Camas Roots (Bulbs)
date: label: Accession Date
content: 1876
label: Collection Date
content: 1876
name: label: Collector
content: John P. Monteith
label: Donor Name
content: John B. Monteith
notes: label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "SEE U.S.N.M. DIST. 5-26-1877. EX. PEABODY MUS." FROM OLD EXHIBIT LABEL: "CAMAS ROOT.---THE ROASTED ROOT OF CAMASSIA ESCULENTA, THE WILD HYACINTH. THE ROOTS ARE ABOUT THE SIZE OF A HICKORY-NUT AND HAVE AN AGREEABLE FLAVOR. THEY ARE COLLECTED IN LARGE QUANTITIES IN THE SPRING BY THE ... (WOMEN) OF THE NEZ PERCES, AND THEIR INDUSTY IN DIGGING UP THE ROOTS HAS GIVEN THEM THE APPELLATION OF "DIGGER" INDIANS. THE ROOT IS PREPARED FOR PRESERVATION BY ROASTING FOR SEVERAL DAYS IN A PIT LINED WITH HOT STONES. THE ROASTED ROOTS MAY BE PRESERVED LIKE THIS SPECIMEN, OR THEY MAY BE PRESSED INTO LARGE CAKES LIKE NO. 23,848. THE ROOTS CONTAIN CONSIDERABLE SUGAR, WHICH THE INDIANS EXTRACT BY BOILING IN WATER, MAKING A GOOD SYRUP. FROM THE NEZ PERCE INDIANS, IDAHO, 1876. 23,847. COLLECTED BY J. B. MONTEITH."
label: Record Last Modified
content: 2 Jun 2023
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Lapwai Reservation, Idaho, United States, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Nez Perce (Nimiipuu)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 005302
label: USNM Number
content: E23847-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Botanical