First published 2020
This collection brings together contemporary narratives about obtaining food directly from the land. Authors describe foraging expeditions through Portland, Oregon neighborhoods. A writer of Oglala Lakota and Shoshone-Bannock heritage recounts childhood experiences hunting and gathering traditional foods. Another contributor details the patient work of learning elk communication patterns in rocky mountain terrain. One piece examines transforming roadkill into a meal. The stories connect food procurement to questions of cultural identity, environmental activism, and spiritual practice. Contributors explore how direct engagement with food sources teaches lessons unavailable in classrooms. They examine the ethics of consuming wild animals and plants. The collection addresses modern food movement politics, conservation efforts, and the transmission of knowledge from elders. These personal accounts reveal the social networks and ecological relationships that surround food gathering practices in the twenty-first century.
Genres: anthropology, environment, agriculture, biography-memoir, cooking, activism, academic, cultural-studies
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, personal-narrative
Setting: Portland, Oregon, Rocky Mountains
212 pages · Paperback · Springer