Unfortunately, camas cultivation in the San Juan archipelago effectively ended more than 150 years ago. All the same, this study was extensively informed by interviews with living Coast Salish families with ancestry in the islands or ties to the islands, as well as unpublished field notes of interviews conducted 25 to 65 years ago with many of the same families. This article covered the field component of an ongoing study that was inspired and mentored by Fred Leatherwood, a Samish elder from Orcas Island.
Madrona Murphy
Lopez Island, Washington
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Madrona Murphy responds.
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