A Preliminary Pawnee Ethnobotany Checklist

Abstract

This document contains excerpts from a work in progress focusing on the ethnobotany of the Pawnee Native Americans. The effort being made is to consolidate research findings to provide a written record specifically addressing plant use by the Pawnee. The majority of the information gained was through literature reviews which provided a historic perspective. However, living among the Pawnee for twenty-two years has provided some insight into modern uses of some plants. A priority at the onset was to identify and describe the broad-ranging application of plants within their culture. All the ethnobotanical examples here are based on plants that have been documented in Oklahoma. Each plant is related to its currently known biogeography in Kansas and Nebraska which was regionally part of their historic homeland until their removal to Oklahoma beginning in 1875.