Foraging Behavior of a Contemporary Northern Great Basin Population
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Journal of California and Great Basin Antluopology Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 150-160 (1986). Foraging Behavior of a Contemporary Northern Great Basin Population MARILYN D. COUTURE, Linfield College, McMinnville, OR 97128. MARY F. RICKS, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97207. LUCILE HOUSLEY, Malheur Field Station, Princeton, OR 97721. X HE Bums Northern Paiute Indian Tribe harvesting takes place. Our study has been currently is headquartered on a small (770- underway for more than ten years. We acre) reservation near Burns in southeastern believe that knowledge of contemporary Oregon. Cultural changes resulting from gathering practices may provide information Euro-American contact and from life in a of value in interpreting present and past white-dominated society have drastically behavior of hunter-gatherer populations. As changed subsistence practices among these Aikens (1986:35) noted: people. A few older women of the tribe, . the life of the historic peoples is a however, still gather wild plants for food, guide to understanding the ancient cul medicinal use, and manufacture of household tures attested by archaeological evidence, items in the same habitats as did their an and historic and prehistoric may be inter cestors. They have maintained a body of woven to portray some of the more time less aspects of the desert way of life. traditional attitudes and practices involving plant use. Although wild foods do not form This paper discusses the ethnographic a major portion of the modern Northern evidence for recent and contemporary gath Paiute diet, these women continue to collect ering practices among the Burns Northern and use more than 30 wild plant species. Paiute. Ongoing research is providing data Our research with the Burns Paiute has regarding the economic and ecological phases two objectives. The first is to elicit infor of our project. mation from present Burns Paiute who are At present, roots, ^ leaves, and some involved in the collection of wild plants in fruits are collected for food in areas that more or less traditional ways. We are re have been exploited for at least a hundred cording information regarding the areas in years, and that probably have been used in a which plants are harvested; the numbers of similar manner for substantially longer. plants and the weight of material collected; Seeds traditionally harvested, including the time and energy expended; and the bo waada (Suaeda depressa), Indian rice grass tanical knowledge and beliefs of these (Oryzopsis hymenoides), and Great Basin wild women who acquire and consume the plants. rye (Elymus cinereus), are still available in The second objective of our research is the area, although the habitat has been to quantify the direct effect of human impacted greatly by grazing and by Euro- gathering activity on plant resources. This American settlement. Because yields were phase of the research involves study of plant small and the harvest of seeds was difficult, communities in harvested areas before and seed collecting was abandoned with the in after harvest, and comparison of these areas troduction of wheat flour by Euro-Americans. with control areas in which no present-day After a brief description of the seasonal [150] CONTEMPORARY FORAGING BEHAVIOR 151 able, and sharing areas where there was good fishing, hunting, and foraging. They lived mostly at peace with neighboring peo ples, coming together with other groups regularly each year. Although territorial boundaries were not definite, there was a tendency to frequent the same hunting and gathering areas from year to year. Plants played a major role in the subsis tence of these people. A wide range of local resources was utilized, including seeds, roots, berries, fish, and game. The general pattern was one of intensive exploitation, probably by small family-based groups similar to those reported for the Owens Valley Paiute (Stew ard 1933) and the Surprise Valley Paiute (Kelly 1932). Larger groups came together regularly at the root camp, salmon fishery, and waada sites. Some of the women we have interviewed regarding the seasonal Fig. 1. Harney Valley Paiute territory. round had been interviewed by Beatrice round of these people prior to Euro- Whiting between 1936 and 1938. Our inter American contact, we focus in this paper on views, conducted 40 to 50 years later, pro the dynamics of present-day spring root vide corroboration for WTiiting's (1950) collecting. report, as well as additional data not elicited by her. Table 1 provides scientific names, THE SEASONAL ROUND common names, and Paiute names for a num The present-day Burns Northern Paiute ber of plant species used by these Paiute at Tribal members are the descendants of a present or in the recent past. Northern Paiute population that formerly Figure 2 presents a calendar of the sea occupied an area centered on Harney Valley sonal round. Names of the Paiute months in southeastern Oregon. This population, were elicited by Stewart (1941:445). The referred to as wadddika'^a (Fowler and calendar reflects the movements of Harney Liljeblad 1986:464) or waddtikad^ (Kelly Valley Paiute through their territory in 1932:72) 'waada (Suaeda depressa) eaters' by search of plants and animals for food and other Northern Paiute groups, is also known for raw materials for manufacture of items as the Harney Valley Paiute (Whiting 1950; of material culture. Couture 1978). They exploited the large During the spring, according to present freshwater marsh system surrounding Harney Burns Paiute, groups including predecessors and Malheur lakes, and the Silvies, Malheur, of the present Warm Springs Indians, Ban and Donner und Bbtzen rivers. The Harney nock, Yakima, Northern Nevada Paiute, Sho Valley Paiute lived in small groups and shone, Umatilla, and Surprise Valley Paiute migrated throughout this area (Fig. 1), joined with the Harney Valley Paiute at a exploiting resources as they became avail place where spring roots were collected (Fig. 152 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND GREAT BASIN ANTHROPOLOGY Table 1 PLANTS UTILIZED BY RECENT AND CONTEMPORARY BURNS PAIUTE Genus and Species" Family Common Name Paiute Name^ Achillea millefolium^ Compositae yarrow wodaa kwasiba* Allium acuminatum Liliaceae tapertip onion kiiga' A. macrum Litiaceae rock onion naguutiva* A. madidum Liliaceae swamp onion sii* Apocynum cannabinum Apocynacae Indian hemp wihowi Artemisia tridentata Compositae sagebrush sawabi* Atriplex sp. Chenopodiaceae saltbush suuhuu* Balsamorhiza hookeri Compositae balsamroot kusia/d-* B. sagottata Compositae arrowleaf balsamroot — CalochOTtus macrocarpus Liliaceae sego lily koogi* Carrtassia quamash Liliaceae camas paazigo* Cercocarpus ledifolius Rosaceae mountain mahogany tuupi Chrysothamnus nauseosus Compositae rabbitbrush sigupi Camus stolonifera Comaceae red-osier dogwood siibi Crataegus douglasii Rosaceae hawthorn "blackberry" kwinaapisa* Delphinium nutallianum' Ranunculaceae larkspur __• Elymus cinereus Graminae Great Basin wild lye waiya Fritillaria pudica Liliaceae yellowbell winida* Juniperus occidentalis Cupressacae western juniper tuupi* Lewisia rediviva Portulacaceae bitterroot karjiHi* Lomatium canbyi Umbelliferae Canb/s lomatium tsana-tsuga othappi* L. cous Umbelliferae biscuitroot tsuea* L. gormanii Umbelliferae desert parsley tCidapoo* L. hendersonii Umbelliferae Henderson's lomatium haapi or hunibui* L. nudicauli Umbelliferae desert celery * Mentha arvensis Labiatae wild mint pakwana Mentzelia laevicaulis Loasaceae blazing star guuha Nicotiana attenuata Solanaceae coyote tobacco puihibamo Oryzopsis hymenoides Graminae Indian ricegrass — Penstemon speciosus Scrophulariaceae showy penstemon namogot* Perideridia bolanderi Umbelliferae Bounder's yampah yampah, yapa, payapa, suiyapa* P. gairdneri Umbelliferae Gairdner's yampah pamahayampa • Pinus ponderosa Pinaceae Ponderosa pine tiba Populus tremuloides Salicaceae quaking aspen sirjabi Prunus subcordata Rosaceae Indian plum tuyu* P. virpniana Rosaceae chokeberry tooisabui otpokopisa* Ribes aureum Grossulahaceae golden currant pokopisa* R. cereum Grossulahaceae squaw currant atsapui* Rosa woodsii Rosaceae wild rose siabi* Salix sp. Salicaceae willow siibi* Scirpus acutus Cyperaceae bulrush saibi S. validus Cyperaceae tule saiU Shepherdia canadensis Elaeagnaceae buckberry wiapui* Sisymbrium altissimum*„# Cruciferae tumbling mustard atsa Suaeda depressa Chenopodiaceae Pahute weed waada S. intermedia Chenopodiaceae seepweed waada Trifolium macrocephalum Leguminosae bigiieaded clover poziidap-* Typha latifolia Typhaceae cattail toibi^ Vaccinium membranaceum Ericaceae huckleberry tokabonoma* V. ovalifolium Ericaceae huckleberry tokabonoma* Wyethia amplexicaulis Compositae mule's ear aH Zigadenus venenosus' Liliaceae death camas koogi* Plant found at Root Camp. Introduced (non-native) species. * Poisonous. Plant identification follows Hitchcock and Cronquist (1973). Voucher specimens are on file in the heibarium at Malheur Field Station, Princeton, Oregoa Note on orthography: Transcription of native terms is broadly phonetic, and similar to tliat used tiy Fowler and Leland (1957): o as in English "father"; i as in "ticat"; o as in "Ixiat"; u as in "\>OO\L"; I as in "just" Pronunciation appears to be subject to much fiee variation, especially in the treatment of terminal and whispered syllables. For tliis reason, accent and final unstressed vowels are not shown. For a more complete discussion of these Paiute terms and their meanings, please consult Couture (1978:103-108). CONTEMPORARY FORAGING BEHAVIOR