Camas bloom colors Bush's Pasture Park in purple hues

The wild camas fields at Bush's Pasture Park, tended by the Kalapuya people before 1850, are in bloom.

Salem, "since time immemorial to the Kalapuya people, has been known as a really good camas gathering place," according to David Harrelson, cultural resources department manager for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, who recounted the history of the indigenous peoples' relationships to camas in 2021.

Many areas where wild camas used to thrive suffered as the Willamette Valley changed and moist meadows and wetlands in the valley were urbanized.

The distinct six-petal, star-shaped flower also can be spotted in pastures across the valley at the State Fairgrounds. Thousands of the flowers bloom and line Sunnyview Road and the meadow by the site.

Integral to Indigenous food ceremonies in Oregon, knowledge of harvesting camas root and its bulbs has been passed down across generations. The bulb is harvested and eaten between May and July and is an important food to the Kalapuya.

“Every now and then, we’ll host events and we’ll have traditionally prepared camas where you roast the bulbs,” Mercier said. “I don’t know how to describe it other than it’s got a kind of starchy flavor to it reminiscent of a potato.”

Traditionally, the bulbs were roasted in large rectangular or oblong pits in the ground, placed on top of a layer of leaves on the rocks, and covered in another layer of leaves. This roast would last several days.

Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter @DianneLugo