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Fall an important time for traditional First Nations foods, educator says

The Neskonlith First Nation of the Shuswap didn't celebrate a "Thanksgiving"-type harvest festival traditionally, but the fall was still an important time for food security. Here are some of the foods they would have harvested at this time of year.

Bonnie Thomas shows Daybreak South some traditional foods Neskonlith people harvested in fall

Liam Britten · CBC News ·
Bonnie Thomas, who is working to educate people about traditional Neskonlith foods, says Indian celery (also sometimes called cow parsnip or hogweed) was traditionally harvested in the fall, among other foods. (Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble/Flickr)

The Neskonlith First Nation did not traditionally celebrate a "Thanksgiving"-type harvest event, but this time of year would have been very important for their food security.

That's what Bonnie Thomas, who is working to promote and educate people about traditional Neskonlith foods, told Daybreak South's Leah Shaw.

"Every time any one of our people did anything that took from Mother Earth, it was only as much as they needed and there were always prayers," Thomas said.

"It was always being thankful every time you did something like that."

Thomas explained some of the food and medicine items Neskonlith people would have traditionally harvested in the Shuswap area at this time of year.

Wapato

Thomas says wapato would have been harvested in the fall. Wapato is a plant found in waterways and can be harvested for its starchy tuber. Simon Fraser University research says wapato was important for providing several B.C. First Nations with an abundant source of starches. (Nathan Sandel/Wikipedia)

Hazelnuts

UBC research says hazelnut trees are naturally found in much of B.C., especially in the southeast of the province. The wood was used for tools by B.C. First Nations. (Fir0002/Wikimedia Commons)

Juniper bark

Underneath the bark of the Rocky Mountain juniper is a thin film, Thomas said. “It’s really sweet, so that was our candy,” she said. The juniper bark was also used for making tools. (Matt Lavin/Flickr)

Snowberries

Thomas says snowberries were harvested and made into a medicinal tea. She says hawthorn berries and highbush cranberries were also gathered in the fall for consumption during the winter. (Thomas Quine/Flickr)

Salmon

Thomas says traditionally, most of the Neskonlith First Nation’s nutrition probably came from salmon. The salmon meat would have been air-dried in the winter. “My mother said, the salmon river, you used to be able to walk across the river on the backs of the salmon. That’s how thick it was,” she said. (Johathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

With files from Leah Shaw and CBC Radio One's Daybreak South

To hear the full story, click the audio labelled: Fall an important time for traditional First Nations foods, educator says

Corrections

  • A previous version of this story said that snowberries were harvested for food by the Neskonlith First Nation. They were actually harvested to make medicine and not consumed for food because they are slightly toxic.
    Oct 11, 2016 1:37 PM PT
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