Students Get Dirty Learning Archaeology That Respects Native Cultures

Jack McNeel, Indian Country Today Media Network

Sweating and digging in the Montana sun may not be most student’s idea of how to spend the summer, but seven Salish Kootenai College students did just that for six weeks as part of the requirement toward a degree in tribal historic preservation, the first such program in the nation.

RELATED: Salish Kootenai College Graduates First Tribal Historic Preservation Class

“The main reason for this summer study is to learn archaeological techniques,” said Dr. Jeff Bendremer, an instructor at the college.

Archaeology is typically not a positive subject among Native Americans, but the opportunity to learn and practice the procedures, combined with being able to see it through a different cultural perspective, holds great promise for the future.

Jennifer Phelps, from the Ponca of Nebraska Tribe, thought the summer program was “outstanding, especially to break ground as an indigenous field school. It’s something new and something that hopefully will be looked at from a different approach. It’s coming from a Native perspective. It’s something our ancestors had. We’re not here to disturb everything, just find out what was here. Were our ancestors here and what did they do here? How did they live?”

Jennifer Phelps, Ponca of Nebraska, says “When we do it [archaeology] it’s done in a respectful manner.” (Jackie McNeel)
Jennifer Phelps, Ponca of Nebraska, says “When we do it [archaeology] it’s done in a respectful manner.” (Jackie McNeel)

 

The first week was spent at Fort Connah, a Hudson’s Bay Trading Post built in 1846 in what is now Ronan, Montana. Salish Student Katie McDonald had a personal connection to the site because one of her ancestors ran the post in those early days.

The students learned to use archaeology techniques like ground penetrating radar and magnetometry, neither of which disturbs the soil, and worked with a tethered blimp for low level aerial photography in both visible light and infrared.

“It allowed us to pinpoint any kind of metals,” McDonald explained. “We can give coordinates of where it was so the people who own the land now, [Fort Connah Preservation Society] it’s up to them what to do with it. Our job was just to find it.”

The following three weeks were spent at Grant-Kohrs Ranch in Deer Lodge, Montana, once a 10 million acre ranch dating to 1862 and now a National Historic Site. The National Park Service has proposed building a new visitor center, but artifacts found raised some questions and the archaeology class was asked to come and investigate, “so they can make an informed decision about if their visitor center should be built on this site,” Bendremer explained.

Students dug excavation units throughout the site and located a well that had been covered over, the apparent foundation for the house and possible chimney, plus a variety of pieces of glass and metal.

“This is more real archaeological work,” McDonald commented. “You’re in the dirt. You’re finding different things. We’re able to put them away, write down where we found it, how deep in the dirt, and the stratigraphy. Ground levels will be able to tell us time periods. The best things to find are those with a date or a maker’s mark.”

Angela Iukes, Nez Perce from the Colville Reservation, talked of the physical work. “I knew it was going to be a lot of work but I didn’t know how much. We’re going to leave here really buff,” she laughed. Despite that, she plans to come back for the advanced course in the future.

The final week of the summer program was spent on the Flathead Reservation in western Montana with the approval of the tribal council.

“The aim of our program is to train Native students who can speak the language of their people, but also be able to converse with federal officials, with anthropologists and archaeologists” Bendremer said. “They will be able to go between these two communities and understand them and have a high degree of training to be able to negotiate all these complicated relationships: state, federal, private donors, tribes, and the great panoply of different jurisdictions. It’s very difficult but these students will have the training in both the culture and the language of cultural resource management as well.”

Amak Kenmille, Kootenai, carefully removes dirt searching for artifacts in one of the plots. (Jackie McNeel)
Amak Kenmille, Kootenai, carefully removes dirt searching for artifacts in one of the plots. (Jackie McNeel)

 

Read more at https://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/08/01/students-get-down-and-dirty-learning-archaeology-summer-150671

Where to go, what to if hankering for a humpy

By Wayne Kruse, The Herald

Big schools of pink salmon haven’t arrived in local saltwater just yet, but if you’re antsy to bonk a humpy or two, try beach casting at several spots on the west side of Whidbey Island. Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sport Center in Lynnwood said pinks are showing there in strong numbers, with limits being taken at Bush Point at times, and good fishing available at Fort Casey as well.

Use an 81/2- to 9-foot steelhead-weight spinning rig, Chamberlain said, 10- to 12-pound test line and a Buzz Bomb in the 21/2-inch size or a Rotator. The Rotator is becoming more popular — a flatter jig than the Buzz Bomb, allowing it to drop more slowly, Chamberlain said.

“Start with pink colors, then experiment from there,” he said. “And some guys like to dress the lures up with a pink mini-hoochie.”

A scattering of pinks also is being caught by trollers on Possession Bar, Richmond Beach, Jefferson Head and many of the other usual spots. The Snohomish River opened today, earlier than normal, from Highway 9 to the mouth, but Chamberlain doesn’t expect consistent catches in the river for a week or two yet.

Marine areas 8-1 and 8-2 also opened today, with most of the salmon action expected to be found toward the north end of the region.

“Pinks will probably be the early target on the incoming tide, at North Beach, around Hope Island and off the mouth of the Skagit,” said Kevin John at Holiday Sports in Burlington. “Pink Buzz Bombs or Rotators will be the popular lures with the beach fishermen.”

Mix incoming pinks with a strong and much earlier than usual coho run, and the ongoing selective chinook fishery in areas 9 and 10, and you have a unique opportunity to score on all three of those species in a single day’s trip. State catch sampling at Olson’s Resort in Sekiu on Saturday, for instance, showed 236 anglers with 84 chinook, 19 coho and 145 pinks. At the Port of Everett ramp on Saturday, it was 444 fishermen with 51 chinook, 27 coho and 63 pinks.

To the north, some 63 fishermen were checked at the Cornet Bay public ramp on Sunday, with 19 chinook, four coho and 44 pinks.

New tournament

The inaugural Harbor Marine Salmon Tournament ran Saturday and Sunday out of Everett, bringing the bass tournament mindset to Northwest salmon derbies. It was a full tournament format, both team and individual, total weight for two days of fishing, eliminating much of the luck factor of one-day derbies. It brought out many of the best salmon anglers on Puget Sound, not only for the money involved, but for the chance to compete against a field of their peers.

The event also was the newest stop on the prestigious Northwest Salmon Derby Series.

“It was truly exciting fishing,” said Nick Kester of All Star Charters, whose Team All Star won the best boat weight and $1,000, at 75.1 pounds of chinook for the two days.

“You know you’re going to be out there against the best in the area, and that it will come down to ounces at weigh-in time. That means you have to have a winning strategy and a game plan you can follow, balancing numbers against weight. There’s a place for derbies and there’s a place for tournaments as well, and I’m glad to see this format coming to Puget Sound.”

Individual winner was Brandon Robichaux, a member of Tom Nelson’s Team Outdoor Line, who weighed a two-day, four-fish total of 57.4 pounds. Second was Rob Byrd, who took home a check for $1,000, at 56.6 pounds, and third was Corey Thrasher, $500, at 54.5 pounds.

Team Outdoor Line, which included Nelson, Robichaux and Walt Hylback, nailed the grand prize of $5,000 and featured a second-day appearance of guest angler Brock Huard, former Husky and pro quarterback, and now a sports commentator for 710 ESPN Radio.

Few people who know T.J. Nelson, big, bluff and loquacious, would accuse him of being overly self-deprecating, but he said of his impressive win, modestly, “Hey, even the blind squirrel finds …”

Nelson has some excellent photos of the tournament on his blog. Check them out at www.theoutdoorline.com/blog.

Crab

The Puget Sound summer recreatonal crab season is progressing fairly well, according to Washingon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Don Velasquez.

“Some areas have been very good, but from some we’ve been hearing complaints that the tribal fishermen hit ’em pretty hard,” Velasquez said.

Areas 7, 9 and 10, and Hood Canal, are producing well — Area 9 particularly in Port Townsend Bay; Hood Canal around Misery Point and the north end; and Area 7 out of Bellingham. Generally, Velasquez said, Areas 8-1, 8-2, 11 and 13 have been hit or miss.

Baker sockeye

Also hit or miss has been the Baker Lake sockeye fishery. Kevin John said the fish are scattered and somewhat fewer in number than last season. You can still find decent fishing, John said, but you’re going to have to work at it and cover a lot of water and different depths. Most successful fishermen have been concentrating at the 40- to 60-foot range, and the north side of the lake’s upper third has been a popular area.

Coho seminar

Cabela’s Tulalip store offers a free seminar, Catching Coho with Captain Chris, Aug. 8, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Chris Long of Jolly Mon Charters will talk different saltwater techniques for successfully fishing coho while still targeting other species. There should be something here for both beginning and experienced anglers. Space is limited, so reserve a slot by calling 360-474-4880.

Lummi Nation Opposes Development of Cherry Point Export Terminal with Letter to Corps of Engineers

Position calls into question future of massive Gateway Pacific shipping facility

Source: Pyramid Communications

LUMMI INDIAN RESERVATION, BELLINGHAM, Wash.—Building the proposed Gateway Pacific export terminal and rail spur at Cherry Point would “have a substantial impairment on the Lummi treaty fishing right,” the Lummi Nation said in a formal opposition letter sent this week to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Opposition by the tribe could imperil the terminal and rail spur.

“It will make us reassess the direction we are going,” Muffy Walker, the Corps’ district regulatory branch chief was quoted as saying by The Bellingham Herald. The Corps of Engineers has authority to grant permits necessary to build the terminal. “We have denied permits in the past, based on tribal concerns,” Walker was quoted as saying.

In the letter, Lummi Indian Business Council Chair Tim Ballew writes, “Any impact on the Lummi treaty fishing right is inherently an impact on the Lummi way of life…. We believe that the Corps should see that these projects would without question result in significant and unavoidable impacts and damage to our treaty rights.

Lummi Indians maintain the largest Native fishing fleet in the United States, and Lummi fishers have worked in the XweChiexen (Cherry Point) fishery for thousands of years.

If constructed, the Gateway Pacfic export terminal would be the largest coal terminal on the West Coast of North America. It would significantly degrade an already fragile and vulnerable crab, herring and salmon fishery, dealing a devastating blow to the economy of the fisher community.

“It is imperative that the Corps carry out its trust responsibilities as they relate to the Lummi Nation and the treaty rights to fish, gather and hunt in the usual and accustomed places,” Ballew wrote.

The complete text of the letter follows.

July 30, 2013

Colonel Bruce A. Estok, District Engineer
US Army Corps of Engineers – Seattle District
PO Box 3755
Seattle, WA 98124


Lummi Opposition:  Proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal Bulk Dry Goods Shipping Facility (Ref. No. NWS-2008-260) and the Custer Spur Rail Expansion (Ref. No. NWS-2011-325) Projects

 

 

Dear Colonel Estok,

The Lummi Nation has unconditional and unequivocal opposition to the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal (Ref. No. NWS-2008-260) and the inter-related Custer Spur Rail Expansion project (Ref. No. NWS-2011-325) projects at Cherry Point.  As described in our resolution 2012-060 and in our previous letters dated October 17, 2011 and January 21, 2013 (attached), the Lummi Nation has a number of significant objections to the proposed projects.

 

In developing the Lummi Nation’s position on the projects, the Nation heeded the following principles:

  1. “Everything is connected.” As our elders conveyed through our Xwlemi’chosen (Lummi language) that cultural and spiritual significances expressed by our ancestors for the land, water and the environment are all connected.
  2. “We must manage our resources for the seventh generation of our people.” Our unique heritage requires us to honor our past, present and future generations. Since time immemorial we have managed resources that we are borrowing from our children and grandchildren.
  3. As a tribal government, we have adopted the critical goal that we must preserve, promote, and protect our Schelangen (“way of life”).

Review of the known facts, data, site plans, and the development and operational goals of the projects have resulted in a clear and convincing conclusion that the proposed projects, if built and operated, would have a substantial impairment on the Lummi treaty fishing right harvest at XweChiexen (Cherry Point) and throughout the Lummi “usual and accustomed” fishing areas. Any impact on the Lummi treaty fishing right is inherently an impact on the Lummi way of life.  The Lummi Nation cannot see how the proposed projects could be developed in a manner that does not amount to significant impairment on the treaty fishing right and a negative effect on the Lummi way of life. Please recognize this letter as a clear statement of opposition to these projects from the Lummi Nation.

 

The Lummi Nation expects that the Corps of Engineers (Corps), on behalf of the United States of America, to honor the trust obligations to the Lummi Nation related to these proposed projects. We believe that the Corps should see that these projects would without question result in significant and unavoidable impacts and damage to our treaty rights.  If the projects at Cherry Point are constructed and operated there will be impacts on the Lummi treaty rights forever.  It is imperative that the Corps carry out its trust responsibilities as they relate to the Lummi Nation and the treaty rights to fish, gather and hunt in the usual and accustomed places.

 

These comments in no way waive any future opportunity to participate in government-to-government consultation regarding the proposed projects and the associated state or federal government issued permits.   Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the attached comments or to schedule a government-to-government meeting regarding these projects.

 

Respectfully,

Tim Ballew II, Chair
Lummi Indian Business Council

Navajo Nation will support NM horse processing plant

By Rob Nikolewski, New Mexico Watch Dog

The Navajo Nation is about to wade into the heated debate over a horse-meat processing plant in Roswell and will support Valley Meat Co. becoming the first horse slaughterhouse in the U.S. in seven years.

“They’re eating up the land and drinking all the water,” Erny Zah, spokesman for Navajo Nation President Ben Shelley told New Mexico Watchdog of the feral horses on Navajo Nation land that encompasses 27,425 square miles, including parts of Arizona and Utah as well as a large section of northwest New Mexico.

Zah estimated there are 20,000 to 30,000 “feral horses on our lands,” and that Navajo Nation lawyers in Washington, D.C., are in the process of finalizing a letter that Shelly will sign in support of the horse slaughter facility “with the next couple of days.”

COMING OUT IN FAVOR: The Navajo Nation is about to come out in favor of a controversial horse slaughter facility in Roswell, NM. Photo from Facebook.

COMING OUT IN FAVOR: The Navajo Nation is about to come out in favor of a controversial horse slaughter facility in Roswell, NM. Photo from Facebook.

 

“I’m sympathetic to the native nations but all this is going to do is make New Mexico the slaughter state,” said Phil Carter of Animal Protection New Mexico, one of the facility’s opponents. “We have to move forward beyond this outdated and cruel slaughter model.”

The debate over the facility in Roswell has sparked heated arguments that extend beyond state borders.

Opponents of the facility include Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, former Gov. Bill Richardson, state Attorney General Gary King and State Land Commissioner Ray Powell, as well as actor Robert Redford and animal rights groups. The Humane Society of the United States is one of a slew of plaintiffs seeking an injunction to stop the company from opening its slaughterhouse operations.

Supporters say that given the rising cost of hay, horses have been abandoned and left to starve. They argue it’s better to have unwanted and dying horses killed in a federall -inspected facility in the U.S. than have them sent to plants in places like Mexico, where they often meet gruesome deaths in unsanitary conditions.

“Which would you rather do, put them down in a humane fashion or let them starve to death,” the facility’s attorney Blair Dunn said earlier this month.

The debate has become more intense as Valley Meat Co. hopes to open as soon as Aug. 5. A federal court hearing is set for Friday in Albuquerque

Last Saturday, a fire broke out at the company and officials suspect it may have been deliberately set. The blaze burned part of the exterior of Valley Meat Co.’s building and damaged a refrigeration unit. A Chaves County sheriff’s lieutenant described the fire as “very suspicious.”

“It was an act of domestic terrorism,” Dunn told the Texas-New Mexico Newspapers Partnership Tuesday.

Zah said the Navajo Nation’s decision to weigh in on the matter is “more economic” than anything else.

“We’re already in a drought,” Zah said. “We already have our registered cattle and sheep and registered horses to care for. We’re concerned about water and vegetation” being eaten by feral horses.

Zah said a horse slaughter facility in Roswell is simply closer and more cost-effective.

“We need some place to take them,” he said. “There are other options but they are more costly … The plant Roswell provides us this opportunity.”

But Carter says there are other options, including injecting horses with contraceptives, gelding stallions and euthanizing them.

But isn’t that expensive?

Carter points to the New Mexico Equine Protection Fund that his group administers and says the cost to tending to feral horses has been reduced to about $200 per head. “And there’s no reason those costs couldn’t come down more,” Carter said.

“They’re sacred animals,” Zah acknowledged but added, “We also have a kinship with our land. There’s a delicate balance there. Everything is related, everything is intertwined. When one is out of balance, we have to take care of that delicate balance.”

Supporters of the plant have estimated there are 9,000 feral horses on Mescalero Apache land in southern New Mexico. Numerous phone calls from New Mexico Watchdog to Alfred LaPaz, acting president of the Mescalero tribe, seeking comment have gone unanswered.

Cantwell, Barrasso Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Reauthorize Key Tribal Housing Bill

The Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act is Set to Expire in Two Months

From the Chair of Maria Cantwell

 

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced S.1352, to reauthorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA), which is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2013.  They were joined by Senators Tim Johnson (D-SD), Jon Tester (D-MT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Mark Begich (D-AK), Al Franken (D-MN), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND).

 

In 1996, Congress first passed NAHASDA to help ensure that Tribes and their members are provided safe and affordable housing, and that housing programs meet the needs of Tribal members well into the future.   NAHASDA helps address a critical need for housing assistance in Indian Country, where more than 28% of reservation households lack adequate plumbing and kitchen facilities, while nationally only 5.4% of households lack such infrastructure.

 

“Housing conditions in Native American communities remain some of the most challenging in the nation.  This Act is designed to assist those communities, where substandard housing is rampant and poverty is a serious issue,” Cantwell said.   “The reauthorization of this Act is critically important to help ensure that Tribes continue to have access to the tools necessary to provide for the basic housing needs of their members.  While more must be done, I am pleased to note that this is one of the most successfully implemented programs in Indian Country to date.”

 

“Our bill responds to a fundamental need on our nation’s Indian reservations: safe, adequate housing for low income Indian people.   Without adequate housing, families can’t thrive and parents can’t provide a healthy environment for their children so they can do well in school and life.  This problem takes a toll on entire reservation communities and we have to address it,” Barrasso said.  “I look forward to working with the Chairwoman and other members of the Committee to move this bill forward in the Senate as soon as possible.”

 

This bill improves the current law by:

 

  • Increasing usage of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits by developers and investors that target projects serving Indian communities.

 

  • Elimination of duplicative requirements when multiple agencies are involved in a housing-related project by identifying the majority federal partner and using that agency’s standards.

 

  • Allowing Tribes access to the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH).

 

  • Promoting clean energy and sustainable projects by raising the total development cost ceilings cited as barriers to building energy-efficient housing.

 

An estimated 200,000 housing units are needed immediately in Indian Country and approximately 90,000 Native families are homeless or under-housed.     A 2009 Annual Homeless Assessment Report found that Native Americans make up 8% of the country’s homeless population, while they comprise less than 1% of the general population.  Nearly 46% of Native households are overcrowded, a rate almost three times that of the rest of the country, according to a 2010 report from the General Accounting Office.

 

In 2002, NAHASDA was reauthorized for five years, and was again reauthorized in 2008 for a five-year period which expires in September 2013. NAHASDA replaced funding under the 1937 Housing Act with Indian Housing Block Grants and provided Tribes with the choice of administering the block grant themselves or through their existing Indian Housing Authorities or their Tribally-designated housing entities.

 

Haggen recalls ground beef sold at stores outside Whatcom County

 

Haggen has recalled some ground beef because of the threat of E. coli, but none of it was sold at stores in Whatcom County.

If you bought beef under the NatureSource label at Haggen or TOP Food stores outside Whatcom County, you might be affected.

Here is the information from Haggen.

Posted by DEBBIE TOWNSEND on August 1, 2013

The Bellingham Herald

 

haggenlogo

 

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (August 1, 2013) — In an abundance of caution, Haggen, Inc. today announced it is issuing a recall prompted by a nationwide recall from ground beef supplier National Beef Packing Company. National Beef announced the recall of approximately 50,100 pounds of ground beef due to a sample testing positive for E. coli O157:H7. There have been no reported illnesses related to the recall.

Haggen’s recall is isolated to the 97% lean ground beef sold under the NatureSource label produced on July 18, 2013, with a use by/freeze by date of August 7, 2013.

The recalled item was sold in Haggen stores in Snohomish and Oregon City, as well as TOP Food & Drug stores in Olympia, Woodinville and Grays Harbor, Washington.

Haggen has removed the affected product from its stores and initiated its customer recall notification system. The company is asking customers of the affected stores to carefully check their refrigerators and freezers for recalled ground beef. Any opened or unopened products included in this recall should not be consumed and should be returned to their local Haggen or TOP Food & Drug store for a full refund.

Consumers who have questions about the recall may contact Haggen at 1-360-733-8720 or may contact National Beef’s consumer relations toll free at 1-800-449-BEEF.

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160° F. The only way to confirm that ground beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature.

Legislature funds final push to rid Puget Sound of derelict fishing nets

When spread out, nets cover a significant amount of habitat.Source: The Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative
When spread out, nets cover a significant amount of habitat.
Source: The Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative

Source: San Juan Islander

August 2, 2013

OLYMPIA – The final push in a decade-long effort to clear Puget Sound of derelict fishing nets within 105 feet of the surface will get under way later this year with funding approved by the Washington State Legislature.

The state budget adopted last month provides $3.5 million for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to complete the task in partnership with the Northwest Straits Foundation, which has led the net-removal effort since 2002.

Since then, divers working for the non-profit organization have removed 4,437 lost or abandoned fishing nets, 2,765 crab pots and 42 shrimp pots from the waters of Puget Sound. Animals found dead or entangled in that gear include porpoises, sea lions, seabirds, canary rockfish, chinook salmon and Dungeness crab.

According to one predictive catch model, those derelict nets were entangling 3.2 million animals annually every year they remained in the water.

Robyn du Pré, executive director of the foundation, said the new funding will support the removal of approximately 1,000 derelict nets in high-priority areas of Puget Sound after current funding runs out in December.

“These legacy nets have been fishing the waters of the Salish Sea for decades,” du Pré said. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to finish the job and to celebrate a true conservation success story in 2015.” Du Pré added that current fishing net loss is minimal and commercial fishers are now required to report any lost nets.

State Rep. Norma Smith of Whidbey Island led the legislative effort to fund the net-removal initiative.

“I am deeply grateful to my colleagues who helped achieve the goal of a $3.5 million appropriation for the Northwest Straits Foundation to remove the last of the legacy nets from the Puget Sound,” Smith said. “Lost in previous decades, they have had a devastating impact on harvestable natural resources and marine life. Once removed, because of the reporting requirements now in place, this challenge comes to an end. What an achievement!”

WDFW Director Phil Anderson said the new funding is specifically designed to support the removal of derelict fishing nets in areas of the Sound where historic fisheries coincide with bottom conditions likely to snag nets. The foundation locates those nets using sidescan sonar surveys, then dispatches recovery vessels with dive teams to retrieve them.

Few efforts have been made to remove nets from depths of more than 105 feet, because of safety concerns. However, the foundation recently completed an assessment of deepwater net-removal strategies that include the use of remotely operated vehicles, grapples, and deepwater divers.

“Working in conjunction with our partners at Northwest Straits and in the State Legislature, we have made enormous strides toward eliminating the risks posed to fish and wildlife by derelict fishing gear,” Anderson said. “This is difficult work, and it requires a real commitment from everyone to get it done. We look forward to celebrating the next milestone in 2015.”

Source: Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative
Source: Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative

New Study Finds Increase in Nonfatal Food-Related Choking Among Children in the U.S.

 

By Nationwide Children’s Hospital

07/29/2013

 

Choking is a leading cause of injury among children, especially for children 4 years of age and younger. A new study by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined nonfatal food-related choking among children 14 years of age or younger from 2001 through 2009.

 

During the nine-year study period, more than 12,000 children were treated each year in U.S. emergency departments for injuries from choking on food, which equals 34 children each day.

 

According to the study, published in the July online issue of Pediatrics, hard candy caused the most choking episodes (15 percent), followed by other candy (13 percent), meat, other than hot dogs (12 percent), and bones (12 percent). These four food types alone accounted for more than half of all the choking episodes in the study.

child-choking-hazard

 

The Top Ten Choking Hazard Foods from Babyfoodchart.com

While some of these might be obvious, others may not have occurred to you. The ten foods most likely to cause choking are as follows:

  • Hot Dogs: Their round shape can easily lodge in a child’s small airway, and they are too heavy to easily cough out. Hot dogs can be served, but should be cut up into small bites by quartering each round slice carefully.
  • Nuts and seeds: These may seem obvious to some people, but remember that it isn’t just a bowl of nuts that pose the risk. Nuts and seeds can appear in all kinds of baked goods, so keep an eye out for them
  • Chunks of meat or cheese: Meat should be cooked thoroughly and served in very small bites. Cheese is best sliced thin or even shredded, and never served in cubes.
  • Whole grapes: The skin can be very hard to break through, especially without teeth. Grapes should be cut into quarters before serving.
  • Hard, sticky candy: This one isn’t all that surprising to most people, and you might never think of giving your baby hard candy – but make sure well-meaning grandparents and others know the rule as well. As your child gets older, hard candy is still not a good idea – keep candy a rare treat and serve only soft options.
  • Popcorn: Most parents are surprised by this one; after all, popcorn is a soft, fluffy bite that melts in your mouth. Unpopped and partially popped kernels, however, pose a serious risk.
  • Chunks of peanut butter: If you have ever gotten peanut butter stuck on the roof of your mouth, you can imagine how this could become a problem. Serve smooth peanut butter in a very thin layer, and try spreading it on warm toast so that it melts.
  • Raw vegetables: Until your child is able to chew very effectively, don’t offer raw vegetable such as carrots which are hard and can pose a choking hazard. Cook vegetables at least partway before serving.
  • Chewing gum: You might never offer chewing gum to a baby or young child, but that doesn’t mean they might not get their hands on it. Keep it safely out of reach.

 

“Other high-risk foods, such as hot dogs, seeds and nuts, were more likely to require hospitalizations,” said Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy. “These foods have high-risk characteristics that make them more likely to block a child’s airway or make them more difficult to chew, which can lead to more serious choking events.”

 

More than 60 percent of the choking episodes occurred among children 4 years of age and younger. In line with physical and neurological development, the number of choking episodes decreased with increasing age until 7 years of age, after which the number of episodes remained relatively unchanged through age 14. However, the number of choking episodes involving candy increased with increasing age, and by age 4 years, more than half of choking episodes involved candy.

 

“Although the Consumer Product Safety Commission has well-established surveillance systems in place, as well as legislation and regulations to protect children from nonfood-related choking, no similar monitoring systems, legislation, or regulations currently exist to address food-related choking among children,” added Dr. Smith, also professor of Pediatrics in The Ohio State University College of Medicine. “Implementing improved monitoring of food related choking incidents, placing warning labels on foods that pose a high choking risk, changing the design of foods consumed by children to reduce the risk of choking, and developing public awareness campaigns to educate parents about the danger of food-related choking among children could all help reduce the number of choking episodes in the United States.”

 

Child caregivers should be aware of food choking prevention recommendations and guidelines. Children younger than 5 years of age should not be given hard candies or gum, and raw fruits and vegetables should be cut into small pieces. Young children should be supervised while eating and should eat sitting down. More choking prevention tips are available at www.nationwidechildrens.org/cirp-choking-prevention.

 

This is the first study to use a nationally representative sample to examine nonfatal food-related choking among children treated in U.S. emergency departments over a multi-year period. Data for this study were obtained from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System – All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP), which is operated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The NEISS-AIP provides information on consumer product-related and sports- and recreation-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments across the country.

 

The Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital works globally to reduce injury-related pediatric death and disabilities. With innovative research at its core, CIRP works to continually improve the scientific understanding of the epidemiology, biomechanics, prevention, acute treatment and rehabilitation of injuries. CIRP serves as a pioneer by translating cutting edge injury research into education, policy, and advances in clinical care. For related injury prevention materials, or to learn more about CIRP, visit www.injurycenter.org.

Source:Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America

4-Wheel-Warpony-skateboarders-2008

Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America

Tulalip Hibulb Cultural Center Temporary Exhibition
Opens August 10th, 2013 and runs through October 13th, 2013

“Ramp It Up” examines the role of indigenous peoples in skateboarding culture, its roots in ancient Hawaiian surfing and the visionary acheivements of contemporary Native skaters.

Skateboarding combines demanding physical exertion, design, graphic art, filmmaking and music to produce a unique and dynamic culture while illustrating how indigenous people and tribal communities have used skateboarding to express themselves and educate their youth.

Exhibit features
– Rare images and a video of Native skaters
– Contemporary artists
– Native skateboards
– Skate decks and more

“Skate culture is a great lens to learn about both traditional and contemporary Native American culture,” said Betsy Gordon, curator of “Ramp It Up.” “This exhibition not only showcases the Native skater, but also the Native elders, parents, government officials and community activists, who have encouraged their kids to skate.”

Smithsonian Connection

The exhibit was organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

“Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in America” was previously on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York as well as at the National Museum of American Indian in Washington, D.C.