Sho-Ban tribal members harvest for bitterroot & wild onions
Jessica Matsaw and her children pick bitterroot during a harvest on May 21 near Mackay.
By LORI ANN EDMO
Sho-Ban News
MACKAY — A small group of Shoshone-Bannock tribal members went out to dig bitterroot and wild onions May 21 near Mackay.
The group included Language and Culture staff who went on their own paying for their own expenses, along with some friends and family.
The traditional harvest is for the department and the food will be used for future cultural events or Culture Committee meetings.
Staff member Bobette Haskett said it was nice despite being a bit breezy and cold. Some of the people who went were newcomers.
She said it’s important for tribal members to see how the areas are managed as the traditional foods grow on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service land.
Bitterroot plant.
Jessica and Sammie Matsaw took their family out to dig. She said it was their first time digging bitterroot but they’ve previously gotten wild onions. They intend to use the traditional food when they go on their float trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in late July and early August. They have a traditional meal during the float that generally consists of elk or deer meat, mussels and any roots they’ve gathered. They took their daughters Malia and Abrianna Matsaw, along with their sons Luzahan and Otaktaya Matsaw with them. Jessica’s mother Lorrie Galloway also joined them.
On June 6, the Language and Culture Department are headed to the Camas Prairie near Fairfield to dig camas. There is no public events because of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing will need to be practiced.
