Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 15, 2022)
16 MAY 15, 2022 Smoke Signals NATIVE AMERICAN WATCHLIST Watchlist: ‘Camas. Gathering wild food of the Pacific Northwest: Camassia’ (Editor’s note: It is estimated that there are approximately 149 billion videos on YouTube, and the number continues to grow. Grand Ronde Tribal member and Social Media/Digital Journalist Kamiah Koch sifts through those myriad videos twice a month to recommend a worthwhile Indigenous video to watch. Follow her bimonthly recommendations and enjoy!) By Kamiah Koch Social media/digital journalist As you can see by the stories and photos in this edition, Smoke Signals staff has attended several events this month celebrating the Native American first food camas. At these different events, Cultural Policy Analyst Greg Archuleta and Nursery Manager Jeremy Ojua shared how Native people tradi- tionally harvested camas bulbs. But I began to wonder, “Then what?” YouTube creator and Oregonian Shawn Woods published a video to his 1.67 million subscribers sharing how to traditionally prepare camas bulbs. Woods challenged himself to a “wild food challenge,” incorporating as much foraged, hunted and fished foods into his diet as possible. He does not identify himself as Native American, but rather shares the research he found on how Native people traditionally consumed camas. He begins the video by describing the species of camas found in the Willamette Valley — common camas and great camas. “Both species of this attractive purple flower were an important food source for the Kalapuya Indians who would routinely burn the Willamette Valley on an annual basis in order to promote vast fields of camas in the wet prairie environments,” Woods says. The first two minutes of this 4.5-minute video are dedicated to introducing camas and properly identifying it from what is called “death camas,” which can be confused with wild onion and can be fatal if consumed at 2 percent to 6 percent of an animal’s body weight. After the warning, Woods provides video demonstrating how he likes to harvest camas using a pointy elk antler. At the 2:15 mark, he begins to discuss preparing the camas. “In its raw form camas is basically inedible,” Woods says. “It’s very bland tasting and is so slimly that it feels like you put a slug in your mouth.” He explains inulin is a component found in raw camas that can cause stomach aches and gas. Archuleta mentioned during a camas tour at the Linfield University Camas Festival on Friday, May 6, and Woods mentions in this video that Lewis and Clark reported men were sick with stomach aches after consuming camas for the first time. To remedy this, Archuleta and Woods recommends slowly cooking camas. Woods explains this was traditionally done by steaming the camas bulbs with a covered pit and hot stones. At the three-minute mark of the video, Woods attempts to cook them in this traditional way. After three days of cooking, the camas bulbs present a golden color. Woods gives a side-by-side comparison of cooked versus raw camas and it looks similar to a cooked and raw onion. Once cooked, camas can be dried and stored for a long time. If you would like to watch the full video on how to cook camas bulbs, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2aLvr3yrqs or find the video linked in the Smoke Signals “Watchlist” playlist on our YouTube channel. Community Fund seeking Hatfield Fellow applicants Applications for the 2022-23 Hatfield Fellowship are being accepted through June 15 by Spirit Mountain Community Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. The Community Fund annually sponsors a Native American to serve as the Hatfield Fellow and intern in a congressional office. Placement of the Fellow rotates through the Oregon congressional delegation to enhance the mutual understanding between leadership in Washington, D.C., and Indian Country. The Hatfield Fellow begins his or her Capitol Hill experience in No- vember with a month-long orientation at the American Political Science Association. It is then followed by an eight-month term in an Oregon congressional office. The fellowship includes a monthly stipend, as well as relocation and travel expenses. Tribal members from the nine federally recognized Tribes of Oregon are eligible to apply, as well as members of Tribes in the Pacific Northwest. However, preference will be given to members of Oregon Tribes. Appli- cants must have a bachelor’s degree or be graduating in June, and be at least 21 years of age. The Hatfield Fellowship was created in 1998 to honor Sen. Mark Hatfield’s public service to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. For more information or to apply, go to thecommunityfund.com/grants-programs/ hatfield-fellowship/ or visit youtu.be/7T0nNoFgUYS to watch an infor- mational video. • Grand Ronde Community • Clothes Closet • Open to All • LOOKING FOR WORK? SIGN UP FOR THE TERO SKILLS BANK! Carpenters, General laborers, ConCrete Masons & laborers, asphalt laborers, and More! HOW? Contact the TERO Office at 503-879-2188 or email tero@grandronde.org WHO CAN SIGN UP? Grand Ronde Tribal members and members of other federally recognized Tribes. Must be 18 years or older. WHAT IS NEEDED? TERO Skills Bank application and Tribal ID Smoke Signals screenshot Shawn Woods holds a cooked camas bulb, left, and uncooked camas bulb, right, in his hand in a video on how to properly cook camas available to watch on YouTube. TRIBAL EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS OFFICE Ad by Samuel Briggs III
