Clark: June 11, 1806
Wednesday June 11th 1806 All of our hunters were out by daylight this
Morning. Labeech and Shann was the only Suckcessull hunters, Labeech
killed a Black bear and a large buck, and Gibson killed a very fat Buck.
five of the indians also turned out and hunted untill near Meridn. without
having killed any thing. at 3 P M they all packed up and returned to their
village. one of our men exchanged an indifferent horse for a verey good
one with those people before they left us. in the evening all our hunters
turned out in different directions with a view to find some probable Spot
of killing deer and were directed to lay out all night and hunt in the
morning early. Whitehouse returned this morning to our camp on the
Kooskooske in Serch of his horse.
As I have had frequent occasion to mention the plant which the Chopunnish
and other nations of the Columbia call Quawmash I Shall here give a more
particular discription of that plant and the mode of prepareing it for
food as practiced by the Chopinnish and others in the vicinity of the
Rocky Mountains with whome it forms much the greatest portion of their
Subsistence. we have never met with this plant but in or adjacent to a
piney or fir timbered Country, and there always in the open grounds and
glades; in the Columbian Vally and near the Coast it is to be found in
small quantities and inferior in Size to that found in this neighbourhood
or on those high rich flatts and vallies within the rocky moun-tains. it
delights in a black rich moist Soil, and even grows most luxuriently where
the lands remain from 6 to 9 inches under water untill the seed are nearly
perfect, which in this neighbourhood or on those flatts is about the last
of this month. near the river where I had an oppertunity of observing it,
the Seed were beginning to ripen on the 9th inst. and the Soil was nearly
dry. it seems devoted to it’s particular Soil and Situation, and you will
Seldom find more than a fiew feet from an inundated Soil tho within it’s
limits it grows very closely. in short almost as much so as the bulbs will
permit. the radix is a tumicated bulb, much the consistence Shape and
appearance of the Onion, glutinous or somewhat Slymey when chewed and
almost tasteless and without smell in it’s unprepared state; it is white
except the thin or outer tumicated scales which are flew black and not
Suculent; this bulb is from the Size of a nutmeg to that of a hen egg and
most commonly of an intermediate size or about as large as a common onion
of one years growth from the Seed. the radicles are noumerous, reather
large, white, flexeable, Succulent and deviding the foliage consists of
from one to four seldom five radicals, liner Sessile and revolute pointed
leaves; they are from 12 to 18 inches in length and from 1 to 3/4 of an
inch in widest part which is nearest the middle; the upper disk is
Somewhat groved of a pale green and marked it’s whole length with a number
of Small longitudinal channels; the under disk is of a deep glossy green
and Smooth. the leaves sheath the peduncle and each other as high as the
Surface of the earth or about 2 inches; they are more succulent than the
grasses and less so than most of the lillies hyisinths &c.the
peduncle is soletary, proceeds from the root, is columner, smooth and
leafless and rises to the hight of 2 or 21/2 feet. it supports from 10 to
40 flowers which are each surported by a Seperate footstalk of 1/2 an inch
in length scattered without order on the upper portion of the peduncle.
the calix is a partial involucre or involucret Situated at the base of the
footstalk of each flower on the peduncle; it is long thin and begins to
decline as soon as the corrolla expands. the corolla consists of five long
oval obtusely pointed Skye blue or water coloured petals, each about 1
inch in length; the Corolla is regular as to the form and size of the
petals but irregular as to their position, five of them are placed near
each other pointing upwards while one stands horozontially, or pointing
downwards, they are inserted with a Short Claw on the extremity of the
footstalk at the base of the germ; the corolla is of course inferior; it
is also shriveling, and continues untill the Seed are perfect. The Stamens
are perfect, Six in number; the falaments each elivate an anther, near
their base are flat on the inner side and rounded on the outer, termonate
in a subulate point, and bowed or bent upwards inserted on the inner Side
and on the base of the Claws of the petals, below the germ, are equal both
with respect to themselves and the Corolla, Smooth membranous. the Anther
is oblong obtusely pointed, 2 horned or forked at one end and furrowed
longitudinally with four channels, the upper and lower of which Seem
almost to divide it into two loabs, incumbent, patent, membranous, very
short, necked, two valved and fertile with pollen, which last is of a
yellow colour. the Anther in a fiew hours after the Corolla unfoalds,
bursts discharges it’s pollen and becomes very manute and chrivled; the
above discription of the Anther is therefore to be understood of it, at
the moment of it’s first appearance. the pistillum is only one, of which
the Germ is triangular reather Swolen on the Sides, Smooth, Superior,
Sessile, pedicelled, Short in proportion to the Corolla tho wide or bulky;
the Style is very long or longer than the stamens, simple, cilindrical,
bowed or bent upwards, placed on the top of the germ, membranous shrivels
and falls off when the pericarp has obtained it’s full Size.
the Stigma is three clefts very manute and pubescent. the pericarp is a
capsule, triangular, oblong, obtuse, and trilocular with three
longitudinal valves. the Seed So far as I could judge are noumerous not
very manute and globilar.Soon after the seed are mature the
peduncle and foliage of this plant perishes, the ground becoms dry or
nearly so and the root increases in size and shortly become fit for use;
this happens about the middle of July when the nativs begin to collect it
for use which they continue untill the leaves of the plant obtain Some
Size in the Spring of the year. when they have Collected a considerable
quantity of these roots or 20 or 30 bushels which they readily do by means
of Sticks Sharpened at one end, they dig away the surface of the earth
forming a cercular concavity of 21/2 feet in the center and 10 feet in
diameter; they next collect a parcel of dry split wood with which they
cover this bason from the bottom perhaps a foot thick, they next collect a
parcel of Stones from 4 to 6 lb. weight which are placed on the dry wood;
fire is then Set to the wood which burning heats the Stones; when the fire
has subsided and the Stones are sufficiently heated which are nearly a red
heat, they are adjusted in such manner in the hole as to form as leavel a
Surface as possible, a small quantity of earth is Sprinkled over the
Stones, and a layer of grass about an inch thick is laid over the Stone;
the roots which have been previously devested of the black or outer coat
and radicles which rub off easily with the fingers, are now laid on in a
circular pile, are then covered with a layer of grass about 2 or 3 inches
thick; water is then thrown on the Summit of the pile and passes through
the roots and to the hot Stones at bottom; Some water is also pored around
the edges of the hole, and also find it’s way to the hot Stones. they
cover the roots and grass over with earth to the debth of four inches and
then build a fire of dry wood all over the Connical mound which they
Continue to renew through the course of the night or for 10 or 12 hours,
after which it is Suffered to cool, 2 or three hours, when the earth and
grass are removed. and the roots thus Sweated are cooled with Steam or
taken out, and most commonly exposed to the Sun on Scaffolds untill they
become dry. when they are black and of a Sweet agreeable flavor. these
roots are fit for use when first taken from the pitt, are Soft of a
Sweetish taste and much the consistancy of a roasted onion; but if they
are Suffered to remain in bulk 24 hours after being cooked they Spoil. if
the design is to make bread or cakes of those roots they undergo a Second
preperation of baking being previously pounded after the first baking
between two Stones untill they are reduced to the consistancy of dough and
then rolled in grass in cakes of 8 or 10 pounds, are returned to the Sweat
intermixes with fresh roots in order that the steam may get freely to
those loaves of bread. when taken out the Second time the Indn. woman make
up this dough into cakes of various Shapes and Sizes, usually from 1/2 to
3/4 of an inch thick and expose it on sticks to dry in the Sun, or place
it over the smoke of their fires.The bread thus prepared if kept
free from moisture will Sound for a great length of time. this bread or
the dryed roots are frequently eaten alone by the nativs without further
preperation, and when they have them in abundance they form an ingrediant
in almost every dish they prepare. this root is palateable but disagrees
with us in every shape we have ever used it. the nativs are extreemly fond
of this root and present it their visiters as a great treat. when we first
arrived at the Chopunnish last fall at this place our men who were half
Starved made So free a use of this root that it made them all Sick for
Several days after.
