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The ethnobotany of deergrass,Muhlenbergia rigens (Poaceae): Its uses and fire management by California Indian tribes

Le Caractere Ethnobotanique de L’herbe Cervidee(Muhlenbergia rigens angl. deergrass, Graminées): Son Utilisation et la Gestion du Feu parmi les Tribus Amerindiennes Californiennes.

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Abstract

Deergrass (Muhlenbergia rigens, Poaceae), a once abundant and widespread native perennial bunchgrass in California, was utilized extensively by at least twenty tribes for its flower stalks, incorporated into many types of coiled baskets. The craft of coiled basketry required the annual harvesting of thousands of culms by each village and the frequent setting of small-scale fires in many plant community types to eliminate detritus, recycle nutrients, increase culm production and prohibit shrub or tree encroachment. Detailed examination of Native American past fire management practices will provide insights into the cultural processes that shaped various ecosystem states, and unravel the ecological principles embedded in ancient land management systems. There are at least 300 contemporary Native American weavers and the successful revival of basketry in California is inextricably tied to access to and availability of plant resources on public lands.

Resumen

L’herbe cervidée (Muhlenbergia rigens, angl. deergrass, Graminées), une espèce d’herbe touffue anciennement abondante et répandue en Californie, était utilisée considérablement pour ses tiges en fleurs par au moins vingt tribus qui employaient ceux-lá dans la fabrication de leurs corbeilles enroulées. L’artisanat de la vannerie enroulée nécessitait que chaque village amérindien menât une récolte annuelle des chaumes d’herbe et que l’on mît fréquemment des feux d’étendue limitée dans beaucoup de genres de communautés des plantes pour y occasionner l’élimination des détritus, le recyclage des élements nutritifs, l’augmentation de la production de chaumes et l’entrave de l’empiètement des arbres et des arbustes. Un examen detaillé des pratiques de la gestion du feu parmi les amérindiens nous permettra de mieux connaître les procédés culturels qui influaient sur des divers états des écosystèmes et de démêler les principes écologiques ancrés dans les systèmes anciens de la gestion du terrain. Il y a aujourd’hui quelques trois centaines de tisserands amérindiens, et la reprise de leur ancienne vannerie en Californie dépend inextricablement de l’accès à et l’existence de ressources des plantes dans les terres publiques. On devrait attirer l’attention de ceux qui mènent la gestion du terrain et qui formulent des politiques sur la grave diminution de l’habitat adéquat pour des populations de l’herbe cervidée.

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  1. Natural Resources Conservation Service, American Indian Studies Center, University of California, Los Angeles, 3220, 90095-1548, Campbell Hall, CA

    M. Kat Anderson

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Anderson, M.K. The ethnobotany of deergrass,Muhlenbergia rigens (Poaceae): Its uses and fire management by California Indian tribes. Econ Bot 50, 409–422 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02866523

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