The salmonberry is a species of brambles in the rose family that is native to the west coast of North America from west-central Alaska to California. This bright red fruit is valued for food, medicine, and its role in Native American and First Nation stories.
About the Salmonberry
For centuries these berries have been used by native communities such as the Chehalis, Cowlitz, Lower Chinook, Makah, Quinault, Quileute, Inupiat, and Swinomish. Many Native stories are told about this berry. The Chinooks of the First Nation, for example, told a story about a coyote that was instructed to place these berries in the mouth of each salmon in order to ensure good fishing, which is how this berry got its name. Other stories compare the berries to the red eggs of a salmon. According to anthropologists, the salmonberry plant is a symbol of "respect" among many First Nation Communities of the Pacific Northwest. It is thought that harvesting these berries represents a fulfillment of an obligation for certain clans. In a Makah legend, it is said that if a child stays out past dark, the basket woman will come and take the child and roast him or her for dinner. One night a child named Salmonberry stayed out after dark to see if the basket lady existed. The basket lady appeared and took Salmonberry to her hut to be cooked for dinner!
The salmonberry or rubus spectabilis is a perennial shrub that grows up to 13 feet tall. It has three toothed leaves with larger leaves on either side. The plant resembles the raspberry plant. The flowers have five pink petals and bloom in early summer. The berries look like a large blackberry and ripen from May through July. They thrive under red Adler and can be found in moist forests, in coastal forests, and along streams.
Medicinal, Culinary and Practical Uses
Native American people eat the young shoots of this plant in the spring. Traditionally the berries are eaten with salmon or mixed with oolichan grease from a candlewood fish (that resembles a smelt) or salmon roe. The berries are also eaten as an accompaniment to smoked salmon.
The Kaigani Haida people make baskets with the salmonberry plant. Some communities use the leaves of the plant to wipe fish down. The Makah make tobacco pipes from salmonberry brambles.
The bark and leaves have an astringent property and are made into a tea that is taken for diarrhea or dysentery. The Quileute have a spiritual and ceremonial connection to the salmonberry coinciding with the time when the first shoots appear and, then again, when the berries appear. The Bella Coola make a decoction of the root to treat stomach troubles and the Kwakiutl apply powered bark to burns. The Makah make a poultice of bark to treat sores and toothaches, and the Quinault, use a decoction of bark to lessen labor pains.
Did You Know...
Traditionally women were responsible for the harvest of the salmonberry.
Swainson's Thrush is also called the salmonberry bird because it arrives every May when the berries begin to ripen.
Today it is widely grown as an ornamental plant because of its beautiful flowers.
Traditionally the berries were not dried because of their high moisture content.
Today, due to refrigeration and pectin, jams and jellies are made with the berries.
No comments:
Post a Comment