English
gumweed
Scientific Name
Grindelia squarrosa; possibly other Grindelia spp
Arapaho
Translation of the Arapaho
‘it has sticky heads’
Gumweed and the Arapaho
Drug: venereal aid. Used for the treatment of venereal disease, especially gonorrhea. An Arapaho name for venereal disease in men is ‘sticky (penis) head’.
Other: jewelry. According to one Arapaho man today, children used to use the plant by this name as “jewelry,” sticking it behind their ears when they played.
Murphey 1959:67 reports a completely different name for this plant:<ithi wa hyine>, which appears to possibly begin with he3ow- (‘dog’) and conclude with -ye’einoo’ (‘flower head’).
