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New publication on Garry oaks
Jan 30, 2024
By Kwiaht
A new review of historical, ethnographic, and archaeological data finds that oaks and acorns were traditionally valued by Indigenous people south of Puget Sound, but not in the central or north Sound or San Juan Islands.
Garry oaks are popular with gardeners and with conservationists in the San Juan Islands. This has been justified as "restoring" pre-European landscapes, and rebuilding traditional foodways. Evidence for extensive oak woodlands and Native American acorn cuisine in the islands is absent, however; although acorns did contribute to the traditional diets of Coast Salish and Sahaptin speaking villagers south of the Nisqually River. Kwiaht's ecologist Russel Barsh and botanist Madrona Murphy have published a review of the data in Washington state's free online history journal, HistoryLink.org
Garry oak acorns harvested on San Juan Island, October 2023.