During their 1804 - 1806 expedition from the U.S. Midwest to the Pacific Ocean, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, with their 45-man Corps of Discovery, described hundreds of native plants, many previously unknown to science. Among them were several plants that were vital Native American food sources. One of the most important of these edible plants in the area from western Idaho to the Pacific was the Camas (Camassia quamash), a member of the lily family.
Lewis and Clark first tasted Camas bulbs after a difficult and hungry passage over the Bitterroot Mountains. Upon their descent in September of 1805, they were met by members of the Nez Perce tribe who gave them a meal that included Camas root.
Slow Cooking in Earth Ovens
In describing the natives’ method of cooking, Clark wrote that they dug a deep pit, lined it with split wood, stones, and more wood on top. A fire was lit in the pit and allowed to burn until the stones were hot. The fire was then extinguished and the camas roots were placed between layers of grass atop the stones to cook.
Up to 30 bushels of camas bulbs at a time were baked for two days in these huge earth ovens.
Once baked, the roots were further processed into bread-like cakes that were sun-dried to preserve them for winter.
In his journal, Lewis described the camas cakes as having a “sweet agreeable flavor.” Some of the Corps, however, apparently became sick from eating too much of this unfamiliar food.
The explorers purchased a supply of camas bread from the Nez Perce and continued to barter for the food from tribes during the remainder of their time in the Pacific Northwest. It was a universal staple of native tribes who either gathered their own supplies or traded with other tribes if it couldn’t be found in their home territory.
"Lakes of Fine Clear Water"
Viewing a field of the beautiful blue camas in bloom on their return journey the following spring, Lewis wrote that it “resembles lakes of fine clear water.”
It grows best in damp meadows and open prairies, and was plentiful on both sides of the Cascade Range from British Columbia to California. The Native people used specially designed digging sticks to harvest the bulbs. During harvest season, digging and processing the bulbs could be a major enterprise with many tribal members participating.
Care had to be taken to avoid digging the bulb of a similar plant, the white “Death Camas” (Zigadenus venenosus), that often grows with the blue camas, but is poisonous.
Some tribes carefully maintained the harvesting fields, turning the soil and replanting bulbs. In some areas, fields were periodically burned to discourage other plants from crowding out the camas bulbs.
Camas is not cultivated today, though some tribes may still use it for ceremonies.
In the modern Pacific Northwest, many camas fields have been crowded out, not by trees, but by agriculture and development. The flowers can still be seen in some open spaces and are plentiful in preserves of the Columbia River Gorge.
Near Portland, Oregon, the Nature Conservancy preserve Camassia, named for the camas, still resembles Lewis’ “lakes of fine clear water” when camas blooms in April and early May.
References:
Lewis and Clark as Naturalists, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Discovering Lewis and Clark, The Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation.
Ethnobotany of Western Washington: The Knowledge and Use of Indigenous Plants by Native Americans, by Erna Gunther, University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1945.
Lewis Clark’s Field Guides, by Lewis J. Clark (Edited by John Trelawny), University of Washington Press, Seattle and Gray’s Publishing Limited, Sidney, British Columbia, 1974 – 1984.
Wildflowers of the Columbia Gorge, by Russ Jolley, Oregon Historical Society Press, 1988.
Linda McDonnell - I have been a journalist for 20 years, currently freelancing. As an outdoor and nature lover, I particularly enjoy writing about outdoor ...
