About the Film

Salal, Cedar and Spruce: A Journey with Salish Plant and Medicine Traditions is a documentary exploration of the contemporary movement to revive the knowledge of traditional Salish foods and medicines in the Pacific Northwest.

Through interviews with herbalists, educators, farmers, and elders, the film follows communities reclaiming ancestral plant knowledge — from cedar bentwood boxes and heated-rock cooking to food sovereignty on reservation lands and indigenous approaches to research and land-based learning.

The documentary was selected for the 2023 Latino & Native American Film Festival and broadcast on FNX Public Television.

Extra Features

Empowering Indigenous Youth With Traditional Foods, Treaty Rights, and Environmental Advocacy

Valerie Seagrest describes her collaboration with CWIS working with youth to define food deserts on Muckleshoot Reservation.

Revitalizing Traditional Cooking, Ancestral Foods and Cultural Connection

Aleta Poste shares how Salish Roots Farm at Squaxin Island Tribe provides fresh produce for the tribal community.

Cedar Boxes and Heated Rocks — A Lesson in Mindfulness and Tradition

Keith Stevenson and Valerie Seagrest construct and use cedar bentwood boxes to prepare foods traditionally.

Indigenous Educators on Plant Wisdom, Ecology, and Land-Based Learning

Cinnamon Bear, Janay Joseph, and Lisa Wilson share their journeys studying and teaching herbal medicine.

Indigenous Approaches to Research

Martell Hesketh explores indigenous sciences and indigenous ways of knowing as methods used to evaluate project success.

Reclaiming Native American Food Traditions, Culture, and Community Engagement

Rose James discusses her work advancing food sovereignty among nations in the Pacific Northwest.

Credits

Produced and Directed by Leslie Korn
Project Management by Sam Stoker
Edited by Max Montalbán, Alma Méndez
Photography by Max Montalbán, Alma Méndez