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> Date:    Monday Oct 12 10:21 pm
> From:    Melissa Darby  [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Abstract of thesis on Wapato

Greetings;
I have had several requests for more information about my thesis re WAPATO,
Sagittaria latifolia.  Below is the abstract.

ABSTRACT

An abstract of the thesis of Melissa Cole Darby for Master of Arts in
Anthropology presented May 28, 1996. Portland State University, Portland
Oregon, USA
 Title: WAPATO FOR THE PEOPLE: An ecological approach to understanding the
Native American use of Sagittaria latifolia on the Lower Columbia River.

        Sagittaria latifolia Willd. was an important root food and trade commodity
for the Indians who lived along the Lower Columbia River in early historic
times.  This plant was prolific in the extensive wetlands of the Lower
Columbia from about the great Cascades to the Kalama River.  The tubers of
this plant were called 'wapato' in Chinook Jargon, the local trade
language.  The wetlands, and this plant that grew there, occupied a vast
extent of the Lower Columbia territory; so much so that this valley was
named 'WapatoValley' by Lewis and Clark in 1805.  This thesis will provide
pertinent information on botanical characteristics, habitat, productivity,
and traditional harvesting and preparation techniques of this species.
Nutritional analyses show that wapato could have provided meaningful
quantities of energy (carbohydrates), fiber, and trace elements.
Ecological data pertaining to this species, and ethnographic and
archaeological data from North America and especially the Lower Columbia,
are used to address the following research question: Was wapato intensively
exploited by the Indians of the Greater Lower Columbia River (Hajda 1984)
in early historic times?  A test of root food intensification using
ecological and ethnohistoric data demonstrated: 1) that wapato was a cost
effective food to harvest;  2) that the annual productivity of this root
food in Wapato Valley could have fed a larger population than was estimated
to exist in the valley at contact; 3) that root food intensification may
not always be indicated by the presence of large earth ovens and ground
stone tools.  In this study I conclude that wapato was sufficiently
productive and predictable to be intensively exploited and to function as a
staple food resource.  This assessment illustrates the need to reconsider
some commonly accepted ideas about the intensification of root foods and
the archaeological characteristics of root processing sites.

Thesis is available for $25,  payable to Melissa Darby 3327 NE Simpson
Portland Oregon 97211. Or free as a zip file (does not include some
photographs and charts). [log in to unmask]

I am writing an article about the post-glacial distribution of Sagittaria
latifolia in North America and the implications of this with regards to the
diet of late Pleistocene, early Holocene hunter-gatherers.

If anyone has pollen data or has found macro remains I would be interested
in hearing from you.




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