On a recent distance racing and expedition course with R2AK's Karl Kruger, Karl mentioned the Indian marker trees on Orcas Island, as well as fire trees and totem trees. He had seen each in the San Juan Islands and on the BC coast and southeast Alaska.
What are marker trees?
These are trees that were controlled by native people (pre-contact) so that the tree could grown to serve as a trail or territory marker or boundary. '
The idea sounded remote and nothing I'd ever seen before until he showed us examples. Once I saw the pictures, I realized I had seen these trees, even in Seattle and on the Olympic Peninsula in WA State.
This discovery made me realize I wanted to find more native culture evidence in plain sight that had not been paved over, cut down or covered by a house or building.
Similarly, fire trees were used to cook clams, create charcoal and as lighthouses to mark locations for canoes traveling at night. Read about a fire tree at Ilalee State Park on Puget Sound.
Totem trees are human faces or faces of spiritual beings carved into a tree vs creating a totem pole. Often these were found above the section of tree carved out for cooking.
Culturally modified trees seem to refer to stripping cedar bark for clothing, baskets and the like.
Marker Tree Examples:
What are marker trees?
These are trees that were controlled by native people (pre-contact) so that the tree could grown to serve as a trail or territory marker or boundary. '
The idea sounded remote and nothing I'd ever seen before until he showed us examples. Once I saw the pictures, I realized I had seen these trees, even in Seattle and on the Olympic Peninsula in WA State.
This discovery made me realize I wanted to find more native culture evidence in plain sight that had not been paved over, cut down or covered by a house or building.
Similarly, fire trees were used to cook clams, create charcoal and as lighthouses to mark locations for canoes traveling at night. Read about a fire tree at Ilalee State Park on Puget Sound.
Totem trees are human faces or faces of spiritual beings carved into a tree vs creating a totem pole. Often these were found above the section of tree carved out for cooking.
Culturally modified trees seem to refer to stripping cedar bark for clothing, baskets and the like.
Marker Tree Examples:
Rob Casey is author of Kayaking Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, 60 Trips and Stand Up Paddling Flat Water to Surf and Rivers, both by Mountaineers Books. He owns Salmon Bay Paddle a SUP school in Seattle.
