Song of the River (71 page)

Through
Song of the River
and my other novels, I hope to engender an awareness of the treasure inherent in North American Native languages, and to that end, I ask that the reader accept the Native words in this novel, not with irritation or in resignation, but with contemplative wonder and joy.

The riddles in this novel are based on the riddles of one of the northernmost Athabascan peoples, the Koyukon. Each riddle, however, is an original, none copied from any known Koyukon riddle, in recognition and respect of ownership rights.

(For those readers who are admirers of the oddities and possibilities of language: in Chakliux’s riddle as presented in chapter eight [“Look! What do I see? It runs far, singing, and Sok’s is the first to fill its mouth with meat.” Answer: Sok’s spear], the Ahtna word for a bone-tipped, birch-shafted caribou or bear spear is
c’izaeggi
, from the root
zaek
, much similar to
zaek’
, which means “voice” or “spit,” and also to the word
zaa
, which means “mouth.” In addition to posing a riddle, Chakliux is also making a pun, thus giving an added dimension to the unraveling.)

Two last comments: many Athabascan hunters will not use dogs to take bears. They consider such hunting an insult to the bear. Second, please do not confuse the disdain some of my characters carry for fishskin baskets to be a reflection of my own preferences. These references are meant only to illustrate the small prejudices that color our lives. Fishskin baskets, examples of which may be seen in many of Alaska’s fine museums, are incredible examples of the beauty, variety and ingenuity of items produced by Native peoples.

Glossary of Native American Words

AQAMDAX
(Aleut) Cloudberry,
Rubus chamaemorus
. (See Pharmacognosia.)

AYAGAX
(Aleut) Wife.

BABICHE
(English—probably anglicized from the Cree word
assababish
, a diminutive of
assabab
, “thread”) Lacing made from rawhide.

BITAALA'
(Ahtna Athabascan) A foot-long organ located between the stomach and liver in the black bear. Among the Ahtna, it is considered taboo for anyone except the elders to eat the bitaala’.

CEN
(Ahtna Athabascan) Tundra.

CET’AENI
(Ahtna Athabascan) Creatures of ancient Ahtna legend. They are tailed and live in trees and caves.

CHAGAK
(Aleut) Obsidian, red cedar.

CHAKLIUX
(Ahtna Athabascan, as recorded by Pinart in 1872) Sea otter.

CHIGDAX
(Aleut) A waterproof, watertight parka made of sea lion or bear intestines, esophagus of seal or sea lion, or the tongue of a whale. The hood had a drawstring, and the sleeves were tied at the wrist for sea travel. These knee-length garments were often decorated with feathers and bits of colored esophagus.

CHUHNUSIX
(Aleut) Wild geranium,
Geranium erianthum
. (See Pharmacognosia.)

CILT’OGHO
(Ahtna Athabascan) A container hollowed out of birch and used to carry water.

DAES
(Ahtna Athabascan) Shallow, a shallow portion of a lake or stream.

DATS’ENI
(Ahtna Athabascan) Waterfowl.

DZUUGGI
(Ahtna Athabascan) A favored child who receives special training, especially in oral traditions, from infancy.

GGUZAAKK
(Koyukon Athabascan) A thrush,
Hylocichla minima
,
H. ustulata
and
H. guttata
. These birds sing an intricately beautiful song that the Koyukon people traditionally believe to indicate the presence of an unknown person or spirit.

GHADEN
(Ahtna Athabascan) Another person.

HII
(Aleut) An exclamation of surprise or disgust.

IITIKAALUX
(Atkan Aleut) Cow parsnip, wild celery,
Heracleum lanatum
. (See Pharmacognosia.)

IQYAX(s.)
(Aleut) A skin-covered, wooden-framed boat. A kayak.

K’OS
(Ahtna Athabascan) Cloud.

KUKAX
(Aleut) Grandmother.

LIGIGE’
(Ahtna Athabascan) The soapberry or dog berry,
Shepherdia canadensis
. (See Pharmacognosia.)

NAYUX
(Aleut) A float made of a seal skin or seal bladder filled with air.

QIGNAX
(Aleut) Fire or light resulting from a fire.

QUNG
(Aleut) Hump, humpback.

SAEL
(Ahtna Athabascan) A container made of bark.

SAX
(Aleut) A long, hoodless parka made of feathered bird skins.

SIXSIQAX
(Aleut) Wormwood,
Artemisia unalaskensis
. (See Pharmacognosia.)

SHUGANAN
(Ancient word of uncertain origin) Exact meaning unsure, relating to an ancient people.

SOK
(Ahtna Athabascan) Raven call.

TIKAANI
(Ahtna Athabascan) Wolf.

TIKIYAASDE
(Ahtna Athabascan) Menstruation hut.

TSAANI
(Ahtna Athabascan) Grizzly bear,
Ursus arctos
.

TS’ES
(Ahtna Athabascan) Rock, stone.

TUTAQAGIISIX
(Aleut) Hearing.

ULAX(s.) ULAS(pl.)
(Aleut) A semisubterranean dwelling raftered with driftwood and covered with thatching and sod.

YAA
(Ahtna Athabascan) Sky.

YAYKAAS
(Ahtna Athabaskan) Literally, “flashing sky.” The aurora borealis.

YEHL
(Tlingit) Raven.

The words in this glossary are defined and listed according to their use in
Song of the River
. Readers interested in pronunciation guides may write to the author at: P.O. Box 6, Pickford, MI 49774.

Pharmacognosia

P
LANTS LISTED IN THIS
pharmacognosia are
not
recommended for use, but are cited only as a supplement to the novel. Many poisonous plants resemble helpful plants, and even some of the most benign can be harmful if used in excess. The wisest way to harvest wild vegetation for use as medicine, food or dyes is in the company of an expert. Plants are listed in alphabetical order according to the names used in
Song of the River.

ALDER
,
Alnus crispa
: A small tree with grayish bark. Medium green leaves have toothed edges, rounded bases and pointed tops. Flower clusters resemble miniature pinecones. The cambium or inner layer of bark is dried (fresh bark will irritate the stomach) and used to make tea said to reduce high fever. It is also used as an astringent and a gargle for sore throats. The bark is used to make brown dye.

BEDSTRAW
: See Goose Grass, below.

BLUEBERRY
(bog blueberry),
Vaccinium uliginosum
:
A
low-branching, extremely hardy shrub. Leaves are medium green with rounded tips. Small, round blue-black berries ripen in August. Berries are choice for food, fresh or dried, and are high in iron.

CARIBOU LEAVES
(wormwood, silverleaf),
Artemisia tilesii
: This perennial plant attains a height of two to three feet on a single stem. The hairy, lobed leaves are silver underneath and a darker green on top. A spike of small clustered flowers grows at the top of the stem in late summer. Fresh leaves are used to make a tea that is said to purify the blood and stop internal bleeding, and to wash cuts and sore eyes. The leaves are heated and layered over arthritic joints to ease pain. Caution: caribou leaves may be toxic in large doses.

CHUHNUSIX (wild geranium, cranebill),
Geranium erianthum
: A perennial with dark green palmated leaves and purplish flowers. It grows to a little over two feet in height. Dried leaves are steeped for tea that is used as a gargle for sore throats and a wash to dry seeping wounds.

CLOUDBERRY
(salmonberry),
Rubus chamaemorus
: Not to be confused with the larger shrublike salmonberry,
Rubus spectabilis
, this small plant grows to about six inches in height and bears a single white flower and a salmon-colored berry shaped like a raspberry. The green leaves are serrated and have five main lobes. The berries are edible but not as flavorful as raspberries, and are high in vitamin C. The juice from the berries is said to be a remedy for hives.

FIVE-LEAVES GRASS
(cinquefoil),
Potentilla tormentilla
; (marsh fivefinger),
Potentilla palustris
: These potentillas have five-fingered palmate leaves, and root at the joints. Plants of the
Potentilla
genus have yellow flowers—except
palustris,
which has purple blooms. They branch out from the root with flowers at the end of eighteen- to twenty-inch stems.
Palustris
leaves are used for tea (nonmedicinal).
Tormentilla
root is boiled and applied as a poultice to skin eruptions and shingles. It is said to be useful as a tonic for the lungs, for fevers and as a gargle for gum and mouth sores.

GOOSE GRASS
(northern bedstraw),
Galium boreale
: The narrow leaves grow in groups of four under the fragrant white flower sprays. Young plants warmed (not boiled) in hot water and placed on external wounds are said to help clot the blood. The dried plant, made into a salve with softened fat, was used to treat external skin irritations. Teas (steeped, not boiled) made of young leaves, seeds or roots may be diuretic. Roots produce a purplish dye.

IITIKAALUX
(cow parsnip, wild celery),
Heracleum lanatum
: A thick-stemmed, hearty plant that grows to nine feet in height. The coarse, dark leaves have three main lobes with serrated edges. It is also known by the Russian name
poochki
or
putchki
. Stems and leaf stalks taste like a spicy celery but must be peeled before eating because the outer layer is a skin irritant. White flowers grow in inverted bowl-shaped clusters at the tops of the plants. Roots are also edible, and leaves were dried to flavor soups and stews. The root was chewed raw to ease sore throats and was heated and a section pushed into a painful tooth to deaden root pain. Caution: gloves should be worn when harvesting. Iitikaalux is similar in appearance to poisonous water hemlock.

LIGIGE’
(soapberry or dog berry),
Shepherdia canadensis
: A shrub that grows to six feet in height with smooth, round-tipped, dark green leaves. The orange-colored berries ripen in July and are edible but bitter. They foam like soap when beaten.

PARTNER GRASS
(pineapple weed),
Matricaria matricarioides
: Finely feathered leaves grow on stems up to twelve inches in height. The rayless yellow flower heads emit a pineapple smell when crushed. Plants are used for teas and are said to soothe stomach upsets. Caution: some people experience skin irritation from handling these plants. Large doses may cause nausea and vomiting.

PURPLE FLOWER
(purple boneset),
Eupatorium purpureum
:
A
tall (five to six feet) perennial, its clustered purple flower heads appear in September. Coarse leaves grow in groups of three or five. The root, crushed in a water solution, is said to be a diuretic and tonic as well as a relaxant.

RYE GRASS
(basket grass, beach grass),
Elymus arenarius mollis
: A tall, coarse-bladed grass that is dried and split, then used by Aleut weavers to make finely woven baskets and mats.

SIXSIQAX
(wormwood),
Artemisia unalaskensis
: Some Aleut people used the leaves of this plant as a hot poultice. See Caribou Leaves, above.

SOUR DOCK
(sorrel, curly dock),
Rumex crispus
; (arctic dock)
Rumex arcticus
: Leaves are shaped like spearheads, wavy at the edges, and fan out from the base of the plant. A central stalk grows to three or four feet in height and bears clusters of edible reddish seeds. Steamed leaves are said to remove warts. The root of these plants is crushed and used as a poultice for skin eruptions. Fresh leaves are abundant in vitamins C and A, but contain oxalic acid, so consumption should be moderate.

WILLOW
,
Salix
:
A
narrow-leafed shrub or small tree with smooth gray, yellowish and/or brownish bark. There are presently more than thirty species of willow in Alaska. The leaves are a very good source of vitamin C, though in some varieties they taste quite bitter. The leaves and inner bark contain salicin, which acts like aspirin to deaden pain. Bark can be chipped and boiled to render a pain-relieving tea. Leaves can also be boiled for tea. Leaves are chewed and placed over insect bites to relieve itching. Roots and branches are used to make baskets and woven fish weirs.