Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Culture: Culturally Significant Plants
Pow-Wow
Dancing
Culturally Significant Plants
The Legend of the Dream Catcher
American Red Raspberry
The berries were eaten fresh, or could be gathered and dried for the winter. The leaves were made into a strong tea for the loosening of the bowels.
Baltic Rush
The stem base were cooked and eaten, and the rushes were used for basket making.
Big Sagebrush
The sagebrush is still used to this day for many useful purposes. Leaves were boiled and used for a fever and cold medicine. If you put the leaves up to your nose after rubbing them together and inhale deeply to clear nose, the sage acts as a disinfectant. The leaves were used as diaper padding.
Blue Wildrye
The seeds were a good source of food by grinding into flour. Also the grass served as bedding or matting.
Broadleaf Cattail
The cattails are still used to this day; they make soft bedding, or used to cover the ground as a carpet. The pollen is rich in food energy. In the spring they would cut off their shoots, roast and eat them.
Bunch Grass
Seeds were picked and ground into flour to be stored or eaten. California Redbud: This was used for basket making; the leaves were used as incense.
Chia
The Chia seeds were collected in the spring or early summer after the flowers had dried. Then using a seed beater the seeds were collected in a basket. Or you could gather the whole flowers and then beat the seeds out of the flowers. Then you would roast the seeds and ground them and mix with water to make a thick beverage or mush. The ground seeds were also used in the eye to relieve eye irritation.
Chokecherry
The berries are edible but very bitter.
Creosote
The leaves were boiled for an upset stomach and colds, it has a very bitter taste but still used to this day.
Cull Leaf Mountain Mahogany
This wood was very strong and made good arrow shafts, also strong and sturdy digging sticks.
Common Elderberry
Eaten or mash them, then form to cakes to dry and store, for stews, and makes a delicious drink.
Common Juniper
The dried juniper bark is used to smoke the deer hides. The seeds were also strung and made into necklaces. The berries were boiled and used as a medicine for a cough and cold remedy. Also the leaves were burned as a ceremonial purifier.
Common Rush
The rushes were used for basket making, insulation for dwelling walls.
Common Sunflower
These would be collected and dried for later use. They would roast them, also they could be ground into flour and by adding water to the ground pinion nuts and cooking, and it would make a rich and delicious mush
Common Yarrow
Used as a dressing to stop bleeding and infection. If you simmer the yarrow it can be used for a fever medicine.
Douglas-Fir
The boughs of the fir tree were used to make a pine bough bed because the needles are not sharp.
Fremont Cottonwood
The inner bark was made into clothing.
Golden Current
Arrows were made out of this wood.
Ground Nut
Put in foods and used as a flavoring; edible.
Gumweed
Boiled to a tea and used for an ill stomach.
Honey Mesquite
The seed pods are yellow when ripe; when they have dried they are then pounded in a mortar to a flour mix. Then after it is mixed with water and spread out in the sun to dry. Then they would be broken up and could be used for long trips, or stored for the winter. Can also be made into a rich drink. The mesquite wood is an excellent source of fire wood, coals hold heat for a long time.
Indian Hemp
It was used for many purposes, used for rope making and cordage. The Indian Hemp cordage was also used in the making of Rabbit Skin Blankets.
Mexican Whorled Milkweed
It was used for many purposes; it made stout twine that was made into rabbit nets and mats, clothing, and many other articles.
Mormon Tea
This plant is known as Indian Tea. You can break and boil the stems to make a delicious tea. Can be dried and stored for a later use. This plant is still used to this day.
Narrowleaf Willow
The young and straight willows would be used in the making of cradle boards, baskets, basket hats and winnowers.
Philadelphia Fleabane
This plant was made into a tea and used to break fevers. Rabbit brush: Dolls were made out of the flower part; these were called "Skoomer Dolls"
Redosier Dogwood
This wood was useful for many items like cradle boards, and the rim of baskets because it was so flexible.
Rose Hips
A delicious tea was made out of this plant.
Saskatoon Serviceberry
The serviceberry is excellent wood for bow making and arrows. The berries are also eaten when fresh, or even dried for the winter. The berries can be made into a drink, the leaves into a tea.
Screwbean Mesquite
This was a highly flavored food; pods were collected and pounded into a meal. The small hard seeds were grounded separately and mixed with water to make a nutritious drink.
Showy Milkweed
This was a very important source of fiber; this was made into fine twine that was made into clothing, nets and many other items. The milky substance was used also as a medicine for wart, corns, and calluses.
Singleleaf Pinyon
The cones were taken off the tree and the seeds were beaten out with a stick, the nuts were then roasted and then eaten. Also the nuts were taken out of the shell and ground to flour on a metate and you could cook with some water to make a delicious mush. The pine pitch on the tree is called "Sunup". Hardened pieces of pitch were also used as a chewing gum. The pitch was also heated on the fire and was used to put on basket water jugs to make it water proof. The pitch was also used on arrow and hafting stone knives. The pitch was used as a disinfectant when applied to cuts and wounds.
Strawberry
Eaten fresh or could be dried and stored for later use. Strawberry leaves and roots were steeped and used in bowel complaints.
Squawbush
The red seeds were picked and could be stored for the winter, or you could ground those on the metate and add sugar. It makes a tart drink. This was also used in the making of cradle boards and basket making.
Tule
The tules were used to line the pits that were made for roasting foods. The roots were also edible.
Twincrest Onion
Edible, used as a flavoring in foods. Boil leaves and flowers.
Utah Juniper
Berries boiled to a tea and drank as a cough and cold remedy and other ailments.
Western Yarrow
Make a tea for cough and cold medicine, chew the leaves and put on infection.
White Sagebrush
Boiling the leaves to make a tea can help with colds and fever.
Wild Onion
Edible bulbs.
Willows
The willows are being used to this day they are used in the making cradle and basketry.
Western Honey Mesquite
The dried beans were pounded on a mortar and made into flour and could be stored for the winter. Mixed with water and formed into little cakes.
Yerba Mansa
Reduces inflammation from infection and injury.