Urban Foraging in Portland

Awesome, bex! You rock. :-) Was so eager to read this one, and it was totally great! Adam Elenbaas

Loved the article! Personally I've been learning how to forage wild mushrooms and plants for the last couple of years. There are quite a few grass roots movements in the Bay Area taking place that revolve around these concepts. Forage SF is an example. They have underground farmers markets of foraged foods, and provide a way for people to make a living on foraging for wild foods. There's also the institute for urban homesteading, etc. I'm also part of a group that gets together every month or so to have a wild edibles feast. The movement is definitely gaining momentum, at least in this part of the country!

I know wild onions gave Chicago its name. Beyond that, I can't wait to research the wild plant history of this area to discover what was eaten beforee 1800 and what can still be found here. Re: the SF foraging post above, I don't believe urban foraging for profit is a wise way to go at this point. It could easily lead to competition, hoarding and depletion of resources. Also, as Rebecca points out, the physical experience of foraging discovery is something very important for humans at this time. Thoughts?

I like Practical Primtive(http://www.practicalprimitive.com/). I've done some of his classes and they are really useful.

Would he were fatter! But I fear him not:
Yet if my name were liable to fear, 
 I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much;
He is a great observer

OK, indigenous people (whose traditions you are studying--the food traditions, the gathering traditions and the spiritual traditions) still live in your area! Why do you refer to them in past tense only, as if we are only existing in history & books? "We" were never separated from our mother, as you say is the case with "our society." I encourage you to open up your definition of society. I'm a big believer that Native traditions are the "last frontier" for non-Natives. Often, non-Natives feel they are entitled to appropriate spiritual beliefs of Native people. I see this as colonization and I find it especially ironic that those modern people who really put a lot of effort into de-colonization & back-to-nature skill building tend to ignore and romanticize Natives without giving us the time of day for our modern existence. We are still here. And our culture is still being stolen...

Hi, thanks for your response. I think mutually respectful dialogue is great. With that, I would like to say that I was very careful to not accuse YOU of anything directly, but instead just to share, like I said, what I see going in the world and tie that to the theme of your article. If you are personally offended, please re-read what I wrote and, as my teachers say, if you are offended, look inside for the reason. :) So I did want to make sure I respond from the heart, like you did: The ways of indigenous people are not just "history"--these ways are marginalized perhaps, but almost every tribe in this region has people who have never stopped hunting, gathering and maintaining the land ('farming'). So I don't think it's correct for you to relegate it to "history." As to your points, I did want to respond to those as well... 1. David Carson is not a shaman and he has said that. In fact, I would dare to say that he is known to most Natives as a plastic shaman, and that's the point I'm making about theft & sale of spirituality. Native traditions again seem to be the last frontier for non-Natives and I don't think that's right. Here's some links on that point. http://chulaspeaks.blogspot.com/2006/04/david-carson-and-selling-of-nati... http://natube.magnify.net/messages/view/FRNSBMJY7K8V9BMG http://sites.google.com/site/dehaluyi/home And a pretty funny one on that subject: http://www.newagefraud.org/index.html 2. I didn't say Natives are the only ones who get to experience earth & spirit. What I am saying is that Natives here have traditions--physical, spiritual, etc.--that they have stuggled to keep alive...a lot of people think that is called intellectual property rights, but I'm not going there. If one is going to connect to their indigneous/animist roots, that is AWESOME. But not everyone's roots are from HERE. It seems like a lot of people try to connect to earth using the teachings of another culture. Why do you think is it that so many people think they can use Native traditions as they see fit? Do these people give credit to the Natives whose cultures they are 'appropriating'? Do they have the "right"? What responsibilities come with that? Are those people doing anything for the Natives whose traditional lands they inhabit or whose traditions from whom they are borrowing? 3. I feel ya...so many are so disconnected, and sure, it's inspiring to share knowledge. I think using wild plants is cool, and that's why I read your article. But who gains and who loses when people want to pick and choose which food, tools, spiritual traditions, etc. they use? I mean, it's great that you felt awesome after eating wapato, and you say it was only your experience that you are writing about, but how did you learn about the traditional method for harvesting wapato? Whose tradition is that? In what ways do you "give back" to the people whose tradition that is? Or is it your tradition and am I missing that? Obviously, the tradition was preserved for a long time, since you & others have access to it. My point is--there are realities of people who have been working for millenia to preserve their cultural traditions, their plant knowledge, etc. and they are mostly invisible, ignored and unacknowledged in the rewilding/foraging/etc communities whose skills are largely based on the traditional knowledge of these people. I see that as cultural appropriation, and in that light, just an extension of the frontier/colonizer mentality. Again, I'm not pointing a finger at you to get offended. I'm saying this is what I see and what I believe. I'm commenting here because I think people like you who write about these types of things have a real opportunity--and in my opinion, a responsibility--to really make sure you are not unintentionally further 'marginalizing' Native people, especially when it comes to using knowledge they preserved. My suggestions would be to give credit to Natives, talk about the tribes in your bioregion, etc. Or not, whatever. I just feel there are so few people who hear this kind of 'critique' without getting offended. Oh yeah, for further reading for those who may be interested in both connecting with land and getting rid of the frontier/colonizer mentality, here's a great "unsettling" resource written by both Natives and non-Natives: http://unsettlingminnesota.org/sourcebook/ It's really rad and thoughtful.

Great conversation!

Becky,

I really think what you do is great! Inspiring more people to eat wild edibles is awesome. While I don't think you have intentionally appropriated culture, I can see how your vernacular and tone can make some people feel that way. For example, I would think that native cultures would have a very different perspective and way of describing the culture then vs now. In your first paragraph, you mis-label the culture here as a civilization and do not mention the genocide that happened to them at the hands of our culture. I don't think this is that big of a deal, but its a classic move of white colonizers to be like, "Back then it was like that, now it's like this" without mention of the genocide that occurred. I doubt a native person would write it that way. Do you see what I mean? When connecting to the landbase here, and connecting to these plants families, I think it's very important to do so with consideration to how the native peoples perceived these events. It's not about being "politically correct" either. It's about honestly honoring these people. We live on stolen land and the people still live here, and I think that should be acknowledged when talking about connecting to the land here... otherwise you'll end up having this conversation over and over again. :) Anywho, Keep up the good work!

Hold on wait a sec,

I totally agree that Native traditions are the last frontier. Most of my Native friends share those traditions with white people not so they can appropriate them but so they can learn from them. Unfortunately many white people do steal them rather than learn from them and create something new. It's very unfortunate, and it makes me thankful that in spite of that many Native mentors continue to share this information, helping me connect with my own ancestral connection to the land. If they didn't... I don't know what the I would do! :D

Hey Becky, It's not about taking personal responsibility for the genocide. It's about acknowledging that we live on stolen land. The colonizers are now us, still colonizing here and now. The genocide is still going on, the occupation is still going on, and we are part of the culture of occupation. If you live here and are part of civilization, you are part of the culture of occupation. Civilization uses military force that your tax dollars go to to keep this land occupied. While we are slaves to the culture itself also, as such we have the privilege of protection under the occupancy that native peoples do not. I was born into the culture of occupancy, therefore I am not at fault for starting the culture of occupancy. However, in order to honor and move forward and make alliances with the Native cultures here I need to recognize that this is stolen land and do what I can to help the traditionalists maintain their culture here and do what I can to dismantle civilization (the culture of occupation) and rewild this place. It was not our fault that this culture was created, but it is our charge as members of it to dismantle it if we wish to engage the community of life. It is not our fault the GAP was created, but it is our fault (if we buy shoes there today) for child slave-labor. By living in this culture, by participating in the economy, you are supporting the continued occupation of this land. This is true for all members of civilization, but particularly privileged, white Americans like us.

I enjoyed reading all the input here. I'm also glad that I was reminded to acknowledge and research the indigenous cultures of my bio-region. In fact, if it was up to me that would be a mandatory part of youth education. Not just the general history of Native cultures, but that which is specific to your region (maybe this already happens?). Moving forward though might require a new perspective. When we talk about "stolen land", I tend to get wrapped up in some kind of moral dualism. "These people were right and these people were wrong. We should reverse what was done and re-kindle what we can of the Native traditions". I wish that were the answer, but then I start thinking "who's land was it before it was inhabited by indigenous peoples? Did it ever really belong to one set of people?". I'm Just thinking out loud here, but I guess the point I'm trying to make is that in order to overcome this, it might require a different way of thinking. If we are all an expression of nature, is it not "our land" and "our history"? My intent is not to simply write off the pain and suffering which has taken place, but it seems to me we are going to need to cultivate new thought patterns to truly progress. Maybe I'm just naive. Anyway, thanks for the all the thoughts. I'll avoid the urge to shout "we're all one man!!".

Hold up wait a minute,

Word. This is something I've been grappling with for a long time. I've had long conversations with my native friends about all this stuff and have felt a lot of fear around the idea of "stolen land" particularly because of my white privilege. My friend Eugene wrote on his blog:

"Many white folk, those that practice defining what is and isn't Indian in ANY FORM, do so because they need to feel comfort within their own privilege because they are scared and or feel guilt. They are scared of being treated the same (in whole or in part) as the others and or losing any of their privileges (especially the latter). Instead of talking with Indians and working with Indians, it is easier to redefine what is and isn't Indian to suit their own desires."

 

Schobiz,

Unfortunately, the culture of occupation only allows two kinds of "solutions" and they are assimilation into the culture of occupation or genocide. Neither one honors nor respects native cultures or native bioregions. It's not about what is "right" or "wrong". It's about what creates more life on this planet? This culture destroys biodiversity and cultural diversity. There are very few hunter-gatherer cultures now, and those Native cultures that still exist are able to do so only because they no longer practice most of their subsistence strategies (how could they? Civilization killed all of the wild food!). The thing most white people have no concept of is the connection between people and land. The Native cultures here didn't live on this land. They are the land. They have a deep ancestral connection to the land. All of the landmarks here are places in their cultural mythology and spiritual traditions. They don't own the land, they are the land. As a white American male, I am so privileged that I cannot see or understand this kind of thing without doing lots of personal reflection, in communication with the Natives who do live here. There were people living here, as part of the land, and civilization stole them away from the land. Today those people still live here, fractured and beaten but still they live here. If humans are alive in 100 years it will be because they dismantled the destructive force of civilization, the culture of empire and occupation and created alliances with traditional native cultures.

You said, "I guess the point I'm trying to make is that in order to overcome this, it might require a different way of thinking."

That's exactly the point. The mentality of colonization is so deep that most people, especially privileged white Americans cannot see it. When confronted with it, they retreat in fear by saying things like, "we are all one" or "we're all from Africa, no one owns this land!". We are not all one and in this culture of occupation and slavery we are certainly not equal. That's basically like saying, "Hey Native Americans, we're all one. Get over it." or "Hey African Americans, we're all one. Get over slavery." These ideas come from the upper class of privileged people who lost their indigenous roots long, long ago. It doesn't mean we cant get them back, but it means we have a lot of work to do if we want that.

One of the things that scared me the most when I first started de-colonizing my mind was the fear that if we acknowledge that we live on "stolen land" then that means we have to "give it back" to the Native cultures here. If I have to give it back, then where do I go? Back to where? Ireland? Germany? Russia? I'm a "Heinz 57". Where do I go back too? This is the mindset of a fearful privileged white person, much like the quote from my friend above. Moving through it requires a mind change. I can't "give the land back" because I am a powerless member of this occupation. I am also a victim of it. Acknowledging that we live on stolen land, acknowledging that the people here are part of the land is the first step to stopping the occupation. They are our bridge to the decolonization of ourselves. This is why we need to respect their presence, history and culture. Creating a non-hierarchical sustainable culture starts with building alliances with cultures that still remember how to live that way. Obviously not all Native Americans are still traditional; many are fully assimilated. The point is to find and ally with the traditionals in reclaiming language, land and culture.

One of my Native mentors has a great saying, "We are not all one. We don't want to be one. That would be boring. What we want, is to be together."

Land isn't an inanimate object that can be handed from one person to another. It's alive, and it interacts with the people and animals who live within it. And so nobody ever really owned the proverbial teddy bear. There were many fights over the proverbial teddy bear, of course, even before the most recent successful bully came along. Some of the fights were probably between dinosaurs. Some of the fights were between tribes of humans who came there from Siberia. Some of the fights were between human tribes who were born and raised on it. Some of the fights were between human tribes who were not born and raised on it. Each of these battles is a meaningful yet simultaneously arbitrary point along the span of the millions of years that land has existed.

The more important discussion is not what battle to value most, but what can we learn, and what should our future look like? And especially, how can we remind each other that the land is alive?

~ Rebecca Lerner

Okay let's try another one.

A woman has a baby. She's breast feeding it. It's in her arms, happy. A man comes up and beats up the woman, steals the crying baby out of her arms. The man enslaves the child and beats it everyday. The mans family directly benefits from this enslavement. The original woman says, "that's my child". They say, "It's important to acknowledge that we're living in an ever-shifting reality."

Native peoples are the land here. It's not about "ownership" it's about family. They are on a familial bases with the land. They are its relatives. 10,000 years of there bodies are in the ground here feeding the life that still lives today. They are the salmon, the cedar, the camas. The white imperialistic culture of occupation stole this familial connection and continues to benefit from its enslavement. In order to move forward, we need to acknowledge that native people here have a familial and ancestral connection to the land. Yeah, all humans are "relatives" to the land in the most generic sense possible. But we have no ancestral connection to this land and have totally fucked it up in 200 years. Do you think the land will actually want to have you as a family member? I'm working on getting that started for myself and that means I need to court the indigenous peoples here as part of that land. Courting them requires acknowledging their familial and ancestral relationship to this land, and helping them reclaim and restore that. In order to do that, you have to recognize that you are part of, and benefiting from, the culture of occupation.