Contemporary California Indians, oaks and Sudden Oak Death (Phytophthora ramorum)

Abstract

This paper begins with a survey of contemporary California Indian utilization of acorns for food, including an examination of: (1) familial, community and cultural contexts in which acorn is shared and eaten; (2) new and old acorn processing techniques in use today and the foods that result; (3) the symbolic context of the foods in terms of ecological and social relationships that connect people to place, each other, cultural heritage and sacred time; and (4) ancestral burning and pruning techniques used to manage oaks and other species. Next comes a detailed summary of contemporary uses by California Indians of plant species affected by Sudden Oak Death (Phytophthora ramorum). An overview follows of the impact that Sudden Oak Death (SOD) has had in disrupting, limiting, and sometimes severing the eons-old relationships that California Indians had with the affected species. The paper concludes with a synopsis of how California Indians are responding to this threat to cultural continuance.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the sixth California oak symposium: today's challenges, tomorrow's opportunities

Citation

Ortiz, Beverly R. 2008. Contemporary California Indians, oaks and Sudden Oak Death (Phytophthora ramorum). In: Merenlender, Adina; McCreary, Douglas; Purcell, Kathryn L., tech. eds. 2008. Proceedings of the sixth California oak symposium: today's challenges, tomorrow's opportunities. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-217. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: pp. 39-56