Programs
Education
“The First People of Mount St. Helens: From Chalacha to Metuliash”
Instructor: Rick McClure
June 30 (evening campout) to July 1
Lawilayt-La – the “Smoker” - Mount St. Helens – holds an important place in the oral traditions and cultural history of local Native Americans—people who have lived in the shadow of the mountain for more than 9,000 years. This field seminar will provide an introduction to the history of the first people from the perspectives of archaeologists and tribal members. Following the annual subsistence round of the Lewis River Cowlitz people, we will begin the program at the Chelatchie Prairie headquarters of Mount St. Helens Institute, then travel east, up the Lewis River, to camp at Lower Falls, visiting an ancient site buried by pumice 3500 years ago. Field trips the second day will involve short hikes to see bark-stripped cedar trees, where native people gathered basketry material, and huckleberry processing and gathering sites in the uplands above the river. The seminar offers a rare opportunity to view archaeological materials from two of the sites we will visit, and to gain a tribal perspective on the landscape and resources surrounding the volcano.
Make-or-break Date: June 15
Meeting Time: June 30th at 10:00am
Meeting Place: Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument Headquarters in Amboy, WA
Level: Easy
Requirements: Participants should be able to walk over uneven terrain and be comfortable camping in a campground
Gear: To see the list of required gear, click here.
Fee: $75 (of which $25 is a tax-deductible contribution to the Institute)
Limit: 15
Details will be e-mailed to participants on the “make-or-break” date.
