Coast Salish tribes enjoy the sweet revival of a camas harvest

In Coupeville, on Whidbey Island in Washington, people carrying curved metal digger sticks have fanned out across an open field. They’re seeking out wilted purple camas flowers in the foot-high prairie grasses so they can harvest the bulbs underneath.

The sticks are reconstructions of a tool that Indigenous tribes traditionally made out of hardwood, such as Pacific Yew or Crabapple, said Linzie Crofoot.