Very much enjoying this. Living farther north after growing up in Oregon, one of the things I miss most is the camas that grows beneath the oaks in the Willamette Valley. Such beautiful plants, and such a staple to generations who lived there before any white settler arrived. I worked on an archaeological site that was filled with camas ovens, and it forever sealed in my mind the beauty and vitality of those bulbs, the lives they supported--and how I wish more people in the PNW understood the value and meaning of those gorgeous blue flowers in spring. And how small the population is now compared to what it was when the prairies would turn into blue lakes in spring.
Thanks Freya. This was a hard post to write. It's a small island, so I know all of the farmers I mentioned. I wanted to gently put a stake in the ground that we're all living on stolen Iand here.
Oct 20, 2023·edited Oct 20, 2023Liked by John Lovie
So beautiful and rich American lands are, so much to reminisce and wonder about for someone who knows very little of the land in west. And this series is transatlantic so its even more fun! Thank you for sharing in such details John, this is education for me.
Great job digging into this history, John! I read with keen interest, as you can imagine. There is a lot of rich understanding to be gained by combining study of land theft in North America with study of the Highland Clearances. (Farmerama had a 4-part series on this titled "Landed." It's incredibly well-done and introspective and also includes the reality of much of the wealth that resulted in Scottish land purchases that then led to clearances came from profiting from slavery.)
I listened to 'Landed' on your recommendation a month or so ago. It let me make that connection between my ancestors in Scotland and where I live now and was one of two inspirations for this series. I'll be pulling those two threads together in part 3, which I'm working on it right now, tagging both 'Landed' and you for the recommendation!
Gah! Sorry, sometimes (most of the time these days) I forget what I've recommended to whom ...
There's also an episode of Scotland Outdoors with Ninian Stuart, Steward of the Falkland Estate, that digs into questioning his family's ownership of an estate. He's nobility or something. Scotland Outdoors's podcast page is hopeless to navigate, but if you can find it it's well worth listening to. It was from 2022. I'd just try googling it.
Very much enjoying this. Living farther north after growing up in Oregon, one of the things I miss most is the camas that grows beneath the oaks in the Willamette Valley. Such beautiful plants, and such a staple to generations who lived there before any white settler arrived. I worked on an archaeological site that was filled with camas ovens, and it forever sealed in my mind the beauty and vitality of those bulbs, the lives they supported--and how I wish more people in the PNW understood the value and meaning of those gorgeous blue flowers in spring. And how small the population is now compared to what it was when the prairies would turn into blue lakes in spring.
Thanks Freya. This was a hard post to write. It's a small island, so I know all of the farmers I mentioned. I wanted to gently put a stake in the ground that we're all living on stolen Iand here.
Beautifully said, Freya.
So beautiful and rich American lands are, so much to reminisce and wonder about for someone who knows very little of the land in west. And this series is transatlantic so its even more fun! Thank you for sharing in such details John, this is education for me.
Thank you, Swarna. It was an education for me to write it.
Fascinating to hear about the history on that side of the Puget Sound!
Great job digging into this history, John! I read with keen interest, as you can imagine. There is a lot of rich understanding to be gained by combining study of land theft in North America with study of the Highland Clearances. (Farmerama had a 4-part series on this titled "Landed." It's incredibly well-done and introspective and also includes the reality of much of the wealth that resulted in Scottish land purchases that then led to clearances came from profiting from slavery.)
Thanks Nia,
I listened to 'Landed' on your recommendation a month or so ago. It let me make that connection between my ancestors in Scotland and where I live now and was one of two inspirations for this series. I'll be pulling those two threads together in part 3, which I'm working on it right now, tagging both 'Landed' and you for the recommendation!
Gah! Sorry, sometimes (most of the time these days) I forget what I've recommended to whom ...
There's also an episode of Scotland Outdoors with Ninian Stuart, Steward of the Falkland Estate, that digs into questioning his family's ownership of an estate. He's nobility or something. Scotland Outdoors's podcast page is hopeless to navigate, but if you can find it it's well worth listening to. It was from 2022. I'd just try googling it.
Oh, no worries, I have the same problem. It's an occupational hazard when your 'love language' is sharing about your special interest.
I'll go have a listen...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0bmybv0