1. Coast Salish Ethnobotanical species Of Kwina woods & Cedar grove
Renae Stanley (Lummi)
Northwest Indian College, Native Environmental Science. Brian Compton, Ph.D., Intern Supervisor.
Discussion & Conclusion
I focused on Lummi ethnobotanical species within the context of the Western Hemlock Zone was characterized and compared the Kwina Woods and Cedar Grove.
The Western Hemlock zone had the largest variety of plants in every category (native, ethnobotanical, and introduced).
The Kwina Woods had the next highest number of ethnobotanical species, but the lowest number of introduced species.
The Cedar Grove had the lowest number of native and ethnobotanical species, but a large amount of introduced species. This is due to the site being the smallest and most disturbed by human contact which suggests the value of enhancing the native and ethnobotanical plants of that site.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to survey the Native and non-native vascular plants of Kwina Woods and Cedar Grove within the Lummi Nation of Bellingham, WA, and determine their Lummi ethbobotanical uses.
The location of the study was on and near Northwest Indian College.
The goal of the project was to collect, identify, and catalogue those plants in order to tell the story of the land and contribute to Northwest Indian College’s herbarium.
I identified and catalogued 46 vascular plants in the Cedar Grove and 30 in the Kwina Woods, including the culturally significant vascular plants and their ethnobotanical uses.
This study summarizes the importance of Coast Salish ethnobotanical species within the Kwina Woods and Cedar Grove.
Figure 1: Red elder, collected from Cedar Grove and mounted.
Results
Within the Kwina Woods, Cedar Grove and Pacific Lowland Forests, research demonstrated botanical uses for many species around and within this area.
Documented vascular plants (Figure 1)
Summarized Ethnobotanical plants, uses, and locations (Table 1).
Native, non-native, and vascular plants were summarized by location. (Figure 4)
Figure 2: Cedar Grove
Total Numbers of Native, Introduced and Ethnobotanical Vascular Plants by Location
Figure 4: Kwina Woods, Cedar Grove and Western Hemlock zone
References
Gunther, E. (1945). Ethnobotany of western Washington The knowledge and use of indigenous plants by Native Americans (Vol.1). Seattle/London, Washington: University of Washington.
Kruckeberg, A. R. (1991). The natural history of Puget Sound County. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press.
Native American ethnobotany. (2003, May 14). Retrieved August 18, 2014 from
Pojar, J., & MacKinnon, A. (Eds.). (2004). Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska (Rev. ed.). Renton, WA: Lone Pine. (Original work published 1994)
Introduction
Ethnobotany is, quite literally, the study of the interrelationships between plants, like red elder (Figure 1), and human beings, a body of knowledge central to Native peoples’ traditional knowledges and world views. The term derives from Greek ethnos-, from the word meaning ‘nation,’ and botane, which means ‘grass’ or ‘pasture’ and which is the basis for the modern word ‘botany.’
What are the Coast Salish traditional ethnobotanical species within the Pacific lowland forests?
To what degree are they represented in the Cedar Grove (Figure 2) and the Kwina Woods (Figure 3)?
Figure 3: Kwina Woods
Table 1: Lummi Ethnobotanical Plants, Uses, and Locations.
Species
Ethnobotanical Uses
Cedar Grove
Kwina Woods
Acer circinatum Vine maple
Used to make the wattleworks of fish traps.
Present
Acer macrophyllum Bigleaf Maple
Wood used to make cradle boards. Leaves used to cover food cooking in pits.
Achillea millefolium Common Yarrow
Decoction of flowers taken to produce sweating. Decoction of flowers taken for body aches.
Alnus rubra Red Alder
Bark made into a red to brown dye and used to make fish nets invisible to fish.
Absent
Mahonia sp. Oregon Grape
Berries eaten.
Cirsium sp. Thistle
Decoction of roots and tips taken by women at childbirth.
Rubus spectabilis Salmonberry
Sprouts cooked in a pit and eaten with dried salmon. Berries eaten fresh.
Thuja plicata Western Redcedar
Tips chewed by men to avoid nausea while burying a corpse.
Holodiscus discolor Oceanspray
Poultice of leaves applied to sore feet. Wood used to make the prongs of duck spears. Wood used to make roasting tongs. Infusion of inner bark used as an eyewash.
Polystichum munitum Western Swordfern
Leaves chewed by women to facilitate childbirth.
Trillium ovatum Pacific Trillium
Juice from smashed plants used as drops for sore eyes.
Acknowledgements
This study would have not been possible without the financial support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP). I also want to thank the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA); James R. Freed (Washington State University Extension); Rebecca Saxton (Science Writing Mentor, Northwest Indian College); Nathanael Davis (Science Outreach Coordinator and Recruiter, Northwest Indian College); and Paul Cline (fellow Intern).
Methods
Literature review (Gunther, 1981; Kruckeberg, 1991; and Pojar & MacKinnon, 1994/2004)
Performed a botanical survey of Kwina Woods, Cedar Grove and Pacific Lowland species (Figure 4 and Table 1)
Collected and identified specimens from Cedar Grove and Kwina Woods, then pressed them for storage in the herbarium (Pojar and Mackinnon, 2004)
Identification of vascular plant species was done using standard field guide and taxonomic references (PLANTS database, 2014; Pojar & MacKinnon, 1994/2004; and UW Herbarium at the Burke, 2014).
Figure 1: (e.g., location of study site)