SSBMI Language Department

• Hiisá can be used to make a tea for upset stomachs and sore throats.
• The leaves of some hiisá like Coyote Mint are edible and can be eaten raw.
• The name hiisá is from the Central Hill dialect of Nisenan; we have yet to find a word for 'mint' in either of the SSBMI Community's heritage dialects, Valley and Southern Hill Nisenan. We also have not found specific words for different kinds of mint yet, so we use this name as a generic word for all mint species.

Esak’ahá daak’ábe mi c’aykɨ́ɨ? (Do you want to know more?) This webpage is part of a larger initiative to share signage highlighting plants found around the Shingle Springs Rancheria and their Nisenan names.