"On the Coeur d'Alene Reservation, Water Potato Day is a holiday, celebrated with singing and drumming.

While tribal members have the day off, a hundred children and their teachers from nearby schools are hard at work.

Their classroom is the shore of Lake Chatcolet. They learn from tribal members like Mark Stanger how to find little roots called water potatoes -- or, as they're known in the Coeur d'Alene language....

Mark Stanger: "Skidwich."

The water potatoes are smaller than their landlocked cousins.

They look like the bulbs that start tulips or other flowers, but you have to dig in the mud along the shoreline to find them.

Stanger says the trick is spotting the plants and their unique arrow-shaped leaves while they're still alive in the summer."

Get the Story:
Coeur d'Alene Indians Celebrate Water Potato Harvest (Oregon Public Broadcasting 10/26)