365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Nisqually Dancers
Day 241: Yesterday, it was my privilege to attend the dedication and opening of the designated Tribal Use Area in the Longmire Stewardship Campground at Mount Rainier National Park. A five-acre parcel of land flanked on one side by the Nisqually River was set aside for use by the Nisqually people, a contract which (among other things) allows them to gather traditional medicine plants like Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata). Members of the Nisqually celebrated the occasion with dance and song, and hosted a salmon bake as well as presenting gifts to each Park Service attendee. Establishment of the Tribal Use Area was a process many years in the making. I am proud to say that I was a part of this historic event.
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