November 19, 2024 report
Genetic analysis of hazelnut trees in British Columbia shows wide dispersal by Indigenous people
A team of environmental management specialists, dendrologists and Indigenous studies researchers found evidence showing that Indigenous people living in British Columbia cultivated hazelnut trees long before colonists from Europe arrived.
In their paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes how they collected hazelnut tree samples from across large parts of British Columbia and then sequenced their DNA to learn more about their diversity, which for trees is strongly tied to dispersal.
In Canada, laws have been passed to give land back to Indigenous people that was taken during the time when European settlers arrived. Such laws allow Indigenous groups to reclaim land if they can prove that it was used continuously and exclusively by their ancestors.
In many parts of British Columbia, those opposed to allowing for such reclamations have claimed that the land was used "passively" by Indigenous groups, and because of that, they have no claim to it. In this new effort, the research team has sought to show proof of continuous and exclusive use of the land by showing that the people who lived there were cultivating hazelnut trees over many generations.
The work by the team involved traveling to various forests in British Columbia and collecting samples from hazelnut trees. They focused most specifically on an area that once was the site of a large native metropolis—a city that existed for thousands of years but went to ruin approximately 3,500 years ago due to natural disasters.
All the samples were taken back to a lab where they were genetically sequenced. In looking at the data, the research team found evidence of hazelnut seeds being transported to the area from as far away as 800 kilometers over many years. This, they note, could not have been done naturally.
The natural dispersion of seeds by birds, squirrels and other animals is almost always localized. This, the researchers further suggest, is evidence of Indigenous people cultivating the trees over many generations. They did so because hazelnuts are a very good source of food. Not only are they nutritious, but they would also serve as a reliable source of food for people living on snow-covered land over long winters.
More information: Chelsey Geralda Armstrong et al, Genetic differentiation and precolonial Indigenous cultivation of hazelnut (Corylus cornuta , Betulaceae) in Western North America, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024).
Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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