There are several good books available on this subject. Some may be available at your local library, others may be a bit harder to find.

The best place to start is with the Guide to Edible Wild Plants and the Guide to Medicinal Plants. Both of these are part of the Peterson's Field Guide series and are readily available.

Another good one is "American Indian Medicine" by Virgil Vogel (University of Oklahoma Press). This book covers most cultural regions.

The publications of the New Jersey Archaeolgocial Society often have articles related to native plant uses. Many back issues are available for purchase from the society.

The classic in the field is "How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine & Crafts" covers uses by the Chippewa of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The author is Frances Densmore and is most likely available from Amazon.com or powells.com. It is a rather old book, published in 1974 as reprint of a Bureau of Ethnology report from 1927.

The newest work on the subject is "Native American Ethnobotany" by Daniel E. Moerman. This book is very expensive (about $80.00) and is usually a special order. There is good news, however. The information in the book is also online and can be found by doing an internet search for "Native American Ethnobotany". The site allows you to search by use, tribe or plant name. The plant names are listed in latin, so a handy plant guide is needed as well.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your search.

Jim Willaert
Historic Area Manager, Lenape Indian Camp

>>> [log in to unmask] 01/25/02 10:45AM >>>
Does anyone know where I might find information related to the use of
native plants by Native Americans?  Preferably midwest native plants.
Thank you.

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