Knowledge Tree
spánanexw
Also known as: blue camas, camas, Blue camas
Facts (17)
Sources
“The Old Foods Are the New Foods!”: Erosion and Revitalization of ... frontiersin.org 17 facts
claimSpánanexw bulbs served as an important source of carbohydrates for Indigenous peoples, filling a dietary niche in a diet otherwise rich in protein, fiber, fat, and oils.
procedureAncestral management of spánanexw meadows included clearing and periodic burning to prevent conifer forest encroachment, which would otherwise shade out the camas and other prairie species.
procedureIndigenous peoples traditionally processed root foods like camas, tigerlily, yellow glacier lily, chocolate lily, and northern riceroot by cooking them, then drying and pounding them into cakes or storing them loosely in bentwood boxes.
procedureIndigenous management practices for spánanexw (camas) historically included selective harvesting of bulbs, reseeding and replanting smaller bulbs, and controlled burning of the grounds during cooler and wetter seasons to increase soil fertility and facilitate plant growth.
claimThe scientific names for edible blue Camas are Camassia leichtlinii and Camassia quamash.
claimSpánanexw is recognized as a culturally and nutritionally important food for Coast Salish and other Indigenous Peoples, with knowledge about it shared across generations, nations, and geographic spaces.
claimCurrent-day restoration efforts focusing on spánanexw (camas) contribute to Indigenous health and cultural political resurgence by reinstating traditional plant management and harvesting practices on the land.
claimSpánanexw (blue camas) is classified in the Asparagaceae family, and the two common species with edible bulbs in western North America are Camassia quamash (common blue camas) and Camassia leichtlinii (great blue camas).
claimThe S?wxwú7mesh name for camas, spánanexw, is linguistically related to names in other Salishan languages, such as Shíshálh/Sechelt, Noxws'á?aq/Nooksack, and Hul'q'umi'num/Halkomelem, and is etymologically related to the word for 'bury or buried'.
procedurePit-cooking is a traditional and ongoing method for preparing large quantities of root vegetables, including camas, nodding onions, balsamroots, yellow glacier lily bulbs, silverweed roots, and springbank clover rhizomes.
claimBlue camas bulbs change shape during their growth, morphing from an ovoid or teardrop shape into a thin pencil-shape as they grow downwards into the soil, reaching depths of 10 cm or more at their edible stage.
procedureThe harvesting of spánanexw bulbs is typically conducted in early summer after the seed capsules have ripened, allowing seeds to be distributed in the soil during the digging process.
referenceNancy J. Turner and H. V. Kuhnlein published 'Camas (Camassia spp.) and Riceroot (Fritillaria spp.): two Liliaceous ‘Root' Foods of the Northwest Coast Indians' in Ecology of Food and Nutrition in 1983.
claimBurning spánanexw meadows maintains open space by removing tree seedlings, brush, and dense grasses, while also promoting productivity by providing nutrients to the camas.
claimIndigenous management of spánanexw involved a reciprocal relationship based on understanding the plant's thresholds for shade, fire, harvesting, and competition with other species.
procedureIndigenous practices for managing spánanexw included weeding, tilling, selectively harvesting, separating, and transplanting the bulbs.
referenceK. Y. Proctor authored the 2013 master's thesis 'Renewing Central Coast Salish Camas (Camassia leichtlinii, C. quamash) traditions through access to protected areas: an ethnoecological inquiry' at the University of Victoria, which explores the revitalization of camas harvesting traditions.