Seri Use of MesquiteProsopis GlandulosaVarTorreyana

Abstract

he western honey mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa var torreyana, is one of the primary natural resources of the Seri of western Sonora, Mexico. Different parts of the mesquite are variously employed for basketry dye, face paint, hunting and fishing, firewood, games, medicine, lumber, wooden artifacts, and rope or twine. Until recently the fruit was utilized extensively for food. Relatively large quantities of flour were obtained from the mesocarp. The Seri also prepared flour from the true seed which was separated from the stony endocarp by pounding in bedrock mortars. Prepared mesquite flour products were stored for times of need. A relatively extensive vocabulary is associated with the mesquite—the Seri recognize eight growth stages of the mesquite pod. The Seri moon approximating the month of July derives from the time of mesquite harvest, a time when the monsoon begins and initiates maximum renewal of life in the desert. This moon is for the Seri the beginning of the new year.