T he C olumbia P ress
May 18, 2018
Native plants, uses is topic of monthly talk
and region make use of
Judith Lampi of War-
native plants.
renton will speak on
The forum will take
“Ethnobotany
Near
participants on a tour
the Mouth of the Co-
of the Lewis and Clark
lumbia River” at 1 p.m.
Expedition
journals
Sunday, May 20, in the
and share how the in-
Netul River Room of
digenous people of the
Fort Clatsop’s visitor
Lampi
Lower Columbia Riv-
center.
er used the plants that
The free talk is part of
the “In Their Footsteps” se- Capt. Meriwether Lewis de-
ries sponsored by the Lewis scribed the winter of 1805-06.
Lampi attributes her pas-
and Clark National Park As-
sion for native plants and
sociation.
Humans have always de- how the Chinook and Clat-
pended on plants for food, sop people used them, to her
medicine and textiles. Eth- grandfather, a retired logger.
nobotany is the study of how He would walk with her as a
people of a particular culture child in the forest and along
the shores of the river and
tell her the plant names and
stories of the American Indi-
ans who lived there.
She has been collecting and
sharing information about
them for decades.
Lampi taught ethnobotany
as a science elective at the
Health Sciences Biotech-
nology Magnet School in
Portland and later became
a national park ranger at
Fort Clatsop. She has guided
countless ethnobotany walks
and lectured around the
country.
For more information, call
the park at 503-861-2471.
This Week in Aboriginal History
by Carl A. Ellis
President Clinton issues ‘sacred sites’ order
May 18, 1661: A treaty
signed two days earlier re-
quires Maryland to protect
the Susquehannock Indians
from raids by the Seneca. The
Maryland General Assembly
orders Capt. John Odber to
take 50 men to the “Susque-
sahannough Forte” and pro-
tect them.
May 19, 1796: Congress
passes a peace treaty with
tribes northwest of the Ohio
River “to put an end to a de-
structive war, to settle all
controversies and to restore
harmony and friendly inter-
course” between all parties.
May 20, 1702: Francis-
cans establish the Santa Fe
de Toloca mission at a large
Timucua village in northern
Florida. Apalachicola Indians
fight a battle with Spanish
and Mission Indians. Both
sides lose many fighters be-
fore the Apalachicolas gain
the upper hand.
May 21, 1832: A group of
50 Potawatomis attack a set-
tlement on Indian Creek near
modern Ottawa, Ill., as part
of Black Hawk’s War, some-
times called the Indian Creek
Massacre. Fifteen settlers are
killed.
May 22, 1851: A large
group of Yosemite Indians
are captured at Lake Tenai-
ja, one of the last conflicts in
California’s Mariposa Indian
Wars.
May 23, 1838: An esti-
mated 2,000 Cherokees have
emigrated to Indian Territory
in present-day Oklahoma by
today’s deadline, established
in the New Echota Treaty of
Dec. 29, 1835. Any Cherokees
east of the Mississippi River
after this date will be forced
to leave.
Gen. Winfield Scott is
charged with removing the
remaining Cherokees and
many are forced from their
homes at bayonet point.
May 24, 1996: President
Bill Clinton issues the “In-
dian Sacred Sites” executive
order, making it mandatory
for federal agencies to allow
access and ceremonial use of
the sites by American Indi-
ans.
Ellis is an author and his-
torian working on a book
about American Indians.
Learn more about American
Indian history at facebook.
com/snippetsintime.
Senior lunch menu
Monday, May 21: Roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy,
mixed vegetables, coleslaw, ice cream.
Thursday, May 24: Pulled pork, baked beans, corn, cucumber
salad, bread pudding.
The Warrenton senior lunch program is at noon (doors
open at 10:30 a.m.) Mondays and Thursdays at Warrenton
Community Center, 170 SW Third St. Suggested donation is
$5 for ages 55 and older; $7 for those younger. For more
information, call 503-861-3502.
7
Senior Moments
with Emma Edwards
A debate on oysters and faces
Competitiveness has good
cognitive value.
I think it’s good to be a com-
petitive person. Adrenaline
kicks in when I get a 99-point
score in Words with Friends.
It doesn’t happen very often.
But you know my first
thought? There is a standing I
can work toward for 100 and
over, so I like the score of 99.
But my competitive spirit wants
me to score more than 100.
I think we seniors (some-
times called the elderly) need
to keep competitiveness alive
if possible. As in gardening.
Yes, it’s time to take on
gardening. And don’t tell me
there isn’t a little competi-
tiveness related to our desire
to have our gardens admired!
No matter our age, we get
excited as those little shoots
pop up out of the earth.
I have a neighbor who excit-
edly called me over to see her
wild flowers showing their
little heads.
I remember
sharing that miracle with my
children and I’m still excited
about how that seed, bulb or
tuber can sprout when the
sun begins to warm them.
You and I know it’s a “God
thing” and maybe that’s why
I find it extra thrilling as I
look out the window and see
my fuchsias in full bloom
and a hanging planter with
lots of yellows and reds and
then those sprouts promis-
ing more beauty in the weeks
ahead.
I have a senior neighbor
who has been tenderly nurs-
ing her five tomato plants
(she planted them about 10
days ago) and can be seen
carefully watering them and
watching them grow.
Hey, spring is in full bloom
and soon summer will be here.
So much to learn and do
and so little time!
At our Warrenton meal site
table a few weeks ago, we got
to wondering if oysters, crabs
and clams have eyes. Would a
person who is vegan – some-
one who does not eat or use
animal products -- eat them?
You can’t believe what I
found out. Seems ostroveg-
ans eat oysters even though
there are eyes all over an
oyster’s body to help it see
and escape predators. Like
turtles, when oysters sense
danger, they hide inside their
shells, which snap tightly
shut.
So why the exception?
Seems oysters feel no pain
and that’s a criterion followed
by many vegans. So, for those
who chose to eat oysters, en-
joy them!
Oh, and crabs and clams
do have eyes. Go to your Na-
tional Geographic web site
and learn more about them.
It says they have no brain but
have a foot that serves them
well. Since oysters don’t have
central nervous systems,
they’re unlikely to experience
pain in a way resembling
ours — unlike a pig, a herring
or a lobster. They can’t move,
so they don’t respond to inju-
ry like those animals do. Did
you catch that an oyster is
considered an animal?
When you have time, run
over to Warrenton Commu-
nity Library and Nettie-Lee
Calog (our smiling librarian)
will be most happy to guide
you on this and probably 100
million or more other items
to stir your pure, peaceful
minds.
Competitiveness? Be kind.
Remember we’re all in a
battle of sorts called life.