Luschiim Arvid Charlie - Luschiims Plants: A Hulquminum (Cowichan) Ethnobotany

Copyright 2021 Dr. Luschiim Arvid Charlie and Dr. Nancy J. Turner

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All photographs by Nancy Turner, except: by Robert D. Turner.

Indexed by Nicola Goshulak

Cover and text design by Shed Simas / Ona Design

Printed and bound in South Korea

Harbour Publishing acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Canada, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council.

Cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada

Title: Luschiims plants : traditional Indigenous foods, materials and medicines / Dr. Luschiim Arvid Charlie and Nancy J. Turner.

Names: Charlie, Luschiim Arvid, author. | Turner, Nancy J., 1947- author.

Description: Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20210164964 | Canadiana (ebook) 20210167602 | ISBN 9781550179453 (softcover) | ISBN 9781550179460 ( EPUB )

Subjects: LCSH : EthnobotanyBritish ColumbiaPacific Coast. | LCSH : Plants, UsefulBritish ColumbiaPacific Coast. | LCSH : Plants, UsefulBritish ColumbiaPacific CoastIdentification. | LCSH : PlantsBritish ColumbiaPacific Coast. | LCSH : PlantsBritish ColumbiaPacific CoastIdentification. | LCSH : Indigenous peoplesBritish ColumbiaPacific Coast.

Classification: LCC QK 98.4. C 3 C 43 2021 | DDC 581.6/3097111dc23

The information presented here, passed on from the teachings Luschiim has received from his own Elders, and from his personal experiences and observations, is intended for educational use. Many of the plants described here are not as common as they once were, so if you plan to harvest any plants, please ensure that you do so in a sustainable way, guided by how common and plentiful the plants are and the impacts that harvesting might have. Never collect plants in protected areas or on private lands without permission.

Also, some plants are potentially harmful, from the chemicals they contain, from thorns or prickles, or in the case of stinging nettle, from stinging hairs. Some plants can be confused with poisonous look-alikes. For example, the bulbs of death camas (Zigadenus venenosus) closely resemble those of the edible blue camas species (Camassia spp.). The former can be deadly, even if only one or two bulbs are consumed. Blue-flowered camas bulbs, on the other hand, have been an important food for Quwutsun (Cowichan) and other Coast Salish peoples of Vancouver Island for thousands of years. When properly cooked, they are a sweet and nutritious food. These speciesdeath camas and edible camasoften grow together in the same kind of habitat, so it is important to be able to tell them apart. Always take care to confirm the identification of plants you may wish to use and learn the proper timing and methods of harvesting and preparing them.

In particular, as with prescription medicines you might purchase from a drug store, many traditional plant medicines can be harmful if not properly prepared or if taken in the wrong dosage. There can be variable concentrations of medicinal ingredients contained in different parts of the same plant, at different seasons or within populations of the same species. Traditionally trained plant specialists understand the conditions under which medicinal plants are harvested and administered. Never take medicines without first checking with a qualified doctor or herbal medicine specialist who can give you advice regarding suitability, preparation and administration of these medicines.

Traditional medicine specialists believe that plants, like people and animals, have their own spirit or life force. Any plant you wish to harvest and use must be treated with great respect. Talking to the plant and asking for its help and permission to harvest it may seem strange to those coming from an urban, Western perspective, but this is standard practice for many Indigenous users of plants and other resources.

The conservation of these precious plants and their habitats is always of major concern, along with your safety. It is very important to look after these plants and the places where they grow so that they do not disappear. You might follow the lead of those practising ecological restoration at the Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve (run by the Nature Conservancy of Canada) and elsewhere in the Cowichan region. Some of these plants can be grown easily in your garden from seeds or cuttings, or even grown as attractive potted plants.

There are a number of plants mentioned here that have special ritual applications in Hulquminum ceremonial contexts. The knowledge about these is private and has not been provided, other than an indication that such spiritual significance exists, but only those with the rights to such knowledge have access to it. On the other hand, cultural knowledge of the day-to-day uses of plants for foods, medicines or in technology is meant to be shared widely and passed on to future generations, for increased understanding and valuing of the plants and the places where they grow.

We recognize the private and sacred nature of medicinal plants and other preparations used ceremonially or ritually by the Quwutsun people. Luschiims aim in sharing knowledge about the identity of these plants is to ensure that they are remembered, and that their cultural importance is passed on to the future generations.

The writing system we use here is a practical one using English alphabet letters, many of which sound as they would in English, while others represent sounds that are not necessarily found in English words. The FirstVoices website provides a key to the pronunciation of the sounds, briefly summarized as follows: