Growing Roots: Managing a Pacific Northwest Indigenous Root Food.

The Kwakwaka’wakw of Coastal British Columbia traditionally managed four edible root producing estuarine salt marsh species in a garden system called the taki’lakw.  Euro-Canadian colonialism disrupted taki’lakw management in the early 20th century and they have remained fallow since then.  This paper explores the effect of simulated traditional management on the in situ productivity and palatability of one of the four root species, Argentina egedii (Wormsk.), Rosaceae.  Root data were collected six months after the application of till, till and weed, and control treatments.  The experimental treatments significantly increased root density but decreased both root length and thickness.  No difference in root biomass was observed between the treatments and the control.  Laboratory tannin analysis suggests that roots are most palatable during their winter dormancy, which coincides with traditional harvesting practices.  Experimental management, in part, has led to renewed interest in estuarine salt root foods among the Kwakwaka’wakw.