Some Siouan cooking habits.

[Tom Leonard]

>Gilmore (1919) mentions it could be used as a laxative too, like Castor Oil
or mineral oil can be today.  >The Omaha term given by Gilmore is 'e-zhoN
zhide gthigthide [slippery red elm] ).

"'e-zhoN zhide gthigthide" is interesting. "zhoN" is certainly "wood" and
"zhi'de" is certainly "red". "Slippery", I believe, is "shna" or "shna ha"
in Ponca.

"gthigthide" sort of sounded like "iN'gthe" to me. Interestingly, I called
my mom's younger sister, who did a lot of cooking for large feasts when she
was younger (and whom I've seen use the bark twists). I took notes. I asked
her what "gthigthide" meant. The very first thing she said was "are you
trying to say 'iN'gthe'? - hey, behave yourself!!" (she IS my little mother,
after all). After repeating "gthigthide" she said: "No....that don't sound
right. That bark we used to throw in there...that's "e'zhoN zhi'de". We used
to twist it up and throw it those tubs. Just a little bit. It helps you
digest that meat. Too much meat and all that fry bread.....it'll stop you
up. That bark...well you know...it helps it to go through you better. That's
real old time way. But these young girls today....they don't that." I'll
spare you the rest of the diatribe that followed.

Here's a partial list of some foods. I have another list with plants and
some of their uses, but I need to dig that out.

Beans = hi bthiN'ge
Cabbage = wa'xtha
Carrots = mashtiN'ge watha'te (rabbit meal)
Corn = wataN'zi
 Sweet Corn = wataN'zi ski'the (corn sweet)
 Hominy (in preparation) = wabi'shnu'de
 Hominy (cooked) = wabthu'ga
 Corn mush = washaN'ge, or aNba'gthe (??)

Cucumber = kuku'mi
Onion = mazhaN'xe
Peas = hi bthiN'ge bu'taN (beans - round)
Potato = nu
 Sweet Potato = nu ski'the (potato - sweet)
 Pumpkin = wa'taN
  Green Squash = wa'taN ha shu'ga ha (pumpkin with a thick skin)
  Stripped Squash (Hubbard Squash?) = shu wa'taN thigu'zhe ha
  Any small squash or pumpkin = wa'taN bthaN'ze

Radish = paN'xe zhi'de
Rice = si wani'de (Wild Rice = siN'gthe)
Tomato = wazhi'de
Turnip = nu'gthe

· Foods - Traditional Vegetables

Wild Beans = taN'de hi bthiN'ge
Wild Cabbage (milkweed) = wa'xtha
Wild Cabbage = wa'xtha si taN - or - wa'xtha si taNga (milkweed just prior
to blooming)
Mushrooms = teni'xa ugthe'zhe -or- tenix(stop) ugthe'zhe
Wild Potatoes = taN'de he nu (??)
Water Lilly Roots = tetha'wi

· Foods - Fruits

Apple - she
Orange - she zi (apple - yellow)
Banana - wax'ta sne'de (fruit - long) or te'thawi (old Ponca)
Blackberries = aNgthaNka maN'ge
"Black Hulls" = nasha'maN
Cantaloupe = saka'thide snu snu
Cherries = naN'pa
Grapes = ha zi (skin - yellow)
Possum Grapes = ha zi bthaN'ze
Gooseberries = pe'zi
Lemon (or lime) = she zi nuhi'shki
Mulberries = ma'zi zhu
Peaches = she hi shku'be (apple - hairy)
Pear = she pa taN (apple with a big nose - old Ponca)
Pear = ma'chu (grizzly bear - from "Polar Bear Brand" canned pears)
Plums = kaN'de
Wild Plums = kaNze xa'de (??)
Persimmons = ta'spaN
Strawberries = ba'shte
Watermelon = saka'thide


· Foods - Meat and Wild Game

The general term for meat is tanu'ka.

Antelope = tachu'ge
Badger = xu'ga
Beaver = zha'be
Buffalo = te
Beef = te ska
 Dry Meat = Ta
Meat Soup, or Soup = ta'ni (dry meat - water)
 Ground beef, hamburger = tanu'ka gatu'be
 Meat Gravy (steam fry) = tanu'ka wani'de
 Barbecue = ta uga'ti
Barbecue Soup = ta uga'ti ta'ni

 Half Beef = thi'a maN'saN thi'ha (??)
 Hind Quarter = te zhiN'ga
Dried Meat from Hind Quarter = wa'ga
 Front Quarter = te a (buffalo, or cow - arm)
 Rib Section (for BBQ) = te zhu
 Ribs = te thi'ti
 Backbone meat = te naNka'ta (??)
 Neck bone = te pa'hi
 Intestines = te shi'be
Tripe = tani' xa
Kidneys =te asaN'tasi (??)
Liver = te pi (??)
 Tongue = tathe'ze
Lung = te tha'xi (??)

Chicken = wazhiN'ga, or wazhiN'ga  zhi'de
Deer = tax'ti
Duck = mi'xa
Elk = aN'pa
Goose = mi'xa, or mi'xa taN'ga
Guinea hen = watha'zai
Hog = kuku'si
Moose = pa shtaN'ga
Muskrat = siN sne'de wagi'the
Quail = u'shi wa'the
Rabbit = mashtiN'ge
Jack Rabbit = mashtiNge ska (??)
Cotton-tail Rabbit = ???
Racoon = mi'ka
Sheep = ha xu'de (skin - gray)
Skunk = maN'ga
Squirrel = siN'ga
Ground Squirrel = he'xthiN
 Turkey = zizi'ka


· Foods - Fish and Turtles

Fish = huhu
Bass = hu hu i'taN'ga (fish - big)
Carp = hu btha'ska (fish - flat)
Cat Fish = pu'ze hu hu -or- tu'ze hu hu
Eel = we'sa huhu (snake - fish)
Garr = hu pa si sne'de (fish - nose - long)
Perch = hu btha'ska zhiN'ga (fish - flat - small)
 Trout = hu bthu'ga

 Turtle = ke
 Terrapin = ke gthe'ze (turtle - speckled)
 Soft shelled turtle = ke ha bibi'da
 Diamond Back Turtle = ke ha maNzhi'de
 Snapping Turtle = ke taN'ga

· Foods - Liquids
Water = ni
Milk = maNze' ni (breast water)
Buttermilk = maNze' ni we'gthi
Coffee = maNka sa'be
Tea = xa'de maNka
Soda Pop = gatu'zhi
Grape Juice = ha'zi ni (grape - water)
Orange Juice = she zi ni

· Foods - Breads

Bread = wamu'ske
Fry Bread = washi zhi'gthaN
Top Bread, or Cowboy Bread = wamu'ske ke'thiN
Biscuit = wamu'ske (same as "bread")
Corn bread = wataN'zi wazhi'gtha


· Foods - Miscellaneous

Salt = ni ski'the
Pepper = wiu'gihaN
Sugar = zha'ni
Cane Sugar = zha'ni hi
Flour = wamu'ske xu'de (bread - gray)
Baking Powder, Baking Soda, or Yeast = wenaN'bi'xa  (??)
Corn meal = wathi'tube
Oat Meal = shaN'ge watha'te (horse - meal)
Butter = bawe'gthi
Lard, Oil, or Grease = we'gthi
Syrup = zha'ni snu snu
Honey = kigthaN'xe
Candy = zha'ni bu'ta
Ice Cream = nu'xe bawe'gthi