Pawpaw / Mahchikpiakw / Ahsiimin

What looks like a mango, tastes like a banana, and is native to the Eastern Woodlands? Mahchikpi (Lenape) or Pawpaw! 

Mahchikpi are the largest edible fruit native to North America. Their flavor is often compared to banana, mango, and pineapple. The fruits have a high Vitamin C content and are a good source of potassium, riboflavin, niacin, protein, and fat. Mahchikpiakw have been incorporated into Indigenous peoples’ diets and eaten fresh and dried. 

Tribes have also used bark from Mahchikpiakw trees to make ropes and string. And the large seeds have been ground into a powder to prevent lice. 

The Shawnee have utilized a lunar calendar and identified the September full moon as Ha'siminikiisfwa, which translates to Pawpaw Moon. It indicates that Pawpaws are ripe for picking and that winter is approaching.

Learn more about the other native plants on “The Place Where Plants Grow - Enta Sakink Epëmawsiwikil” by clicking here and returning to the plant list.