JOANNE BRINGS THUNDER

When pah-siko camas blooms in the traditional mountain meadows and the open prairies of my Shoshone people, it creates a spectacular sky-blue display that reminds my people of its rich history and traditional uses. You simply cannot pass over the early spring flowers without noticing their beauty, nor dig the bulbs in silence, as harvesting them gently from the earth is an all-day job, hard on the back. Once plentiful, pah-siko bulbs supplied many tribes including my own with a staple food, medicine and valuable trade commodity. Camas grows from British Columbia to the north and California to the south, all the way east into western Montana and Wyoming. Cultivation and trading expanded its natural geographic range, while controlled burning of traditional harvest grounds helped sustain this annual crop for many tribes. Many of these habitats have now been degraded or lost; many camas populations have disappeared. The cultural uses, botanical traits, and geography of pah-siko create an intriguing story and justification for future conservation and restoration efforts. Although some tribal restoration efforts are reintroducing pah-siko as a foundation species, additional research and greater public awareness are needed to foster more widespread restoration toward living in harmony with all of Creation.