Coast Salish Ethnobotany: A Traditional Use Study of National Parks in Western Washington State
Project ID: P19AC01204
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Partner Institution: Portland State University
Fiscal Year: 2019
Initial Funding: $139,750
Total Funding: $202,709
Project Type: Research
Project Disciplines: Cultural
National Park: North Cascades National Park
Principal Investigator: Deur, Doug
Agreement Technical Representative: Dolan, Joe
Abstract: This project will advance the public understanding of the traditional and contemporary tribal uses of natural resources and sites within national parks of western Washington State – especially NOCA, SAJH, and EBLA. Places of cultural and historical significance to tribes may be identified through this research that will receive special management in the future – for the benefit of not only tribal members, but all park visitors. The project information will be used to improve interpretation of resource use, giving park visitors a better understanding of the use of the landscape both during the time of Native American occupation and today. Planned phases will include products that will be publicly available including a report on the ethnobotany of park-associated tribes, at least one publication on this topic, and public presentations of project findings by PSU at NPS venues.
B. Objectives
This project will be conducted in multiple phases (see Attachment B for a description of anticipated phases). This agreement initially funds Phase 1 work. Subject to the availability of funding and satisfactory progress of work during these initial project phases, additional phases are anticipated as future modifications to this agreement.
Phase 1 objectives are to:
1. Understand the current extent of available information on traditional plant, marine, and mammal resource uses by Coast Salish and other traditionally associated tribes and groups within NOCA and SAJH, including published and archival sources.
2. Initiate tribal outreach and consultation related to the study, as well as initiating protocols and standards for interviews with participating tribes.
3. Identify plant species and plant habitat management techniques that are most appropriate for cultural and natural resource stewardship and restoration of park lands in light of documented Native American practices.
4. Identify tribes that express interest in possible plant gathering agreements with NOCA and/or SAJH and other NPS units as appropriate.
5. Produce an ethnographic resource database in support of the NPS Ethnographic Resource Inventory. This database will be based on a detailed review of available materials regarding the ethnobotany, marine and animal habitats, and traditional uses of ethnographic resources within NOCA and SAJH by associated tribes and groups. This database will also include Native American traditional resource management practices within anthropogenic landscapes such as prairies and camas plots at OLYM, MORA, and EBLA to guide NPS management activities. To the extent technically feasible, this database shall be developed using a format that can be transferred to the NPS Ethnographic Resource Inventory by NPS regional and/or other authorized NPS personnel.
6. Produce a publishable book-length manuscript regarding land and resource use at EBLA by expanding on an existing report with new data, editing, layout and graphical design.
7. Produce two standalone reports that present all data assembled for Phase 1 related to NOCA and SAJH specifically. The Phase 1 report shall include specific recommendations to support NPS management activities regarding restoration, protection, and stewardship of ethnobotanical and ethnographic resources significant to park-associated tribes and groups. The Phase 1 report shall be written in a format that may assist NPS regional and park personnel in the development of future programming related to cultural and natural resource stewardship, interpretation, tribal consultation, and planning of potential future study phases.
Together these elements will constitute Phase 1 of a Traditional Use Study or “TUS” as described in NPS-28, the NPS Cultural Resource Management Guidelines.