The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-09-25
INDIANS AND RED WILLOW.

/ Prom the Detroit Free Press.
To the Indianssof the great western
plains the red willow. which is only
found in that county, proves so very
useful that its loss would be greatly
felt by them. 1t is a bushy growth,
| never reaching more than fifteen or
twenty feet in height, and is found
| along the river banks, where it grows
rapidly and in great abundance.
! The Indian most values the red will
low because from its bari, he makes
what to him is a very good substitute
for tobacco. To do this he strips one
of the long, slender shoots of its leaves,
and with his knife cuts the bark until
it hangs from the wood in little shreds.
Then he thrusts the stick into the fire,
that the bark will become thoroughly
| dried. When this is done. he carefully
rubs it be between his hands until it is
| crumbled almost to powder.
This willow-bark powder he mixes
with a small quantity of real tobacco,
if he has any; if not, he mixes it with
the dried and crumbled leaf of a small
and very bitter shrub that grows on
the mountain sides, and has a leaf
looking somewhat like our lockwood.
The Indians call it killicanick, and
often mix it with tobacco when they
have no red willow. So fond are the
Indians of this red-willow tobacco that
they prefer it to the real unmixed ar
ticle. which seems to be too strong for
them.
The squaws use the red willow to
make temporary shelter or wick-i-ups,
which are used instead of the heavy
skin lodges, or tepees, when the In
dams are on the move, and only camp
in one place for a night or SO.
When pleasant spot by some run
ming stream, where there is plenty of
red willow, has been fixed upon for
camping place, and a fire has been
lighted, the squaws cut a quantity of
the willow, and, making rude frame
work of the larger branches. of which
the butt ends are fixed firmly into the
ground, and the small ends bound to-
gether to look like small dome, they
weave the smaller branches and twigs
in and out until the whole affair looks
like a great leafy basket turned upside
down. The entrance is very low, and
when once inside a grown person can
only lie or sit down, for if he should
stand up he would probably lift the
house with him.
While the squaws are building the
wick-i-ups the Indian has been stretched
on the ground, smoking his long
stemmed pipe, with its stone or iron
bowl, or else he has been kneeling
beside the fire preparing his much
loved red-willow tobacco. Over the
same fire is hung jack rabbit. skinned
and spitted upon slender red-willow
stick, and from tree near BY the baby
swings in his red-,yillow cradle.
From the same red willow the squaws
make baskets and mats. On its tender
twigs the ponies browse in winter.
when the grass is covered with deep
snow. And TO these same red-willow
thickets the Indians 20 in winter in
search of deer or antelope, which are
pretty sure to be found browsing
among them.
So YOU see the Indian has good rea-
son 10 be fond of the red willow. and
be breads the approach of white farm
ers. who clear IL off from the rich bot
tom lands wherever they locate, for IL
is on these lands that tnev can raise
their heaviest crops of corr