English

red osier dogwood, red willow

Scientific Name

Cornaceae [Dogwood Family]

Swida sericea

Arapaho

(plant) bo’óóceibiis ; (berries) 3ííkoníbino

Translation of the Arapaho

(plant) ‘red stem’ ; (berries) = ‘ghost berries’

Red Osier and the Arapaho

Other: smoke plant. The leaves of this plant were used in smoking mixtures. The Northern Arapaho were also called ‘red willow men’ (bo’ooceinenno’) by the Southern Arapaho. The explanation of this is not directly connected to the bush however. Rather Northern Arapahos claim they were called this because they were always painting themselves red (thus merely resembling the bush).

Berries: 3iikonibino' ‘ghost berries’

Dye: Oliver Toll says in 1914 that a red dye was made from the plant.

Bark: nohko3on '[smoking] mixture'

Alternate name: hooxeihiineniiwohoet 'Pawnee bush'

Other: implements. In a traditional narrative, a young man brings back branches of this plant that are “straight and smooth” to use as arrows.