Klamath

The diachas process is a method used by the Indians to extract seeds from wokas pods, which, when roasted, become a mucilaginous paste. The process involves pounding pods with a stone and mixing in dry rotten wood or charcoal to absorb moisture. The mixture is then screened to separate the seeds from the capsule skins. The quality of wokas is classified into five grades based on seed maturity, with spokwas being the highest and chiniakum the lowest, reflecting the development of the seeds prior to harvesting.

The Klamath people utilize wokas seed hulls, rich in tannin, to dye the split tule used in basketry, enhancing the color and pattern of their wares. Wokas, when parched, serve as a tasty food and could be marketed as a breakfast option, though current extraction methods are labor-intensive and costly. The natural supply of wokas is limited, predominantly found in the Klamath region, and harvesting remains a manual process. Efficient machine methods could enhance production, but large-scale cultivation is deemed unfeasible.

The process of preparing spokwas begins with the collection of hard pods, which are stored in pits excavated for fermentation. This results in a mucilaginous substance resembling elastic dough. The pits, often covered with grass or sacks, are scattered throughout wokas camps and can pose a hazard for the unsuspecting. After harvesting, the fermented contents are transferred to a dugout, where they are mixed with water and processed to separate seeds from refuse, eventually leading to the production of lolensh and shnaps.

Fresh wokas seeds, essential for producing lolensh, are first dried and partially cooked in a frying pan. Once the kernels are in a tough, elastic state, the shells are removed by grinding on a mealing stone. The grinding technique preserves the kernel’s integrity while allowing for shell removal. Afterward, a flexible winnowing tray, known as a wokas shaker, separates the shells from the kernels. The prepared seeds can be consumed immediately or dried for later use.

In the preparation of shnaps, traditional methods of roasting wokas have transitioned to using frying pans, where kernels are parched until they swell and brown. The resulting snack resembles parched corn, often enjoyed fresh but can lose flavor when exposed to moisture. Shanks, as parched wokas are known, can be consumed dry or soaked in water. Meanwhile, lowak refers to the dried, still-shelled seeds from nearly mature wokas pods, which are pounded, sifted, and stored for winter use, sometimes retaining a portion for famine preparedness.

In the preparation of lowak, dry pods are separated from moist, decomposing ones. The latter, known as stontablaks, are pounded, dried, and winnowed into a form suitable for cooking as shiwulinz. Cooking processes involve roasting and cracking the seeds, referred to as lint, before boiling them into a mush. Various methods are employed for roasting; traditional techniques persist alongside modern adaptations. Other food forms include stilinsh, where shells are skimmed during cooking, and the now-uncommon talwas, cooked with hot stones in a basket.

Awal, a method of extracting seeds from freshly gathered wokas pods, involves cooking or steaming the pods to facilitate seed removal. At a Klamath Marsh camp, practitioners constructed a low platform of pine sticks to hold the pods over burning dry needles, producing steam. After about an hour of cooking, the pods were sorted into two grades based on seed maturity: the higher quality no-kapk and the lesser chĭn-i-a-kûm. The process highlights the efficiency and skill involved in food preparation among Indigenous peoples.

Wokas is harvested using dugout boats, mainly crafted from yellow pine or Douglas fir logs, which are approximately 18 feet long. The gathering process involves women poling the boats to reach the wokas plants, using poles made from lodgepole pine. They collect the mature pods, particularly the prized spokwas variety, which dissolves in water. However, due to their limited availability, women also harvest less mature pods. The labor-intensive work lasts from morning until evening, with gatherers traveling distances of two to three miles from camp.