"Waiilatpu" – the name
of the place itself is translated to mean "place of the people of the
rye grass." Among the many native varieties of grasses that would have
been here during Whitman's time, Great Basin wild rye or giant rye (Elymus
cinereus) would have been among the most abundant. It grows in poor,
alkaline soils and is very distinctive growing 3 to 6 feet tall in bunches.
Some of the other
native grasses that grow at Whitman Mission include – foxtail barley
(Hordeum jubatum), streambank wheatgrass (Agropyron riparium),
sheep fescue (Festuca ovina), bluebunch wheatgrass (Agropyron
spicatum), and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea).
The Walla Walla
River and the millpond would have provided a habitat for native grass-like
plants, such as bulrush or tule reed (Scirpus acutus), and common
cat tail (Typha latifolia). Tule was, and still is important
to the Cayuse people, their lodges were made of these reeds. Several
layers thick, the tules expand when exposed to moisture. The rains never
made it through all the layers and provided a dry comfortable place
for sleeping and living. Mats made of tules were slept upon and were
also usable in other ways. The roots of the tule could be eaten raw
or made into a bread. It is still gathered by the Cayuse people today
for some of the same uses.
The Great Basin
wild rye was re-introduced around 1955 to Whitman Mission along with
other native plants that had been depleted due to intensive farming.
Since then, the revegetation has continued and visitors today can see
a great many varieties of plants native to the Waiilatpu of Whitman's
time.
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