A Message From Garcia: Chokecherries

The History and Culture of the Spirit Lake Dakota

by Louis Garcia © 11/ 22/ 2019

The History and Culture of the Spirit Lake Dakota

The Chokecherry is the official fruit of the state of North Dakota. The Chokecherry bush or small tree (prunus virginiana) is a very important bush. Their Dakota name is Caἠ’ṗa Hu, which translates as Bitter Wood Tree (Ṗa= bitter, Caἠ = wood, and Hu = tree) ; appropriately named because of their astringent taste. The pit / or seed, Su is highly toxic with Cyanide. However new science has discovered the crushed seeds has cancer inhibiting properties.

The Chokecherry berries are easy to harvest as they grow in clumps that can be pulled off ten or so little berries in a handful. The summer months are named in Dakota as July Caἠṗa ṡa Wi (Red Chokecherry Month) and August Caἠṗa sapa Wi (Black Chokecherry Month). After the berries are picked they are dried in the sun and crushed. The Cyanide is off gassed by the crushing; this makes them safe to eat. The dried crushed fruit is now mixed with the dried flesh of ruminating animals (bison, moose, deer, and elk). To this dried mixture is added to rendered fats making what is known as Pemmican, called Tado Wasna (Tado = meat, Wasna’ = lard, grease, tallow). This mixture is placed into rawhide sacks to be stored away for future use.

The harvested chokecherries are crushed using a mortar and pistil by hand or electric grinder. The mixture of juice, skins, and crushed seeds are formed into patties or balls called Caἠṗa Kaṡkipa (Caἠṗa = chokecherry, Ka = strike, hit, Ṧkipa = to press). The juice helps bind them together after which the patties are set out to dry in the sun, and bagged-up for future use. By cooking the dried patties in water they are reconstituted to make a pudding called Caἠṗa Wozapi (Wo = that which is, Zapi = mush) When sugar was obtained from the French fur traders, and now in modern times this change popularized a more tasty pudding. However the youth of today don’t like this pudding with the crushed seeds in it. They say it feels funny in their mouth, crunch and gritty. The fruit can also be preserved by modern methods, making jams and jellies.

The freshly picked chokecherries can be eaten right off the bush, being careful to spit out the dangerous pits. They can be cooked with some water to extract the juice to be drunk as a beverage or tonic for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Birds, bears, deer, moose, even small animals such as gophers, skunks, fox, porcupine, mice and voles enjoy the fruit of this plant.

The wood from this tree were and still are used to make tent stakes and tipi lacing pins, digging sticks, skewers, bows, and arrows, baskets, and hoops for games. The inner bark was scraped off and used as tobacco. Scrapings from the root were also used to treat colds and fever. By chewing the end of a small twig produces a tooth brush.

Bibliography

Manning, Sarah S. “Native Student Proves Traditional Chokecherry Pudding is Medicine”. Destany “Sky” Pete (Shoshone – Paiute) in Indian Country Today 2017.

Densmore, Francis How Indians Used Wild Plants For Food, medicine, and Crafts. Dover Publications, Inc. New York 1974.

Georgeson, Sharon Interview with Sharon Redfox, Tokio, ND. August 26, 2019 describing how her mother mixed Wihdi (grease) with crushed chokecherries to make round balls and pudding.

Greybear, Lorraine Dakota language instructor at Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Fort Totten, North Dakota. Lorraine remembered the term for Chokecherry Patties (Canṗakaskipa) when no one else could. Patty Mint – Christenson confirmed the term.

Rogers, Dilwyn Lakota Names and Traditional Uses of Native Plants by the Sicangu (Brule) People in the Rosebud Area, South Dakota the Rosebud Educational Society, Inc. St. Francis, SD 1980.