In this photograph of Cayuse tribal member Agnes Davis (also known as Ku-massag) taken about 1900, she is wearing a hat woven from the twine of qēemu. This type of hat is traditionally presented to Nez Perce women who have reached a high stature within the tribe.
Key to reaching Sammaripa’s goal to replenishing qēemu was taking a course in geographic information systems (GIS) taught by Sylvie Arques at the college’s Native and Environmental Science Program. Using GIS mapping program, Sammaripa combined data about potential qēemu gathering sites that she collected from historical maps, soil surveys, satellite imagery showing vegetation cover as well as other sources to create a computer model that could identify the most suitable locations to restore the plant. “Stella’s work is the best example of what I do,” Arques said. Arques was so impressed with Sam-
maripa’s project that she recommended her student for participation in NASA’s Minority University Research and Edu- cation Project, which creates opportu- nities for American Indians and Alaska
Natives to enter science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Sherry Palacios, a GIS expert who was at that time also a NASA researcher, helped Sammaripa create her model. “My role has been mostly to guide students on their own project management [and provide] some help on GIS methods, communication of their findings and preparing for their presentations,” Palacios explained. The projects align “traditional ways of knowing with Western approaches to Earth science research, to gain an understanding of how tribes can pre- pare for the future,” she said. “This gets at the heart of NASA’s goal to under- stand the Earth system and to prepare for changes.” To complete her NASA internship, Sammaripa presented a poster about her model at the fall meeting of the Ameri- can Geophysical Union, which was held in New Orleans in December 2021. With financial support from Northwest Indian College’s Salish Sea Research Center, Sammaripa was able to travel to the meeting and discuss her dogbane
restoration project with scientists there. “It’s a real honor,” she said. Arques said Sammaripa’s project
reflects the success of her college’s Native Environmental Science program. “Indig- enous communities have been studied by Western outsiders for so long that it is really powerful to witness the work of our students for their communities,” she said. “They are the leaders of tomorrow, and they excel in navigating the waters between traditional ecological knowl- edge and Western science.” Sammaripa would like to apply her
model to restoring or increasing popula- tions of other species on her tribe’s lands, including tule, a type of bulrush found in Idaho’s wetlands. The Nimíipuu and other Native peoples used this plant to weave into mats, clothing and structures such as lodges. She said, “Our ancestral knowledge is not lost. It’s not dead. It’s only asleep.”
harvey leifert is a freelance science writer based in Bethesda, Maryland, and former public information manager of the American Geophysical Union.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION SPRING 2022 13
COURTESY OF NEZ PERCE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, U.S. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, NEPE-HI-C33561. PHOTO BY LEE MOORHOUSE.
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