English
golden currant
Scientific Name
Grossulariaceae [Gooseberry/Currant Family]
Ribes aureum; probably other Ribes spp
Arapaho
Translation of the Arapaho
‘goose berries’
Currants and the Arapaho
Food: fruit, sauce, dried food. The translation of the name suggests a borrowing from English, but with the borrowed name applied to currants rather than the more appropriate gooseberry, and/or a misidentification. However, the identification has been confirmed in the field. Morever, the Gros Ventre word for the currants is equivalent to ni’ibino’ = ‘good berry’ in Arapaho, so the name seems to be correct, though possibly phonetically irregular. These berries could be pounded, dried and preserved as well as eaten fresh. One Arapaho woman says that a gravy (ne’ibe’eek) was made with the berries.
Bush: ne’ibiis ‘currant bush’
Ribes aureum