Klamath Names Connected with the Wokas Industry

The Wokas Plant, its Parts, and its Products

A’-wal, roasted pods.
Bal’-bal-wam, leaf.
Chin-i’-a-kûm, immature seeds, constituting the fifth grade.
Di-䔑chäs’, a process of extracting seeds from roasted pods.
Ga’-i-dan’, rootstock.
Gam’-bol-wos, flower hold.
Ka-kal’-ga’-li, pod.
Kakt-chi’-as, screenings from the diachas process.
Kai’-a-kams, said to be an old name for chiniakum.
Lo-lensh, shelled seeds, not roasted.
Lo-wak’, seeds from dried pods, constituting the third grade.
No’-kapk, the better seeds from roasted pods, constituting the fourth grade.
Shi’-wu-linz, dry seeds cracked and winnowed, cooked by boiling.
Shloks, pods strung on strings to dry.
Shlol’-bals, seeds, dried.
Shlo-tish’, finely ground parched seeds.
Shnaps, shelled seeds, parched.
Spok’-was, full- matured seeds, constituting the first grade.
Stĭl-insh, dry cracked seeds cooked without winnowing.
Stont’-a’-blaks, seeds from pods fermented in the drying piles, constituting the second grade.
Swe-o-gûl’-tĭs, bunches of pods on short steins.
Tal’-was, soup of shiwulinz boiled in a basket with hot stones.
Tsi’-hlak, broken seed shells.
Wo’-kas, general name for the whole plant or for the food derived from it.

Implements of the Wokas Industry

Cha’-ka-la, openwork willow pack basket.
Cha’-was, pack basket of tule strengthened with vertical sticks.
Ka-chik’, paddle.
La-gak’, pole for dugout.
Lkom, coals.
Lmach, lower mealing stone.
Mu-lo’, dry rotten wood.
Näp, wicker spoon for gathering spokwas.
P’a’-hla, wokas shaker or winnowing tray.
Se’-ot a-ko’olks, wicker spoon for gathering wokas.
Sh’o-kobh’, swan’s breast spoon.
Shtap’s’, tule mat.
Si-lak’-al-ish, upper mealing stone.
Skä, stone for pounding wokas pods.
T’a’-yas. sack.
Ti-a’, screening basket.
Tläks, coarse tale basket flat- or round-bottomed.
Wĭl’-ĭ-sĭk sack.
Wums, dugout.
Ya’-ki, openwork willow pack basket.


Collection:
Coville, Frederick Vernon, Honorary Curator, Division of Plants. Wokas A Primitive Food of the Klamath Indians. From the Report of the United States National Museum for 1902, pages 725-739 with 13 plates. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1904.

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