Theresa Thorne from kwa’mutsun shares some information on soapberry

yathulh ’uw’ s’i’lhtun’s tthu hwulmuhw.
The First Nations people used to always be eating this.

ni’ wulh mel’qtus tun’a qe’is hwulmuhw.
It’s now forgotten by the people today.

ni’ lhuw’ yath ’uw’ ’amustalum kwutst ’uw’ hwun’ mumun’lh.
But they always gave this to us when we were little.

Featured Plant

q’umun’ulhp | Bigleaf Maple

This species has the largest leaves of any maple, hence the common name (and the scientific specific epithet macrophyllum, which means big leaf). It is a large, often multi-stemmed, deciduous tree, which may reach a height of 35 m (115 ft). The greenish-yellow flowers, which are borne in large, hanging clusters, mature to produce winged fruits (samaras) that are disseminated by wind. This tree occurs on dry to moist sites, at low to middle elevations from southwestern British Columbia to southern California. It occurs throughout the Hul’q’umi’num’ territory.

Bigleaf maple wood has been used for paddles, bowls, spoons, utensils, for carving and to smoke fish. The “sap” (cambium), removed from the layer between the bark and the wood, is a traditional food. The winged fruits, which fly through the air like a whirlybird, were used as a lure for fishing lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) and “red snapper” (or yelloweye rockfish, Sebastes ruberrimus). The large leaves were used as an undermat for drying some edible fruits and roots.Used for willow baskets. The rangy ones at higher altitudes are used for paddles.