First Foods: How Native people are revitalizing the natural nourishment of the Pacific Northwest

Five or six generations ago, Native people of this region ate a complex diet that changed with the seasons. Called First Foods, these are the staples they always relied on. Today a movement in tribal communities is promoting First Foods traditions and decolonizing Native diets and taste buds to restore bodily, cultural and spiritual health. This article focuses on stinging nettle, shellfish, salmonberry, camas, salmon and bitterroot.