The Ozette Prairies of Olympic National Park - Natural Resources ...

ought home by the canoeload from wetland areas. Because the “measure of a traditional Quileute
woman” was the quality of her hokwtit, “cattail mats,” women had special places to get quality cattail
reeds and took special care to keep the spirits of the area on-side and to avoid transgressing taboo interdictions
while harvesting. Most women kept the location of their cattail sites a secret. The finest cattails
were remembered to have come from the wetland areas of the Beaver and Tyee Prairie areas.
Tule (xapo’)- Another mat material was both hard and soft-stemmed bulrush, used by the Quileute for
mats, as well. The tule mats were considered “outside mats” for the covering of camping shelters and
temporary smokehouses. The reeds, sometimes up to 8’ in length but usually around 4-5’ long, were also
common on the edges of the prairie at lower Beaver Creek and around Beaver Lake.
Ryegrass (kakipat)- This grass (and xitsi’, the similar dune rye not found in the prairies) was harvested
early in the summer and then dried and long strands (up to 4’) were used for basketry and shorter pieces
were bunched for scrubbing while bathing or pregnant women rubbed themselves with it in order to
have healthy babies.
Scented bedstraw (hac’ht’ada t’lalapat)- The vanilla-ish scent of this plant with burrs made it attractive,
and the Quileute had various uses and folkloric beliefs associated with it. For instance, if a woman
wishes to attract a man, she need only get a couple of his hairs and press them together with some of her
own and some bedstraw, and he will be magically charmed by her. These types of activities are appropriate
to the prairies, which are spiritually active areas and appropriate places for conjuring.
Bedstraw (t’lalapat)-This burred straw-grass was probably distinguished by the Quileute from the
scented variety above. It was also used by the Quileute for conjuring and required sensitivity on the part
of the user, otherwise it could result in the user having blotches on their face if used selfishly or without
gratitude. It was not used for bedding by the Quileute (the name comes from the tradition that Mary
slept on a bed of ferns and bedstraw, and the ferns did not acknowledge her baby and, hence, they do not
have flowers; but the bedstraw did and ever since has greenish-white flowers).
Pilapila, ferns common to the prairie areas
Deer fern (kistolapat)- Quileute children were taught to find and eat the root of this plant in emergencies,
even though it was not tasty. It was used for suppression of appetite between meals (chew up a leaf, spit
out the pulp and swallow the juice). Leaves were also boiled and the liquid drunk as a tonic for general
ill health. Wet fresh leaves were put on limbs for stiffness or paralysis.
Maidenhair fern (hapoqlpat)- The rhizome was not eaten, but it was used for packing (since it was water-
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