Far up on the Missouri, Sacajawea knew the plants that were good to
eat.
The captains and soldiers were glad that she did.
They had only a little corn left, and there were not many animals
near.
Sacajawea told Captain Clark all about the yamp plant, as her tribe knew
it.
It grew in wet ground.
It had one stem and deeply cut leaves.
Its stem and leaves were dark green.
It had an umbrella of white flowers at the top of the stem.
The Indian women watched the yamp until the stem dried up.
Then they dug for the roots.
The yamp root is white and hard.
The Indians eat it fresh or dried.
When it is dry, they pound it into a fine white powder.
The Indian women make the yamp powder into a mush.
Indian children like yamp mush as much as white children like candy.
It tastes like our anise seed.
The soldiers liked the yamp mush that Sacajawea made.
Sacajawea also made a sunflower mush.
She roasted sunflower seeds.
Then she pounded them into a powder and made a mush with hot water.
She made a good drink of the sunflower powder and cold water.
She mixed the sunflower powder with bear grease and roasted it on hot
rocks.
This made a bread the soldiers liked very much.
Without Sacajawea the soldiers would have been hungry.
They did not know the plants.
Some plants would kill them.
But Sacajawea knew those good to eat.
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