A type of edible plant bulb used as food by certain populations, or a variant reference to a textile term.
From Chinook and Native American languages describing the camas plant (Camassia quamash), a nutritious bulb staple. The word entered English through early colonial contact with Pacific Northwest peoples.
Camas bulbs were so important to Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest that they controlled the timing of colonization—they couldn't defend against settlers until after the harvest, since they had to stay put processing food!
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