Image provided by: Upper Left Edge; Cannon Beach, OR
About The upper left edge. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1999)
.... - // «u* Zz',>.lL\^ \ J k UYL h X -L L f im portantly, as diplom ats betw een species. Stum bling through old grow th underbrush, I som etim es find these trees, tops green and healthy, their old scars partially healed, bark edge curling over bare w ood once exposed by w edge and adze. Individual scrapes and cuts still show w here reverential hands took w hat w as needed and left the rest. Every tim e, involuntarily, reflexively, I run m y fingers o v er the exposed w ooden face, reflecting on w hat I m ight learn from each scrape, each scratch, each cut that m arks the exterior o f this ancient tree. f t • » Dou<i o ï S r ^ r ^ ^ - In these m ountains, curved slopes of uniform second- grow th green are interrupted by scraggly patches, the last stands, tall old grow th groves, each corralled in an isolated, postage-stam p parcel. S pindly, silvered ce d ar tops point skyw ard there, w aving, show ing you w here the axe has not fallen. T his is w here you find them: (T huja p licata ) w estern red-cedars. G o dow n, under the canopy, w here cedar's thick buttressed base anchors reddish-brow n bark, rising skyw ard in straight lines, evaporating into the branchy tangle overhead. Lacy deep green foliage conceals J-shaped branches w ith term inal-end curve. T here will be a sweet smell there, a scattering o f tiny cones. D ow n, below the dark shadow o f the second-grow th stand, there are cedars too. Big trees, here and there, cut and toppled, left lying horizontal on the ground, years before. O ily and red with tannins, ced ar w ood has a rem arkable resistance to rot. Leveled decades ago, cedars still hold their value; they are sought out in the deepest soggy brush, cut into shingles, chopped into kindling, taken o ut in sections and m ade into furniture. Old grow th cedar shingles are best, each tree ring grain packed thin and tight. O riginal shingles still cling to cabins, the oldest houses in tow n, their reddish tint long gone grey in rain and salt spray. T he grain o f second grow th w ood is coarse, testam ent to young trees' rapid grow th, their anxious skyw ard scram ble. T hey rot fast. B uilders pry them o ff for replacem ent, w hile ancient shingles still cling to the cabin next door. B ack in the forest behind tow n, old cedar stum ps still stand intact, w here giant spruce and hem lock stum ps now rot aw ay, w et red and pulpy, crum bling and overgrow n, riddled w ith probing roots. T h o u g h w idespread on this coast, cedar has its lim its, preferrin g w et but w ell-drained soils, occupying overgrow n bogs, rocky slopes, and the m ost stable o f stream banks. H ere, now , in o u r o w n backyard, these trees are rem arkably hard to find. In years past, they w ere targets, sought out for their w aterproof wood, spicy, fragrant, repellant to som e insects, w ith a long, straight grain that can be split into shingles and shakes o r carved with ease. A sm attering o f young trees stand sparse in local second-grow th. T h ey have not fared well in the struggle for sunlight, the sum m er heat, the rapid evaporation that follow s each new clearcut, and have been crow ded out by opportunistic brush and trees. M any are taken by poachers in pickup trucks, w ho scavenge old stum ps and chop new lean trees into kindling, leaving telltale roadside w oodpiles that last fo r years. Y et, in isolated groves, big cedars still stand: in O sw ald W est State Park, in other m iniscule State Parks parcels, in a gated and off-lim its stand w ithin the Cannon Beach m unicipal w atershed. T hese old trees deserve attention. T o north coast N ative A m ericans, no other tree was so im p o rta n t Straight grain carves sm ooth and clear, and generations o f m aster, w oodcarvers w ould m ake the m ost o f it. Carving elaborate totem poles from single, m assive trees. Fram ing giant houses in carved cedar logs and draping their exteriors in heavy cedar planks. T ransform ing giant cedar logs into canoes, by hollow ing them out w ith adzes and fire, and then heating and steam ing and stretching and carving them until hulls took on sleek shapes that could pass through w aves w ith a clean break. Carving cedar pieces into cerem onial m asks, and drum s, rattles, and whistles designed to com m unicate w ith the spirit world. O r shaping them into m undane things - furniture, bow ls, tools, arrow s, com bs, paddles, poles. O r fish hooks, fish clubs, harpoons, and fish sm oking racks. C edar planks w ould be heated w ith steam and bent four tim es to produce boxes, painted and carved, in w hich food, clothing, m asks, and any num ber o f o th er things w ere stored. T he leftovers provided w ood for their fires. W ith horizontal adze cut at w aist height, bark was separated from the tree, by bark gathering specialists w ho w ould pull until the bark snapped loose far overhead. T his bark was dried, som etim es soaked, then beaten. Its long, thin fibers separate into soft cottony strands w ith tensile strength, sturdy and w aterproof. T his beaten bark w as w oven into w aterproof clothing - flow ing skirts, capes, hats, belts. It w as w oven into tow els and w ashcloths, bandages and bedding. W ith sturdy ce d ar roots, bark was w oven into w aterproof baskets, pouches, soft cradles, m ats, and food pouches, or was tw ined into ropes. P ainting brush bristles, form ed o f fine bark shreds, w ere attached to ced ar stick handles. C edar bark gathered under strict cerem onial protocols could be braided into sham an's headdresses o r regalia for dancing and vision questing. C edar greenery w as used for bedding, m ats, or as house decorations; branches w ere tw isted into thick ropes or w oven into tidal fiat fish traps. Every part had its purpose. C edar, called the 'tree o f life' by som e north coast peoples, eased pains and cured ills; its bark, sap, and w ood w ere sources o f m any m edicines. L egends attest: before the com ing of hum ans, cedars w ere like us - m obile, sentient beings, w ith hopes and desires, w ith fam ilies, w ith friends. They gave up these things for o u r sake. Y et they continued to hold a potent spirit power all their ow n. By asking politely, o r by m erely standing with back against the cedar's base, one m ight obtain som e o f this power. C edar was there at birth, w hen new borns w ere w ashed w ith cedar bark tow els, when children w ere tucked into carved cradles lined w ith cottony- soft ce d ar bark. C ed ar w as there at death, w hen bodies were w rapped m um m y-like in cedar bark bandages, and placed in cedar coffins that w ere tucked into trees, o r laid to rest in perm anently g rounded cedar canoes. C hiefs w ould ow n special cedar groves, those with the best trees. T h ese groves w ere often located far from their village; particularly prized w ere those trees from the m ountains, w here trees struggle for survival and the grain is thin and dense. W hen trees w ere felled, they w ere taken gradually, respectfully, w ith prayers and apologies, using fire o r the com bined effects of w edges and w ind sw ay. T re es w ould be brought to the w ater's edge, lashed to canoes, and paddled to the village-front beach w here they w ould be w orked. M ore often, w hole trees w ere not taken. W ith prayers and care, boards w ould be taken from the side o f living trees with w ed g es; taken sparingly, planks w ere prized possessions, brought along by canoe if a hom e w as abandoned, even tem porarily. Bark, too, w as taken sparingly, to m inim ize dam age to any one tree. These trees w ould outlive the harvesters. A pologies for the injury, prom ises not to w aste, offers o f enduring respect: bark gatherers and w oodcutters w ere specialists, not only as craftspeople, but also, ► % A very accessible overview o f the use of cedar by N orthw est coastal peoples can be found in H ilary Stew art's book "C ed ar T ree o f Life to the N orthw est C oast Indians." (U niversity o f W ashington Press, 1984). TRILLIUM NATURALTOODS > À C¿ty E ditor’s note - W e noticed that D oug’s colum n this m onth bears a strong connection to a W ildlife on the Edge colum n o f February, 1996. In h onor o f Sally’s new status o f “B est S eller” (L u cy ’s Books, A storia); and because you can never never talk too m uch about ced ar trees, we are printing that colum n again. 5* « <D i Oui C'Lrii often ilona morHs»e¿ttrr\ CcisV. p i t a ' t s Chiesi» tantVVs part oÇ i t a «asside ¡ncorpof a lta ’'tao ia't )o«^ftotius; {ta. Ventar }»ps Çta ihta'Ctftta CoftCocVonSj Vta. {ta WnoltdeÀ Çar apart hw.M etaurta olA,st»taÇè*) { ta i< 5 » a ik e A fa+ktr {tan S i U t a , ata arroynlly oce cò A come Mp ThUR'P ),ok u p fta ru jh i t a W V Ix«. I Vo tta . sty r ywkfSeW Vi be. stata»nj oiUta /e n fla te <ooVs of c* Const/-. HAMLET BUILDERS, INC. C 436-0679 O - jr P.O. Box 174 Tolovana Park, OR 9 7 1 4 5 CCB # 41095 COMPLETE * A dditions ^*0X G eneral C ontracting Q uality C onstruction R emodel L evel - S tabilize O Tim Davis Chris Beckman CO NSCIENTIO US * CLEAN C ell: 4 4 0 -0 2 7 8 P.O. B ox 2 5 7 7 ♦ BANK OF ASTORIA = = = = Architect Earth friendly architecture Consultant - Educator Passive solar design Conscientious material use Licensed in Oregon and Washington 310 Lake S t • POB 72, Ilwaco. WA 9 B 6 2 4 (3 6 0 ) 6 4 2 -4 2 5 6 M em ber FDIC Astoria Warrenton Seaside Cannon Beach LbLlFL H l t l M COUXCTiON IF KIUW6S ’w HMDIAITKN COIME#«« LOW. Î10M, FftMMft, «»IM8ECTA. -M '» l S M ö L U -tK U T M TmMfeMlUCK^ANNOJLBEACH^^ F E $Z0 LtnrrcD irst ditions onsnje w IN ftSTO lU * LUO’S BOOKS, C0«NU«lT7 START, Philip 1 Thompson 1 architect Personalized custom designs for your unique site a r c h i te c tu r e & e n v ir o n m e n ta l p la n n in g 25925 N.W. St. Helens Rd., Scappoose, OR 97056 The American arrives in Pans with a few French phrases he has culled from a conversational guide or picked up from a friend who owns a beret. Fred Allen 0 O CCB# 114007 ANTHONY STOPPIELLO = 5 F a x :7 1 7 -0 3 8 9 Gearhart, O R 9 7 1 3 8 738-7563 (503) 543 -2 0 00 A uffek left cost afml 4 ((mtaStA G allery in CAMfM BtftCM’. TUProftMRCtUStDMKS CANNON BEACH BOOK CO., CANNON BEACH S flU fR -) E l S i U W ! (flaTijCR. natures RftlNM DAM BOOKS ift TlLlJlflOOK. T taoM the P ublisher ., IX IT C oast 6 w uaxd.upparleftexty.eatn OR. TOSO i W ubeo Copy; C ontact me A uthor wmj R equests at p.O.&ox U storia , OR. ema.1 reb u ts ft trinSfwT. Cam. Raft«. ÎA»!