Camassia

Taken in Uplands Park, Victoria BC. An important staple food for First Nations people of the Pacific Northwest, especially the coast; the bulbs... more

by Cheryl Hoyle

Title

Camassia

Artist

Cheryl Hoyle

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Taken in Uplands Park, Victoria BC. An important staple food for First Nations people of the Pacific Northwest, especially the coast; the bulbs were consumed whenever available. The bulbs were pressed into small bricks and steamed in pits, usually for 24 hours. The cooked bulbs were sweet and therefore often used as a sweetener. They could be eaten immediately or sun-dried and stored or used in trade. The bulbs were not consumed raw. The Thompson combined camas and black tree lichen into cakes; these cakes as well as plain dried camas bulbs were considered winter foods.
For the Vancouver Island Coastal Salish bulb harvest lasted several weeks. Temporary shelters were built and entire families would participate. Pointed sticks were used to dig up bulbs; the larger were taken while the smaller were left to continue growing. They were harvested after flower production to avoid confusion with meadow death-camas.
The Vancouver Island Coast Salish are known to practice “semi-cultivation” of camas.
Beds of camas could be owned and inherited. Each season controlled burning was often used to control weeds (especially death camas) and brush while stones were removed by hand. Large beds existed on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

Uploaded

May 6th, 2018