigs and debris float to the surface and are then easier to remove. [*the photo of the bowl full of berries would be good here]

Medicinal Uses/Health Benefits

They are known to be high in antioxidants.

The berries are rich in iron. In addition to using the berries, Native people used the juice, twigs or leaves for many medicinal purposes including indigestion and heart attacks. The sticks were also valued as a purgative.

Food Uses

Many Interior Natives make a recipe called Indian ice-cream by whipping the berries until a frothy texture is achieved.

Berries may be eaten fresh, dried, or may be boiled into a syrup to use as a concentrated beverage.

Geography

Bushes are usually found near water.

Additional Uses/Importance

Berries have been used as dye for paints & clothes.

Bushes have been used as fences for gardens to keep animals out. They also provide a natural refuge for smaller animals.

The buffalo berry plant serves an important purpose to other plants and soil through its ability to capture nitrogen from the air and release it into the soil.

The buffalo berry are highly valued as gifts and have historically served as an important trade item.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/1265075.pdf?acceptTC=true

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