Posted on Aug 1, 2023
Oregon tribes hope Congress will restore traditional rights to hunt and gather food
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Agreements signed in the 1980s limited two Oregon tribes' right to fish, hunt and gather food on their ancestral lands. Federal legislation may soon reinstate those rights on traditional lands.
Oregon tribes hope Congress will restore traditional rights to hunt and gather food
Posted from wbur.org
Native Americans
Hunting
Food/Chow
Congress
Posted 9 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."In a tall, grassy field in West Eugene recently, a small group of Native Americans dug for a traditional food: camas bulbs.
In the setting sunlight as traffic passed by in the distance, there were moments of discovery…and also of regret.
A participant of the camas dig showed off several bulbs he unearthed in a field. The bulbs ranged from pea-sized to nearly the diameter of a golf ball. Many regional Native American tribes used camas for food.
“There they are,” said Joe Scott, examining a shovel load of dirt. Small bulbs protruded from a mass of reeds and roots.
“I think I cut mine in half, unfortunately,” said one woman, gingerly holding a split bulb.
“A casualty,” Scott responded.
Scott is a Siletz tribal member, who directs the Traditional Ecological Inquiry Program for the Long Tom Watershed Council. He told KLCC that he enjoys educating people about Indigenous practices, including the gathering and preparation of camas, which is often baked in an earthen oven and pounded into cakes. And he said this particular patch is beautiful, and filled him with good feelings.
“At the same time, we’re by a highway, it’s next to a development, the surroundings are a little industrial," he observed. "Frankly, it’s property that was slated for development and hasn’t happened yet.”
Which means this field could soon be dug up and made into apartments.
One might ask why Scott just can’t go dig up camas bulbs on Siletz ancestral lands up north.
Turns out, he can’t. That's thanks to an agreement his tribe signed with the state of Oregon more than 40 years ago."...
..."In a tall, grassy field in West Eugene recently, a small group of Native Americans dug for a traditional food: camas bulbs.
In the setting sunlight as traffic passed by in the distance, there were moments of discovery…and also of regret.
A participant of the camas dig showed off several bulbs he unearthed in a field. The bulbs ranged from pea-sized to nearly the diameter of a golf ball. Many regional Native American tribes used camas for food.
“There they are,” said Joe Scott, examining a shovel load of dirt. Small bulbs protruded from a mass of reeds and roots.
“I think I cut mine in half, unfortunately,” said one woman, gingerly holding a split bulb.
“A casualty,” Scott responded.
Scott is a Siletz tribal member, who directs the Traditional Ecological Inquiry Program for the Long Tom Watershed Council. He told KLCC that he enjoys educating people about Indigenous practices, including the gathering and preparation of camas, which is often baked in an earthen oven and pounded into cakes. And he said this particular patch is beautiful, and filled him with good feelings.
“At the same time, we’re by a highway, it’s next to a development, the surroundings are a little industrial," he observed. "Frankly, it’s property that was slated for development and hasn’t happened yet.”
Which means this field could soon be dug up and made into apartments.
One might ask why Scott just can’t go dig up camas bulbs on Siletz ancestral lands up north.
Turns out, he can’t. That's thanks to an agreement his tribe signed with the state of Oregon more than 40 years ago."...
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