Mission Longhouse Annex. Luksh is considered one of the tougher roots to dig because itis deeperin the groundin comparison to cous and bitter root.
QP 8 8 g5 W omen goafoot i)ging MISSION - The Root Feast is considered the biggest celebration of the year feeding more than 430 people from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Coeur 'd Alene, Colville, Nez Perce, Yakama, Warm Springs, and the Wanapum band. "It's one of the biggest turnouts we' ve seen," said Ar-
Above, Pamela Shippentower holds a fresh luksh root that she dug out of the ground. At right, the roots are cleanedin preparation for cooks at the Longhouse.
mand Minthom, a Longhouse leader and an elected member of the Board of Trustees for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. In preparation for the feast, roughly 25 women spent two days gathering their 'sisters' such as bitter root, luksh and cous. Several more women stayed at the Longhouse preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner for the diggers. After the gathering, it took another one and a half days at the longhouse to clean the roots. The feast was held the follow'AP ing Sunday.
The event included services from 9 a.m. to noon followed by the table set up and feast. Those who were first time diggers presented their bag of roots to an elder and everyone had the chance to taste the different traditional spring first-foods. The menu included salmon, deer, lamprey, bitter root, cous, luksh, chokecherries, huckleberries, and of course, clean water. Additionally, the meal included a number of foods from the general population like bread, pie, cakes, and salads. "They were all made right in the [longhouse] kitchen," said Minthom. "What's so neat is that this is a group that makes things happen. It's not one or two individuals, it's a group effort." The week following was the Children' s Feast where all young people who were also first time diggers were recognized and gifted their gatherings to an elder. The next feast will be the huckleberry feast in late July or early August, depending on when the harvest takes place.
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The day atter all three roots were gathered, the womenjoined together at the Mission Longhouse Annex to clean the roots and prepare them for the Root Feast. Around one and a half days worth of work went into cleaning the roots.
CUJ photos by Miranda Rector 12A
Root diggers pose for a photo on a hillside outside of Pilot Rock. They include, from right front, Kat Brigham, Shawna Gavin, Pam Shippentower, Jolie Wendt, Cheryl Shippentower, Carman Chalakee, Julia Johnson, LeAnn Alexander, Eva Looney, Trinette Nowland, Beth Looney, Carina Vasquez, Brosnan Spencer, Kaitlyn Treloar, L'Rissa Sohappy, Ella Mae Looney, Cloe McMichael, Susie Patrick, Latis Nowland, and J'Dean Looney Roper.
Confederated Umatilla Journal
May 2016