Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered that Indigenous groups in the Pacific Northwest were selectively harvesting edible camas bulbs at their optimal growth stages as far back as 3,500 years ago. These findings, published in, provide valuable insights into Traditional Ecological Knowledge and practices by demonstrating how these groups have been managing and nurturing natural resources for thousands of years.
Carney explains that camas bulbs require two to three days of baking to become edible and that, once softened, they have a taste similar to sweet potatoes. Historically, this baking occurred in underground ovens lined with heated rocks. During Carney’s research, she examined an archaeological record that included the remnants of one of these large pit ovens.
“They were trying to maintain the age structure of these camas populations within a pretty narrow window,” she said. “When I had the opportunity to harvest alongside tribal communities, as they harvest, they replant the smaller bulbs as they go. They’re really sowing for future harvest, and that’s what I think was happening here.”