Pioneers found large lowland areas, regularly burned by Native Peoples, “plow ready” for horse-drawn implements and European agricultural practices and seeds. Almost unnoticed, these meadows hosted the blue flowers of the Camas from April to June,
followed by harvesting by Native women using designed digging sticks (that were also used to replant Camas’ bulbs). Bulbs harvested were baked in earthen pit ovens for 2 days to change the Camas inulin plant fiber to fructose. It served as a sweetener for other foods and when baked to be left dry, served as food for the winter and a trade item with other tribes. “The Indian Wars” article below illustrates why we showcase Cascadia’s 2 native species of edible (blue flowered) Camas at the History Farm. What’s not shown in the photo is that these warriors came armed with digging tools. The Haida and Tlingit from the north would invade camas fields to dig, guarded by other warriors. Homo sapiens brains need sugar to operate; up to 25% of one’s consumption is used by the brain. Camas’ bulbs were their prize. The term, “history farm,” is a redundancy as there would not be much human history without farms … farms, food, faith, friends, family = our future. It has always been that way.
http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=camassia
https://www.plc215.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/The-Indian-Wars.pdf
https://burkeherbarium.org/imagecollection/browse.php?Genus=Camassia
https://burkeherbarium.org/imagecollection/browse.php?Genus=Toxicoscordion
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.202213
https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/camas/#.Ynq10ujMIuV
The color of the flower of the 3 types of edible camas in the Northwest is:
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