Viola pratincola Greene

Native American Names

            The only Native American names that were found for this plant is in the Omaha laungage. It is "Waxta montanonha."Waxta" means flower, and "montanonha" means wild

Description                 Dark violet, violet, blue, or rarley white corrallas of flowers bases of petals with to greenish yellow. 3 lower petals with dark viens, 2 lateral petals with spurs. The leaves look like blades usually margins with shallow rounded or sharpteeth margins. Sometimes entire tip point or blunt surfaces without hair. Wild Violet is perennial, and is a Native forb. This plant flowers March- June (occasionally through out the summer). Wild violet flowers through seeds.

Location and Habitat                 Throughout Nebraska in prairies, roadsides, pastures, lawns, and flower beds. On the reservation we found it a long east edge of the school. Daycare, small building, and mostly everywhere  around the reservation where it is shady. I would have had thought to find it in all the ditches around here where most of the plant are.

Uses
     Early Pioneers made jellies and herbal vinegar from flowers. In folk medicine. A tea was made from the flowers to treat headaches and sore throats. The southern carrier, Kallam, Cherokee, South Ojibwa, used analgesic for stomach pain, chest or side pain, and headaches and pain near the bladder. Southern Carrier, Makon, Iroquois drugs all used gastrointestinal aid for stomach pain, woman who are in labor and for digestion. The Omaha and Karok used violet places for children to play with. Violets have been used medically for centuries. Violets and their extracts  are useful in cancers and tumors. The leaves and flowers of violets do have expectorant properties  and work as swelling a case of respiratory disorders such as bronchitis, colds, and coughs. On account the Dakota and Heyoka utilized it by chewing in into past, which was rubbed over hands and arms this making them immune to the effect of scalding water. So that to the mystification and wonderment of be holders these men were able to take up pieces of hot meat out of the kettle over the fire. The plant was also chewed and applied to inflame sores and wounds as a cooling and heating salve.Viola flowers may be used to decorate salads or in stuffing for poultry or fish, cream and similar desserts can be flowered with essence of viola flowers. When wild violets are barley growing they are edible raw or cooked as somewhat bland vegetable. Violet is a flower preserved by a coating of sugar syrup. The hot syrup is poured all over the fresh flowers. This method is used for rose petals. It is also used in the perfume industry. The oil is used in the mixing of perfumes and other scents. This oil only has a faint scent when in its perfume. Among the Omaha children violets were used in playing a game in the springtime a group of children would gather a quanity of wiolets then, dividing into two equal parties, one party took the name of there own nation and the other party took another, as for instance Dakota. The two parties set down facinf each other, and each played snapped violets with his opponent till one or the other had none remaining, each party was given the equal amount at the beginning, was the victor and playfully taunted the other as being poor fighters. 

                                                                                              By Brianna Wolfe

This Page was last update: Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:11:04 AM
This page was originally posted: 11/19/07; 11:38:38 AM.
Copyright 2008 Plants of the Omaha Indian Reservation

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