![]() ![]() The Pacific Northwest at first contact with Euro-Americans was not exclusively a forested wilderness. ![]() Separated by 187 years of systemic, region-wide ecological change in the Pacific Northwest, these two sets of observations address several themes central to this volume. Every Methow I talked to after that confirmed the regular program of burning. We burned it over every fall to make it like a park. I thought it was because she was homesick, but, after a time, she sobbed, When my people lived here, we took good care of all this land. When we had gone through about half the valley, a woman started to cry. Went into the Methow Valley with a van load of elders, some of whom had not been there for fifty years. Nearly two centuries later, in 1979, well after the "lawns" observed by Vancouver's party had been converted to agriculture, the "pine forests" partially cut and managed for timber production, many indigenous species supplanted by Eurasian varieties, and the villages and seasonal camps of the Native Americans replaced by the cities and farms of Euro-American newcomers, anthropologist Jay Miller Whidbey was nostalgic: the lawns had "a beauty of prospect equal to the most admired Parks of England." 2 1Īmong the "pine forests" of Admiralty Inlet, Joseph Whidbey noted "clear spots or lawns.clothed with a rich carpet of Verdure." The "verdure" of these "lawns" included "grass of an excellent quality," tall ferns "in the sandy soils" and several other plants: "Gooseberrys, Currands, Raspberrys, & Strawberrys were to be found in many places. Nature had here provided the well-stocked park, and wanted only the assistance of art to constitute that desirable assemblage of surface, which is so much sought in other countries, and only to be acquired by an immoderate experience in manual labour. In these beautiful pastures.the deer were seen playing about in great numbers. The surrounding country, for several miles in most points of view, presented a delightful prospect consisting chiefly of spacious meadows elegantly adorned with clumps of trees among which the oak bore a very considerable proportion, in size from four to six feet in circumference. Expecting a forested wilderness inhabited by unsophisticated natives, they were surprised at what they found. In May and June of 1792, George Vancouver's British-sponsored exploring expedition entered the uncharted waters of Puget Sound. Proto-historical and Historical Spokan Prescribed Burning and Stewardship of Resource AreasĮcological Lessons from Northwest Native Americans Native Uses of Fire in Southwestern Oregon Traditional Use of Fire to Enhance Resource Production by Aboriginal Peoples in British ColumbiaĮcological Change in the Intermontane NorthwestĪboriginal Burning for Vegetation Management in Northwest British Columbiaīurning for a "Fine and Beautiful Open Country" Strategies of Indian Burning in the Willamette ValleyĪn Ecological History of Old Prairie Areas in Southwestern Washington The Klikitat Trail of South-central WashingtonĪ Reconstruction of Seasonally Used Resource Sites Norton, Reg Pullen, William Robbins, John Ross, Nancy Turner, and Richard White.Īboriginal Control of Huckleberry Yield in the Northwest ![]() Stephen Arno, Stephen Barrett, Theresa Ferguson, David French, Eugene Hunn, Leslie Johnson, Jeff LaLande, Estella Leopold, Henry Lewis, Helen H. Together, these writings also offer historical perspective on the contemporary debate over "prescribed burning" on public lands. Their essays provide glimpses into a unique understanding of the environment-a traditional ecological knowledge now for the most part lost. During more than 10,000 years of occupation, Native Americans in the Northwest learned the intricacies of their local environments and how to use fire to create desired effects, mostly in the quest for food.ĭrawing on historical journals, Native American informants, and botanical and forestry studies, the contributors to this book describe local patterns of fire use in eight ecoregions, representing all parts of the Native Northwest, from southwest Oregon to British Columbia and from Puget Sound to the Northern Rockies. This volume offers an interdisciplinary approach to one of the most important issues concerning Native Americans and their relationship to the land. Far from a pristine wilderness, much of the Northwest was actively managed and shaped by the hands of its Native American inhabitants. Instead of discovering a land blanketed by dense forests, early explorers of the Pacific Northwest encountered a varied landscape of open woods, spacious meadows, and extensive prairies. ![]()
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