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Broadleaf Cattail • Káhkáhaskwar (kaw-kaw-has-quar)
Nearly every Native community in North America has used the cattail as food, medicine, or raw material for baskets and mats. The cattail contains ten times the amount of starch as potatoes--an important source of energy.
The Micmac and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), among many other tribes, made cordage or thick ropes, from twisted strands of cattail leaves. The cordage was used to make strong, weatherproof mats for house or floor coverings, as well as toys, dolls, and duck decoys.
Did you know that the "fluff" on a cattail is really its seeds? The soft fluff was often used by Native peoples to pad moccasins, bedding, and baby cradleboards. |