Food Plants of Interior First Peoples (Royal British Columbia Museum Handbook,) [Paperback]

Nancy J. Turner (Author)

Book Description

Series: Royal British Columbia Museum Handbook, | Publication Date: June 1997

For centuries, First Peoples in B.C. have harvested a variety of wild plant foods. Berries, nuts, roots, greens, mushrooms, lichen -- all were important components of their diets. They learned which plants and plant parts to eat, the best seasons for gathering them, the most efficient methods of harvesting, and the best ways to prepare them for eating and storage. In this companion book to Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples, the author describes more than 150 plant foods used by first Peoples in the interior of British Columbia and northern Washington. Originally published in 1978, this new edition is expanded and updated .

Editorial Reviews

Review

The book is attractive, accessible and scholarly. If you’re interested in this area, the book is a basic requirement. - R. John Hayes, Alberta Sweetgrass At last, this little treasure of a book is back in print. A must-have reference for anyone interested in wild edible plants and the traditional cultures of B.C.’s coastal First Peoples. - Beautiful British Columbia Traveller Newly revised and updated, this edition contains many colour photos and has a convenient water-resistant cover which makes it appropriate for field use. An invaluable aid. - Wave-Length

About the Author

Nancy J. Turner is a professor of Environmental studies at the University of Victoria and a research afffiliate at the Royal British Columbia Museum. She has written many important books and articles on ethnobotany and is a leading authority on the subject

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: University of British Columbia Press (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0774806060
• ISBN-13: 978-0774806060
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,823,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent source for edible plants in the pacific northwest, June 10, 2000

By 

[e-mail] - See all my reviews

This review is from: Food Plants of Interior First Peoples (Royal British Columbia Museum Handbook,) (Paperback)

This book is really impressive. It has a lot more information than a standard "pocket guide" book. There are numerous food sources in this book that i have never seen in other similiar books. an example: this book explains in detail how native americans harvested the inner bark (cambium) of the western hemlock to make a flour like substance. I have never read this in any other plant books. The book also includes information on how to prepare the food in traditional ways, as well as stories related to particular plants. All in all, this is probably the best book I know of concerning edible wild plants in the pacific northwest.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This richly illustrated book details over 150 plant species., June 10, 1998

By 

Geraldine Gillespie "[e-mail]" (Chesaw, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Food Plants of Interior First Peoples (Royal British Columbia Museum Handbook,) (Paperback)

This richly illustrated book details over 150 plant species used by First Peoples/Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest Interior.

Revised and redesigned for easier use, this handbook includes detailed botanical descriptions and notes on habitat and distribution.

Groups covered are the Stl'atl'imx (Lillooet), Secwepemc (Sushwap), Nlaka'pamux (Thompson), Okanagan, Ktunaxa (Kootenay), Tsimshian and Athapaskan groups in the north, and others in northwestern U.S.A.

Nancy Turner explains how aboriginal peoples harvested, prepared and preserved the roots, leaves, fruits and other parts of wild plants. She also describes some non-native food plants used by interior peoples and several species they considered poisonous or inedible. Color pictures enhance descriptions and make identification easier.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Resource, April 1, 2011

By 

Althea (Olympic Peninsula, WA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Food Plants of Interior First Peoples (Royal BC Museum Handbooks) (Paperback)

Nancy Turner has compiled a vast amount of information here on wild plants that were traditionally used for foods, flavorings, teas, smokes and chews among the aboriginal people of British Columbia and Northern Washington. She includes for each plant listing: a color photograph; a botanical description; habitat and distribution; methods of harvesting, processing, and preparing, which vary from tribe to tribe; and warnings, if applicable.

This is the 1997 revised and updated edition of her book by the same title that came out in 1978. Some inaccurate mushroom identifications are corrected here, and all the photographs, though small, are in color and are fairly clear. There are about 150 plants listed, including mushrooms, a few lichens, berries, and trees as well as edible greens and roots. There are five appendixes: one that gives Coastal Food Plants (these are covered more thoroughly in the companion volume to this one, entitled Food Plants of the Coast First People); Casual Edibles, tea and tobacco; Non-Native Food Plants; Plants considered Poisonous or Inedible; and Scientific Names. An extensive Bibliography follows.

This is fascinating reading for anyone with an interest in Pacific Northwest anthropology as well as those who are intrigued by the use and lore of wild plants. Much of her information was gathered from elderly members of contemporary aboriginal tribes in the 1970's. But she also includes her firsthand experiences with preparing and sampling many of these foods.

If you plan to experiment with some of these plants yourself, you will need a more comprehensive identification book for cross-referencing, because the photos are rather small and often do not show leaf, bark or stem. But I don't think there is another book where you will find out how to make ice cream from Soapberries or learn about the exact moment for harvesting the best Lodgepole Pine cambium. The extent of the knowledge gathered here is impressive, both as a historical record and as a helpful resource for modern-day foragers.