Sunroot use among First Nations

[Koontz John E]

On Mon, 31 Jan 2000, Terry J. Klokeid wrote:
> I have a small seed selling operation and one of the plants I carry is the
> sunroot, Helianthus tuberosus.
>
> I am hoping to obtain more information about the use of this plant by
> Indians of Canada and the USA, as well as leads on the etymology of the
> name 'sunroot'.

I suppose sunroot is a calque of Heli(anthus) tuberosus.  Sunchoke is the
form I've run into in commercial contexts.  I'd assumed this was a
portmanteau of sunflower and artichoke, but maybe the two components are
sunroot and artichoke. I've run into "sunchokes" in supermarkets in
Colorado, and the usual distributors seem to be in California.

> If anyone on this list has information about use of sunroots amomg First
> Nations, I would be most grateful to hear from them.

The Proto(Mississippi Valley) Siouan form was something like *hpaN'xi.
The Omahas I asked about it used the word for 'radish'.  The modern form
is ppaN'ghe in Omaha in my limited experience, though I've seen ppaN'ghi
in sources, I think.  Dakotan has phaNghi'.  I don't think the stem is
attested outside Missippi Valley, though this is probably at least partly
due to coincidences of distribution.  I suppose there must be forms in
Crow-Hidatsa and in Mandan.