By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
Mountain huckleberry has served as an important food, medicine, and trade good to Coast Salish cultures since time immemorial. Prior to European colonization of the Americas, Native peoples managed the land using controlled burns to create and maintain huckleberry habitat in prime gathering areas located high above sea level. These traditional teachings live on today.
“I joined the Forestry team in 2022. At that time, the huckleberry fields were looking scarce,” explained Tisen Fryberg, Tulalip Tribe’s Forest Manager. “That was due in part to the pandemic and a staff shortage that resulted in less resources being available to manage the huckleberries. But to me, even with less resources, if fire was being used effectively to manage that land like our ancestors did in their day, then the scarcity could’ve been avoided.
“It was a priority of mine to implement that traditional teaching of using fire as a means of stewardship so that the huckleberries could thrive once again. Over the past few years, we’ve been successful with using fire to clear underbrush and slash piles. This not only recycles the nutrients into the soil and allows the huckleberry plants to grow bigger and stronger, but it also is an effective way to reduce the presence of competing plant species.
“Using fire and controlled burns in the same way our ancestors did ensures that the berries will continue to be abundant for future generations,” continued Tisen. “This is what planning for the seventh generation is all about.”
In 2016, the Tulalip Tribes began working cooperatively with the U.S. Forest Service to sustain huckleberries at a 1,280-acre parcel of land, 4,700 feet above elevation in the upper Skykomish River watershed. This particular location is one of several co-stewardship areas throughout the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest where Tulalip collaborates with the Forest Service to preserve and maintain important cultural resources.
Photo OSU Special Collections Archive, 1933.
Named swədaʔx̌ali, Lushootseed for ‘Place of Mountain Huckleberries’, this end of summer destination gives Tulalip’s membership an opportunity to walk in the shadows of their ancestors and harvest the highly prized mountain huckleberry.
Mountain huckleberries generally ripen in the late summer and can be picked into the early fall. Well-known for boosting the immune system and being rich in antioxidants, huckleberry has a strong relationship to the area’s Northwest Tribes. Coast Salish peoples consider the huckleberry to be an important dietary staple because of its medicinal properties and sweet, delicious taste.
“Huckleberry is a superfood and medicine to our people,” explained Tulalip elder and knowledge keeper Inez Bill. “Our ancestors visited certain areas for gathering these berries. They knew where the berries were growing, what companion plants were growing there too, and how to use them.
“Through the teachings of how we value, take care of and utilize our environment, we pass down our history and traditions, and what is important to the cultural lifeways of our people. This connection to the land enables us to know who we are as a people.”
Swədaʔx̌ali is a prime example of how Tulalip is diligently working to reclaim traditional areas. Stemming directly from the Point Elliot Treaty of 1855, which secured claims to gather roots and berries in all open and unclaimed land, the ‘Place of the Mountain Huckleberries’ is a living expression of Tulalip’s sovereignty.
Embracing that sovereignty is every tribal member who journeys to this harvesting area and practices a berry picking tradition that continues to be passed on from one generation to the next. Tulalip mother-son duo, Maria and Enzo Rios, recently made the 65-mile journey to swədaʔx̌ali. It was 2-year-old Enzo’s first time on the mountain, but he looked right at home as he picked berry after berry. Often letting out a “hmmm yum!” while filling his belly.
“It was a beautiful, uplifting experience. Once we hit the forest, where there were no buildings, no cars, no people, just trees…my spirit soared,” reflected Maria after staining her hands purple from successful day of harvesting. “Watching my son pick his first huckleberries, I couldn’t help but think of his great-grandparents picking berries when they were kids. Berry picking just feels natural, like we’ve always done it. These are the meaningful experiences that we all need to share in. The smells are intoxicating, the sounds are beautiful, and the views are absolutely stunning.”
Huckleberry season is short, lasting only a matter of weeks across August and September. Thanks to the Tribe’s dedicated Forestry team and effective use of fire as a land management tool, the berries at swədaʔx̌ali are more abundant and larger than they’ve been in years.
The sought-after superfood ranges in color from bright red to deep blue to plum purple. Similar in size to blueberries and much sweeter than cranberries, many people rate huckleberries as the tastiest of the berry bunch.
Huckleberry harvest season is here. Every Tulalip tribal member and Tulalip family is invited to make the most of this window of opportunity by journeying to swədaʔx̌ali. There are two gates that require a combination to unlock. Please visit or call the Admin Building front desk at 360-716-4160 and provide your full name, followed by enrollment number, to obtain the lock combination.
For the Tulalip Tribes, the mountain huckleberry is intimately tied with traditional lifeways and culture. Nearly 5,000 feet up, in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, berry pickers are completely immersed in the grand splendor that is the Pacific Northwest. Epic views of luscious forestry, towering mountains, and clear waterways are mesmerizing.
The Lushootseed Department was quick to capitalize on the harvest opportunity. They spent a Thursday at swədaʔx̌ali, living out the seasonal harvesting traditions they incorporate in their teaching lessons.
“As soon as we found out the huckleberries were ready – our team prepared for a trip for the ‘Huckleberry Opener 2025’,” shared Lushootseed manager Natosha Gobin. “Berries picked are used in lessons teaching the importance of harvesting and processing as a traditional food for year-round usage; for foods shared during Lushootseed department community events; and utilized to create giveaway/honorarium items.
“Reconnecting with the spaces that our ancestors traveled to harvest brings a sense of belonging,” continued Natosha. “It’s an emotional connection that helps increase our desire to continue learning, teaching and honoring the ways of life that helped our ancestors thrive, since time immemorial.”
An expression of tribal sovereignty. Offerings of traditional teachings and sustainable land management. An invaluable cultural medicine. In addition to their high concentration of antioxidants and nutrients, it’s clear the peewee sized berries are also packed with purpose.