Prairie foundation slates Camas report

Palouse Prairie Foundation will sponsor “Camas: The plant that fed Nations,” by Karen Trebitz Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Edith Hecht room at Neill Public Library in Pullman. Now a WSU graduate student, she will report on her study of the historical use and cultural value of camas to Inland Northwest Indians, its destruction by settlers and restoration efforts.

The presentation contrasts the Euro-American settlers’ views of camas as a relatively uncultivated staple food for Natives with the rich cultural base the lily bulb provided to area Indians.

Historical local camas-digging areas of particular interest in the Inland Northwest are Idaho’s Weippe prairie, Musselshell Meadows, Camas Prairie and Moscow’s Camas Meadows. They spurred seasonal migration and trading among Native peoples. Some plots and restoration sites remain.