LCPD hosts annual Pine Nut Gathering trip
SBT Boys & Girls Club members pick pine cones during the annual Pine Nut
Gathering on September 13.
By JOSEPH WADSWORTH
Sho-Ban News
ALMO — Shoshone-Bannock tribal members traveled to the City of Rocks National Reserve and Castle Rocks State Park visitor center for the annual Language & Culture Preservation Department (LCPD) Tribal Member Pine Nut Gathering trip in Almo on September 13.
Tribal elder Audrey Ponzo opened the day with a prayer for the food during lunch.
A presentation by LCPD Original Territories and Historical Research program manager Nolan Brown and Research Education Specialist Bailey Dann followed where they spoke about the reason for being in the State Park to gather pine nuts.
Dann expressed “I very glad to see the Fort Hall Boys and Girls club youth present because for the young people here today, it is your opportunity to learn and remember.”
Original Territories and Historical Research’s Nolan Brown (left) and Bailey Dann present at Castle Rocks State Park visitor center.
Brown said “Bailey and I do our best to get the most collaboration with any outside entity, so they give back to our community. We don’t want outside entities to come take our knowledge or things that we create.”
Both talked about the different projects that LCPD works on with the community Bodo stick making, bring back Parfleche making and many other classes LCPD offers to Shoshone-Bannock Tribal community.
After the presentation Shoshone-Bannock tribal members were encouraged to go as a group to the Twin Sisters area to gather and pick. Tribal elder Audrey Ponzo sang a song to the people present about caring for the pine nuts and the area. Tribal elder Farrell Wildcat Sr. also sang an older song, which Ponzo was happy to hear and proud that he remembered.
SBT Boys & Girls Club members picking pine cones.
The Pine nut gathering concluded around 5 p.m. but some people did stay longer to gather more nuts while others drove back home to Fort Hall.
