Cultural Clues to the Past

Cultural Clues to the Past. Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. , Why are there holes in the limestone? They're not old fence posts, or dinosaur footprints, but the place where Native Americans ground mesquite beans into flour. The whole pod was ground up and pounded to powder with a blunt sturdy piece of mesquite or a suitable rock, forming the depressions that you see here. , Traditionally, native peoples have collected and used a wide variety of plants in this region for food, medicine, clothing, tools, and many other uses. Still today, tribal members have a strong interest toward the care and stewardship of these plants and retain the right to gather on their ancestral lands. , Mesquite pods were an especially important food source for native desert peoples. Scientists now know that mesquite flour is rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, and the essential amino acid, lysine, which we cannot synthesize. Lysine is key to muscle building and aids in recovery from injury or surgery. , Wild grapes commonly grow by springs throughout the Refuge. Traditionally, grapes were eaten raw or dried, and stored for year-round consumption.