ANNOUNCEMENTS
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(Example) White House Christmas Tree 2007, Ornament designed and created for the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park.... Read More

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Lewisiia rediviva. Bitterroot. Watercolor on deerskin vellum, 2005, by Christine Andreae.

Among the Salish Indians of Montana, Bitterroot is revered as a life-sustaining gift from the Creator. It was once a major food source, valued for its ability to create a sensation of satiety when food was scarce. The dry, gravely terrrain where it grew was watched over by a Keeper, always a woman, who greeted the plants in the spring and announced the proper time for harvest. The tribe's women and children would unearth the roots with fire-hardened digging sticks. They would remove the dark skin and the "heart", then steam the white roots in pits lined with heated rocks. The roots were served with meat stews or sweetenedwith Camus bulbs and berries. Those that were not cooked were dried for future use.