Encountering the Kalapuyans 1841: George Emmons
Journal of Lieutenant George Foster Emmons[1] (Officer of the Peacock) August 7, 1841-The country becoming smoky from the annual fires of the Indians- who burn
Journal of Lieutenant George Foster Emmons[1] (Officer of the Peacock) August 7, 1841-The country becoming smoky from the annual fires of the Indians- who burn
This day, Friday I planned to have a number of individuals join me to visit two sites in around Salem. Lake Labish in the morning
This basket was given to the Mission Mill Museum in the 1970s, probably 1974, by the McGilchrist family, they gifted a collection which was then
The camas season seems done, very early this year, the flowers now turned to seeds already. I have seeds from the pods in my yard
Wapato (Sagittaria latifolia) (mamptu-Kalapuyan) is on the rise in the Salem area. Three sites are known to host the plant, Lake Labish, Minto-Brown Island Park
Wapato (mamptu- Kalapuyan) is a primary root crop of the Kalapuyans and Chinookans. It was probably the second most used food plant in the valley.
Some just asked me if I can see the camas tips now, to which I replied: Meaning, Yes! Camas is doing well at Minto-Brown, the
This season looks to be a good camas season, plenty of moisture this winter should equate to fatter bulbs. We will see. But I was
Plants and Their Stories Finally, it’s time. As a team we have arrived in Cambodia—a geographer and an anthropologist embarking on a journey that we have joyfully planned…
The Tualatin Plains The Tualatin Plains was a vast oak savanna. From General Land Office survey field notes there was noted a large number of oaks and oak…
This year I tried to get out there into the field when the camas is beginning to erupt from the ground. I am not sure I have seen…
In recent work I have begun to document the various wetlands of the Willamette Valley from before settler changes took effect. Our best, and most
Social media is changing again and it seems like a good time to give Shreds and Patches more love and attention. My collaborator and special issue co-editor Michael…
The European Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) was brought to Oregon in the 19th century. It is a hugely invasive plant that has a habit of taking over large areas…
We all are aware of the annual seasons, winter, spring, summer, and fall, but in the growing cycle of the plants of the Willamette Valley there are micro-seasons…
It seems important to tribes that if they are truly to become restored, and decolonized, they need to be culturally restored by helping to decolonize their lands and…
Visited again Minto-Brown park to see all of the camas fields. That field near the city has at this time a very thin population of camas, it seems…
I returned today to Bush Park to take in the middle prairie and see how things are going. The weather has scattered spring rains all day. This year…
I recently heard about another park I had not been to in Salem, Joryville Park. I went assuming it would be mostly grassland but was surprised that this…
I revisited Bush Park today to tour the other areas of camas. I began at the “Picnic” area, south side of the park at its upper level and…
Today, I visited three camas areas in Salem. They present different characters and interesting contexts this spring. As I left the fields I noticed splotches of yellow on…
–Synergetic Press has just released The Mind of Plants: Narratives of Vegetal Intelligence, edited by John C. Ryan, Patricia Vieira and Monica Gagliano, and with a foreword by D…
This poem, written fifteen years ago as my youngest son began (thankfully successful) chemotherapy for a rare immune system disease, was recently published for the first time by S…
The tragic death from coronavirus of indigenous actor Antonio Bolivar, star of the Oscar-nominated film Embrace of the Serpent, has made me reflect back on all the facts…