NPS Photo

Mesquite flowers

Seasonal camps were usually located near groves of mesquite because it was the most important food for desert Indians. The plant contains nutritious amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and calcium. Every part was used - blossoms, pods, sap, gum, limbs, trunk, bark, thorns, and root. The trees were also an indicator of groundwater supply, because they usually grow where water is close to the surface.

The flowers were picked the in the spring and roasted. They also made a good tea. The green pods were pounded into a juicy pulp for a summer beverage. Ripe mesquite beans were the most important summer produce. Dried pods were ground, formed into cakes, and eaten dry or made into mush.

The pods are a good source of protein, lysine, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc. The digestive time for mesquite is to 4 to 6 hours unlike wheat that digests in 1 to 2 hours, which maintains blood sugar longer and prevents hunger.

For Native Americans in the Southwest and Mexico mesquite meal was an integral part of their daily diet. As these communities have moved away from the native desert foods, obesity and diabetes have grown. It is reported that 50% of the Tohono O’odham over 35 years of age suffer from diabetes.

The resin was used to mend pottery or to make paint. Basketry materials were obtained from the inner bark, and the wood makes a long, slow-burning fire. The charcoal was used to give a blue color to tattoos. The inner bark was also used for cordage, wrapping material, women's skirts, and diapers. The roots of young trees were used to make cordage for harpoon lines. The trunk made a wooden mortar and the branches made superior bows and arrow foreshafts. Thorns were used as needles and for tattooing.

The black gum was boiled and used as a wash for sore eyes, open wounds, sore lips, sunburn, chapped fingers, or sore throats. Concoctions made from leaves and twigs were used to disinfect cuts and scrapes. Conjunctivitis ("pink eye") was treated by washing the eyes with a rinse made from the pods. The leaves were used to make a tea for soothing headaches, stomach troubles, and diarrhea. The tea was also held in the mouth to heal sore gums, and was swallowed to cleanse the system.