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