Leaves
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This wild onion plant is found in wet marshy areas and is a
valuable treat to find. The single flower stem grows to
about a foot tall, with long, dark, parallel veined leaves.
The underground bulb at the base of the stem resembles green
onions or small pearl onions you can buy in the store. The
beautiful pink flowers, found in a round head, invite
inspection but the strong odor does turn up the nose.
My Grandma had a ziplock bag full of the stems in her refrigerator, a June treat that should last her well into the winter months. Eric Hulten, adds to his description of the plant that "the leaves are eaten in early spring, the bulbs in summer and fall. The Siberian Eskimos keep the plant for long periods of time in air tight sealskin bags." (Hulten, 307) Grandma explained how the old time Eskimos made "seal pokes". The seals were skinned, with great care not to poke the hide in any place. Grandma said that special care must be taken around the knuckles of the seal flippers. The purpose of the hide was to have a airtight container as Hulten described. The hide was blown up like a balloon and dried with the fur part in. The mouth, nose, ears and eyes of the seal were sewn shut, with the treasure inside, and hung for the winter. The pokes were used to contain many more food items than the dipitu greens. The pokes were used to store dried meat and seal oil, berries, and many other greens. The seal pokes precluded the wooden barrels that Grandma remembers best from her childhood. The barrels were used much the same way as the pokes.
When I asked Grandma and Maggie Olson about the plant they had a long discussion about the names of the plant. They agreed that both names listed meant a smell or strong odor. Wauchunnik means the odor of a nursing mother. Interestingly, wauchiruk, means "nursing mother"; the root of both words being Wauch-.