Native Americans have been conducting and contributing to science for millenia. We have observed nature and passed Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) on from generation to generation. TEK is evidence-based knowledge and has been called the “identical twin to science”. Prior to colonization, this knowledge enabled our people lifestyles with ample nutritional resources. Our long-standing relationship to nature continues today in tribal, rural, and urban communities, yet access to traditional food and medicines (cultural resources) proves challenging due to modern land management practices. The Native American community and public land managers in Portland, Oregon are addressing this challenge through the restoration of cultural resources across the landscape. One focus in these efforts is the camas plant (Camssia quamash), which grows in wetland and prairie ecosystems. The harvested bulbs are traditionally pit roasted, converting the indigestible inulin into carbohydrates of high nutritional value. Unfortunately, pesticide and herbicide application to the local natural areas in Portland created uncertainty among the Native American community in the safety of ingesting the camas bulbs. The Native American community gathered camas bulbs in November 2015 for analysis, which resulted in glyphosate and triclopyr. There are various factors which may influence the uptake of pesticide and herbicide residuals in camas which need further investigation, including pesticide/herbicide application details (date, location), preferential uptake of pesticide/herbicides in camas among the plant community, the impact of pit roasting bulbs on residuals, and traditional land management practices like prescribed burning. Utilizing chemistry analysis to secure safe and accessible areas for traditional gathering of cultural resources will be discussed.

Safe access to traditional foods and medicines: Camas and the Portland Native American Community

254th National Meeting (2017)

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