Portland State University PDXScholar Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations Anthropology Fall 2009 “A Caretaker Responsibility”: Revisiting Klamath and Modoc Traditions of Plant Community Management Douglas Deur Portland State University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/anth_fac Part of the Anthropology Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Citation Details Deur, D. (2009). “A Caretaker Responsibility”: Revisiting Klamath and Modoc Traditions of Plant Community Management. Journal of Ethnobiology, 29(2), 296-322. This Article is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible:
[email protected]. Journal of Ethnobiology 29(2): 296–322 Fall/Winter 2009 ‘‘A CARETAKER RESPONSIBILITY’’: REVISITING KLAMATH AND MODOC TRADITIONS OF PLANT COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT Douglas Deur Conventionally, the Klamath and Modoc Indians of south-central Oregon and northeastern California are depicted as hunter-gatherers, who took no active role in the management of plant communities. In the course of a multi-year ethnographic effort, however, tribal elders have identified a complex of interrelated plant management practices that are consistent with contemporary definitions of plant cultivation. These include the management of black huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum) yields in subalpine environments, the management of marsh-edge environments for yellow pond lily (Nuphar polysepalum), the tending of ‘‘epos’’ or yampah (Perideridia spp.) digging sites, and the selective harvest of tree cambium, sap, and wood – especially from pines (Pinus spp.) and junipers (Juniperus spp).