Tag: indigenous food

  • Why We Don’t Accept Acorns Collected from the Ground

    When it comes to foraging for acorns, we have a firm policy: we don’t accept those collected from the ground.

    Here’s why:

    Acorns can mold incredibly quickly once picked up; especially when stored improperly in bags, boxes, or environments with little to no air circulation. It is vitally important to prevent the spread of mold and mildew to other acorns in storage.

    Moldy acorns are not just unappealing; they can pose serious health risks, like hantavirus. Hantavirus is a serious disease transmitted through contact with rodent droppings or urine. Ground-collected acorns are often more likely to be contaminated by mold and pathogens, which we want to avoid.

    It’s important to note that 20% or less of the acorns gathered from the ground are fit enough for storage and consumption. Since we emphasize sourcing acorns for food, we have to apply a strict standard: if it’s not something you would personally eat, we don’t want it either.

    By upholding these guidelines, we prioritize health and ensure that the acorns we collect and use are safe and of the best quality.

    Let’s keep our foraging practices safe and sustainable!

  • First Annual Acorn Harvest Begins

    Alameda Native History Project is proud to partner with our awesome and enthusiastic and diverse community for Alameda’s First Annual Acorn Harvest!

    Acorn season is upon us!

    The streets are filled with the sounds of foraging. The crunching and munching of squirrels chewing on acorns forms a surprisingly backtrack on a slow weekend morning.

    This is Alameda’s present-day urban forest.

    You may have never noticed it before. But Alameda is full of oak trees. It’s during acorn season that we’re reminded la bolsa de Encinal is still here.

    Acorns have not been readily available as a food source for over 100 years.

    The Alameda Native History Project seeks to reopen the local indigenous foodways of Alameda and the East Bay.

    The acorns we harvest together will be used to fill the Acorn Granary at the Alameda Point Collaborative Farm2Market.

    They will stay in the granary over winter. And we will process the acorns in spring.

    Some of the Acorn Flour and Acorn Meal which we will produce will be used as the featured ingredient of our culinary series. Some will be offered to local Native American Organizations and Tribes. A limited amount Acorn Flour and Acorn Meal will be offered to the public for fundraising.

    Harvest teams are forming now. You’re invited!

    We’re excited to share this opportunity with you to be a part of our Acorn Harvest Team. Whether you’re looking for a fun outdoor activity, a chance to connect with nature, or a way to help revitalize a food pathway which hasn’t been readily available for over 100 years, we welcome you to join our team!

    Here’s what we’re doing:

    • Sorting Acorns: Help us sort acorns by size and quality.
    • Harvesting Acorns: Collect acorns that have fallen from trees.
    • Scooping and Bagging Acorns: Help us scoop and bag acorns for storage.
    • Packing Acorn Granaries: Assist us in packing acorns into granaries for long-term storage.

    Sign-up using the First Annual Acorn Harvest Sign-Up Form.

    We welcome volunteers of all abilities and will work to accommodate your needs. Whether you prefer to work from a seated position or are able to assist with physical tasks, we have opportunities for everyone to contribute.

    Join us for a fun and rewarding experience that will connect you with your community and the natural world. Let us know which tasks you’re available for and any accommodations you may need.

    Support the First Annual Acorn Harvest by donating to the Alameda Native History Project.

    By supporting this project, you are helping to revive a forgotten food source and reconnect with the rich cultural heritage of our region. Together, we can reclaim the acorn as a symbol of community, sustainability, and cultural resilience. Join us in this effort to rebuild our local indigenous foodways and create a more equitable and sustainable food system for all.

    Your contribution will directly support our acorn harvest and processing efforts, as well as our culinary series and partnerships with local Native American organizations, community organizations, and tribes. We are grateful for your trust in our work and your commitment to our community.

  • Acorn Granary Challenge Produces Storage For 2024 Harvest

    What is an Acorn Granary?

    Acorn Granaries are traditional Native American storage containers used to hold foods like dried berries, rice, squash, and tree nuts…. (In this case: acorns from the city-wide acorn harvest happening this fall.) …And keep them safe from animals and the environment over winter.

    What is the purpose of an Acorn Granary?

    To store food that people needed to survive during the coldest parts of winter, when no plants grow, and all of the animals are hibernating, or have migrated to warmed areas.

    Why are Acorn Granaries important?

    Acorns were one of the single most important food sources in California [Heizer 1957]. Over winter, the bounties of California’s many edible plants, and the abundance of wildlife normally acquired through hunting, trapping, or fishing, is replaced with a barren landscape.

    This is why it’s so important to gather as much food as possible; and to protect it from water, wind, rain, and the animals–who also depend on caches to survive through the winter.

    How widespread is the use of Acorn Granaries?

    It cannot be overstated: Acorns were one of the single most important food sources in California [Heizer 1957]. Most families had an acorn granary [Gifford 1932; Fremont 1843]. Granaries were meant to hold acorns as they dried over winter, however, granaries would be kept and maintained for many years.

    How many acorns does an Acorn Granary hold?

    Some granaries would hold just enough acorns to support a family until the next harvest. Other granaries could hold “ten to twenty sacks of acorns” [Gifford 1932]. Although, there’s no specific weight or volume measurement for how much a “sack” is. Heizer (in 1957), noted that Patwin communities had granaries with a capacity of about 6 to 10 bushels of acorns.

    Several studies included dimensions of varying types of granaries made by different California Native Tribes:

    On average, the granaries were about 3-4 feet in diameter, up to 10 feet high, and at least 2 feet off the ground.

    How many acorns were harvested during the Acorn Harvest?

    The only limit to how many acorns could be harvested was dependent upon the method of collection, and how many people were involved in the harvest.

    The Acorn Harvest happens once a year, when there is a nearly limitless supply of acorns adorning the more-than 87 million oak trees which are endemic to California. [Oaks 2040]

    Competition for Acorns

    Over 100 different kinds of animals eat acorns, including (but not limited to):

    • Bear
    • Chipmunk
    • Crows
    • Deer
    • Ducks
    • Foxes
    • Jack Rabbit
    • Jays
    • Mallards
    • Mice
    • Oppossums
    • Quail
    • Raccoons
    • Squirrel
    • Turkeys
    • Voles
    • Wild Hogs
    • Woodpeckers

    Every single one of these animals would gladly take a pre-foraged “snack pack” [that’s what a bear would call it] in a season when no other food is available.

    This is why it is necessary to create: (a) a sturdy food container that (b) hides the scent of food, and (c) deters animals from eating through the container into the actual food inside.

    What are the different types of Acorn Granaries?

    Below is a list granary types–but the names aren’t official. There are no standardized names for granaries because over 300 unique languages were spoken in California.

    • Coil-type
      Acorns chill under a coil basket made from cordage. (Usually on a platform.)
    • Hanging basket
      Hung from sturdy tree-limbs, or from a frame made from lashed wood.
    • Tree platform
      Resting on platform build in the crook of a tree.
    • Free-standing
      Made with sturdy legs to resist wind, and other forces.
    • Rock-butt
      Granary resting on a rock. Sometimes stabilized by legs, or tied to frame/tree limb, or all of the above.

    Construction Materials

    Willow reeds & poles, and California Bay boughs, were gathered from the Indigenous Land Lab

    • Willow reeds and poles
    • Leaves and boughs from:
      • California Bay Laurel (Umbellularia californica)
      • Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis)
    • Natural twine
    Bay Laurel boughs were gathered during the Acorn Granary Challenge Session #3, at the Alameda Point Collaborative Farm2Market, where our events were held.

    Acorn Granary Construction

    After learning about the history, usage, and types of Acorn Granaries, we began granary construction over four sessions in July 2024.

    Rolling the frame onto the hoops.

    Completed granary frame.

    Loosely woven base of the granary. (Take note the base is larger than the frame.)

    Granary frame stuffed with bay leaves, sitting on base base, on top of tree rounds (with willow shims, lol.)

    Shoring up the granary, using willow poles to stabilize with tension & compression. (MIT undergraduate remix.)

    Granary Status: Ready for Acorns

    Special Thanks & Acknowledgments

    A huge shoutout, and special thanks goes out to the APC Farm2Market, for hosting our event, and the acorn granary.

    Another huge shoutout goes to the Land Partners, who are hosting the Indigenous Land Lab, another Acorn Granary, and have graciously allowed us to harvest all of the willow and California Bay we used (and will use) for Acorn Granary Construction.

    Special thanks goes out to everyone who participated in the Acorn Granary Challenge: Sandra, Liz, The Li & Pan Families, Natalie, Skipper.

    We also want to acknowledge the Alameda County Arts Commission’s ARTSFUND for their part in funding this awesome, and ongoing, experience.

    What’s next?

    The First Annual Acorn Harvest begins this Fall!

    Stay tuned for more announcements!

  • July 2024 Acorn Granary Challenge

    Free First Session Kicks Off Sunday July 7th; and Lasts All Month!

    Come join the Alameda Native History Project, as we build granaries for the First Annual Acorn Harvest!

    The Acorn Granary Challenge is a month-long series of free events which takes place on every Sunday at 10AM.

    Snacks and water will be provided.

    Reserve your space for free on our eventbrite page.

    What is an Acorn Granary?

    Acorn Granaries are traditional
    California Native food storage systems.

    • Granaries were made all over California. – The acorn was one of the single most important food items in California.
    • “Hanging Basket” stores acorns off the ground. – Some tribes built platforms to perch granaries atop of. But not all granaries were suspended.
    • Material defines shape. – Some granaries are made with twisted stems, blades, and vines to form a Coil Basket (or “Birdnest” design. ) Others are made with small bushells of wild grass and thatched into an “Inverted Basket” (or, Thatched-Cone Design.)
    • Holds acorns overwinter. – An Acorn Granary must be resilient enough to hold Acorns over the winter. Repaired and reused over many seasons.
    • Basket-in-shell design. – Every granary is created with an outer shell made from strong, natural material resistant to animals and insects.

    Hands-On Learning Experience and Cultural Exchange

    Learn about the different plants used to make Acorn Granaries; and how pests were managed before GMO and RoundUp.

    Learn how to split willow to make reeds, experiment with creating the different kinds of Acorn Granaries. Strategize how to keep out squirrels, crows, and other hungry critters!

    Each week will have a different focus, as we move through the steps of Acorn Granary Construction, and preparing for the harvest.

    From splitting willow to making various cordage, and thatching wild grass: We will work with a mix of materials old and new. And also address the non-native plant and their uses in construction and pest management.

    Most of the material gathering will take place at the Indigenous Land Lab, and the processing of cordage, thatching of wild grasses, and splitting willows will happen in town, during the Granary Construction.

    This is meant to be a very mellow and open-ended process that frankly invites a little bit of creativity, and welcomes a contemporary breath of fresh air.

    And we’re also open to this process taking longer than a month.


    Here’s a ballpark timeframe for construction and harvest preparation.

    • June-July: Gather Materials and Build Acorn Granaries
    • August-September: Continue to prepare for Harvest, Monitor Oak Trees
    • October-November: Harvest Acorns! Fill, Complete & Install Granaries

    Why Are We Making The Granaries Now?

    The main goal here is to be totally ready by the time the acorns start to fall!

    This is why we’re creating the granaries now: So we can harvest, sort, and pack our acorns into these granaries as efficiently as possible.

    But, we also want to give ourselves the greatest chance of success by using multiple granaries of varying construction materials and methods. This will also give us some data to analyze and use to plan for next year!

    Please join us for some or all of these events!

    Everyone is welcome!

    Reserve Your Space at the Acorn Granary Challenge Here.

    To learn more about the Indigenous Land Lab, and how you can volunteer to gather more materials for granary construction:

    Visit the Indigenous Land Lab Page, or email collab@nativehistoryproject.org!

  • Alameda Oak Tree Registry

    You can contribute to the annual Alameda Acorn Harvest by giving us access to the ground around your Oak Trees. (Yes, it’s that easy.)

    During the Alameda Oak Tree Survey, we identified 405 properties; which host at least one Oak Tree. Those locations were cross-referenced with the Alameda County Parcel Map; resulting in the discovery of 440 parcels.

    Is your property on this map?

    Assessor’s Parcel Number List

    This number can be found on your Deed, Property Tax Records, or by searching the Alameda County Assessor’s Office.

    Mobile-Friendly link to the Google Sheet.

    Alameda is the unceded territory of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area.

    Help reduce waste and conserve culture by allowing us to gather Acorns on your property.

    Stay tuned for more news & information about our 2024-2025 Programming.

  • 2024 Alameda Oak Tree Survey

    The Oak Forest of Alameda is alive and well.

    During our survey, we identified at least 405 properties which have Oak Trees.

    Once everything was processed and plugged into our GIS systems, we were able to identify the footprint of Alameda’s “Bolsa de Encinal“.

    1859 Coast Survey Map showing “The Encinal”.

    What is la Bolsa De Encinal?

    →Bolsa; Spanish, noun.: meaning bag, or purse
    
    →Encinal; Spanish, noun.: meaning Holm Oak grove
    
    →Alameda; Spanish, noun.: poplar grove
    
    →Bolsa de Encinal: Purse of Oaks [It sounds better in Spanish.]
    →Encinal de San Antonio: San Antonio Oak Grove

    This place we call “Alameda” has been known by many names. All of them have referred to the oak grove (or forest).

    La Bolsa de Encinal came about because this place (a peninsula) was like a little pouch or purse attached to the mainland. A purse of oak trees….

    The Encinal, or Encinal de San Antonio, literally means “the oak grove”, or “San Antonio Oak Grove”.

    And “Alameda” itself means a (poplar) grove of trees.

    But make no mistake:
    Alameda” is unceded Muwekma Ohlone Territory.

    2024 Alameda Oak Tree Survey

    Looking at this image, you might not be able to fully recognize the actual density of what we discovered represents an urban forest right where the “historic Bolsa de Encinal used to be.”

    The real take-away was that you can’t talk about Alameda’s Oak Forest as a thing of the past.

    Alameda’s Oak Forest

    Sure, it can be hard to see when you’re surrounded by Victorian houses, and mid-century apartment buildings….

    But when you take a step back and look at the big picture: you can see it clearly.

    The Oak Forest of Alameda. Bolsa de Encinal.

    Despite the fact that many of the oldest Oak Trees in Alameda have been felled by mismanagement, habitat loss, and development; there were still plenty of big old healthy Oak Trees that we found all over the city of Alameda.

    We also learned that Coastal Live Oaks (queercus agrifolia) have been designated as a “protected tree” by the City of Alameda (A.M.C. §13-21.7[c]).

    And that same code section states: “Any oak tree shall be replaced with a minimum of [two] oak trees”.

    This means Alameda’s Oak Forest is not only alive and well, but the island itself is subject to some reforestation efforts.

    Why did we perform this survey, anyway?

    This survey was necessary to plan for the Alameda 2024 City-Wide Acorn Harvest; which is happening this September and October.

    Check out the Oak Tree Registration Form to learn more about how property owners with Oak Trees can contribute to our first annual acorn harvest.

    There are tons of opportunities for residents, local businesses, and organizations to participate in all of our 2024-2025 Cultural Arts & Educational Programming.

    Sign up for the Alameda 2024 City-Wide Acorn Harvest here.

    Open Call for Participation

    If you are a property owner with an Oak Tree on your property, check out this Oak Tree Registry Form to learn about the specific ways property owners can contribute to our harvest.

    Residents, Families, Friends, and Neighbors: Sign-Up for the Alameda 2024 City-Wide Acorn Harvest. Everyone is welcome!

    If you represent a local business, organization, class, school, or community group, or tribe, and you want to participate in planning, organizing, and/or any other aspect of these activities, reach out via email.

    Or, use the form below:

    Harvest/Oak Tree Contact Form

    [contact-form-7 id=”b1779e1″ title=”Oak Tree Harvest Survey Contact Form”]
  • 2024-2025 Cultural & Education Programming Announced!

    The Alameda Native History Project is proud to announce their Cultural & Educational Program Offerings for 2024-2025.

    2024 Acorn Granary Challenge

    Beginning July 1, 2024; and,
    Ending on July 31, 2024.

    Mix modern and traditional methods of acorn granary construction to create a semi-permanent structure which will hold the acorns from our First Annual Acorn Harvest.

    The challenge is creating something that will withstand the elements over winter.

    We will meet as a team to construct these Acorn Granaries. Together we will learn about the different kinds of Acorn Granaries; integrated pest management uses of California Native Plants; and how indigenous technology works to keep food safe for centuries.

    This is a series of free events which happens 10am-2pm Every Sunday in July.

    Sign Up Happening Now

    2024 Alameda “City-Wide” Acorn Harvest

    September – October 2024

    Take part in the First Annual Alameda Acorn Harvest.

    Learn about the ancient Live Oak Forests of this place now called “Alameda”.  Learn about the nutritional value and the cultural significance of acorns.

    There are a number of different ways in which everyone can participate. Please check out the list of roles available on the Sign-Up Form, right after our Community Guidelines.

    Snacks, Water, Coffee, and Lunch, will be provided.

    Sign-Up Now

    Alameda Native Food Lab: ACORNS!

    Multiple Sessions Held in March 2025

    Learn how to process acorns.

    Sample traditional Acorn Mush.

    Make different baked goods using Acorn Flour made from Alameda Oak Trees. Leave with your own Acorn Flour, and recipes to try at home!

    This session is Free!

    Tickets Available in September 2024

  • Shellmounds and Their Relationship to the Waterbodies of the San Francisco Bay Basin

    In the Indigenous Bay Area, water and life have always gone hand-in-hand. It was impossible to tell where the sea truly ended on this coast. Even inland, the San Francisco Regions’s natural aquatic resources are used with reverence, and traded throughout the region (and beyond.) Salmon connect the sea to the rivers, streams, and lakes of California, and they are a living link shared by many Indigenous People in California.

    Did the First People of the Bay Area Benefit from the Waterbodies and Waterways through Sustenance Fishing?

    It is without any doubt that the First People of the place we now call the San Francisco Bay Area have used, worn, consumed, or cultivated almost all of the things in the pre-contact environment. This includes the natural aquatic resources of the San Francisco Bay Region.

    You already know about salmon; edible plants, like kelp, eelgrass; but, think even smaller, like byssal thread–the stuff that holds mussels together in their beds–which was mainly used as an adhesive. These are the Traditional & Cultural Tribal Beneficial uses.

    It’s established that Indigenous people engaged in Sustenance Fishing, individually.

    As a group, Tribes engaged in Tribal Sustenance Fishing by working together to catch or gather larger numbers of natural aquatic resources like fish, shellfish, and vegetation, to be able to feed their group (or Tribe).

    The shellmounds’ very existence is proof that this is true because of the sustained consumption, gathering, and use of shellfish it would take to gather the amount of shells used for the burials, and cemermonies, that shellmounds physically represent, and immortalize [as tangible evidence of this use.]

    Consider also, the sheer amount of tools, currency, jewelry, and clothing, which is made from shells proves a continuous Tribal Cultural Beneficial Use for the last 10,000 years.

    Surely, the shellmounds are the emodiment of the Traditional, Cultural, and Sustenance, Tribal Beneficial Uses for the WaterBodies of the San Francisco Bay Region?

    Yes, Indigenous People have engaged in Sustenance Fishing, and Tribal Sustenance Fishing in all of the waterbodies in the San Francisco Bay Region for at least 10,000 years. And, that Sustenance-based use directly influences the innumerable Traditional, Cultural, [and Ceremonial] uses in First People’s societies.

    Natural Aquatic Resources and Indigenous Ceremony

    The less opaque “Tribal Beneficial Use” of the waterways and waterbodies of the San Francisco Bay Region (or “Basin”) are their ceremonial uses and connections.

    This is because ceremonies for things like funerals, and ancestor worship has not been performed at shellmounds regularly in the region since approximately the 1770’s [which is when the Bay Area began to be invaded, and occupied, by Spain, Mexico, and the United States (in that order.)

    But not all was lost. The First People of the San Francisco Bay Area are alive and well.]

    Shellmounds, today, exist on private property, and are inaccessible to the Indigenous people whose blood relations are buried there. While it is difficult to compel land owners to grant Easements For Tribal Beneficial Uses… Government Agencies and Departments should create policies granting such Cultural Easements For Tribal Beneficial Uses upon request.

    It should be assumed that water, and the proximity to it, played a large role in the selection of the location shellmounds, because shellmounds are found almost exclusively near the shores and riverbanks of the San Francisco Bay Area.

    We should also assume that funerary practices included natural aquatic resources (like shellfish, fish, vegetation) which were gathered and used as ceremonial objects, to make special clothing, for the ceremony, or things given to the decedent for use in the afterlife; or, to protect their body on earth; or, for other myriad reasons, including: it was their favorite [object here.]

    It’s not surprising then, that the amount of direct influence shellmounds and the waterways and waterbodies of the San Francisco Bay Region have on each other leave almost no corner of the Bay Area untouched.

    Composite map of San Francisco Bay Basin Plan Waterbodies shown in lines and polygons.

    There are three sets of data here. Just like there are three colors.

    The green features show the San Francisco Bay Basin Waterbodies.

    Yellow features are part of the wider network of waterbodies to which shellmounds are connected.

    Red features show where shellmounds and basin waterbodies are intrinsically linked.

    To get these results, I had to:

    1. Find the data.
    2. Import them into my GIS software.
    3. Fix geometries. (It helps to make a spatial index.)
    4. Reproject to NAD83 California State Plane Zone 3
    5. Find features for layers which matched the location of shellmounds within my margin of error, and with consideration to the average size of shellmounds recorded.
    6. You know, then do the cosmetic stuff, as you can see in the picture above.

    Consider the Confidentiality of Tribal Cultural Resources

    Is this a bad time to point out that N.C. Nelson’s Shellmound Map was hand-plotted, using a completely different geographic coordinate reference system? I think that matters….

    Besides that: the confidentiality of Tribal Cultural Resources has now been codified. And, providing shellmound location data to any non-indigenous organization would totally negate the idea of data sovereignty.

    Use This Information As Another Reason to Listen to Indigenous Voices

    It is an ethical obligation for Indigenous People to be included, respected, and listened to in the planning process. Not just to check the boxes on the Environmental Impact Assessment, or after a burial has already been disturbed.

    Tribal Cultural Resources, and Tribal Beneficial Uses must also be taken into account when facilities Water Treatment Plants, Oil Refineries, and Quarries, seek to renew their license to operate.

    Especially when those facilities generate large quantities of hazardous waste, endanger nearby communities, and deprive indigenous people of their beneficial use of natural aquatic resources and Tribal Cultural Resources through:

    1. The illegal occupation of unceded land. (No, for real, the treaties were never ratified. Indigenous people in the Bay Area never gave away anything, and never will.)
    2. Destruction of Tribal Cultural Resources to create infrastructure, like levees, landfills, and larger things like water treatment plants, and municipal dumps (many are on the shores of the San Francisco Bay Basin).
    3. Forced Extinction and Endangerment of Native Plants and Animals, especially whales, fish, shellfish and aquatic vegetation.
    4. The spoiling of natural resources through pollution, dumping, and paving.

    … Among other things.

    The Shellmounds of the San Francisco Bay Basin are not only Tribal Cultural Resources, they are intrinsically connected with the Tribal Beneficial Uses of this region’s natural aquatic resources.