by
John Bruno Romero
(Ha-Ha-St of Tawee)
Rare Indian lore collected and interpreted by a full-blooded Chu-Mash
Indian, who grew up among members of the Cahuilla tribe, is revealed in
this unique book. Written by a man who is anxious to share his ancestral
knowledge of the treasures in the Great Field of Nature, this volume
describes 120 medicinal herbs and gives recipes for their preparation,
their uses, their English and Latin names, and where they may be found.
The collection presented here was hand-picked from 500 specimens
gathered by the author on a plant-hunting expedition on the Pacific
Coast and in Arizona. Only twenty-eight, it is said, are known to modern
medical science.
For more than one hundred years, the Indians have kept to themselves
their profound knowledge of medicinal herbs and their application.
Meanwhile, if the Indian, with his intelligent and extraordinary
attachment to nature, had not preserved and replanted a large number of
these herbs, many of them would now be extinct.
A close collaborator of the historical department of the Santa Ana
Museum in his native California, the author is known as a botanist of
such high order that some years back the British Museum sought his
assistance in assembling a remarkable collection of Pacific Coast
specimens of medicinal herbs and Indian artifacts.
Mr. Romero, whose Indian name is Ha-Ha-St of Tawee, presents his
material in highly entertaining manner, and his remarks, some of them
_sotto voce_, are extremely apropos. Adding to the color of the book is
a wonderful legend written by the author’s father, Chief Als Pablo,
Chief of Police of the Indian reservations in the Southwest at the turn
of the century.
The book is dedicated to the memory of the author’s uncle, Chief
William Pablo of Guana-pia-pa, medical herbalist and medicine man. It is
a unique treasury of authentic Americana, fortunately preserved for our
time.
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