The fight to protect native rivercane

In previous Biskinik and Iti Fabvssa articles, we highlighted how rivercane baskets are made, including how the materials are gathered, the techniques and motifs artists have used for generations, and the purposes these baskets serve in everyday life. It is a cultural keystone species with a rich history of traditional uses, including arrows, basketry, blowguns, fishing spears, knives, traps, pottery tools and medicine.

Chief Gary Batton made rivercane the star of his February 2023 Chief’s Blog, stating, “The river cane is a symbol of the Choctaw Nation. The native bamboo grass is represented at the Choctaw Nation headquarters in its design in numerous areas of the building for its historical significance. We, as a nation, honor our faith, family, and culture by remembering where we came from and how our early Choctaw family relied on the river cane for survival. River cane is not only important to the Choctaw Nation, but to the stability it brings to the soil and the home it provides for animals.”

For this month’s Biskinik article, we wanted to highlight the life of rivercane and its importance to the environment.

The Science of Rivercane

Rivercane is a native species of bamboo that is endemic to the eastern United States and can be found growing around the Choctaw Nation reservation, as well as in our ancestral homelands of Mississippi and Alabama. Canebrakes are typically found along or near creeks and rivers but never in the water. They can grow, on average, 18 feet tall.

When asked about her role at the Choctaw Nation, Jamie Smith says she “serendipitously finds canebrakes.”

As an Environmental Coordinator, she conducts site visits to different properties around the reservation. In the process, she finds canebrakes. Once she locates a canebrake, like any good scientist, she measures.

“I measure the diameter of the brake and note its exact location and features, such as its proximity to a water source. I note how the surrounding land is used and its potential impact on the canebrake. I also take a rhizome, a part of its root system, which I will look at under a microscope to determine its genus. Once I have that data, I record it in our private GIS mapping system.”

Mapping existing canebrakes provides future rivercane research opportunities while allowing our natural ecosystems to heal. Access to our map and associated data is heavily restricted and protected.

Unfortunately, these canebrakes are less abundant than our ancestors would have enjoyed. Among other factors, the conversion of wild spaces for agricultural use has led to a detrimental reduction in this species, and it is estimated that less than 2% of historic canebrakes remain.

Not only does the severe reduction of rivercane impact our cultural practices, it also impacts our environment. Rivercane is essential to the health of our environment.

The ecological benefits of rivercane include water filtration, stream bank stabilization, enhanced air quality, natural fire breaks, wildlife habitat, black bear hibernation and is a larval host for several butterfly species.

The lifecycle of rivercane is slow to progress, and little research is available on what triggers the flowering cycle – a process that may take up to 40 years for a single plant.

Rivercane is a grass, and a single plant can be several acres long.

After a canebrake flowers, it dies. If the resulting rivercane takes root in a similar location, we can retain that canebrake.
University of Alabama Water Institute researchers are sequencing the rivercane genome. Extracting rivercane DNA and mapping its genetic history will allow us to document the best growing conditions for each strain of rivercane, increasing our ability to ensure its survival.

“This is one of the most critical plants to me, my ancestors, and the region, and it truly aligns our cultural and environmental practices, “says Smith.

A Partnership of Scientists, Historic Preservation, Artists, and Community

“Canebrakes like to be worked on. If left alone, canebrakes can become overgrown and invasive species can take over, resulting in it not growing as strong,” says Smith.

Basket weavers play a critical role in this process because they carry important traditional ecological knowledge. In their article “The burdens that these baskets carry – A rivercane reflection,” Michael P. Fedoroff and Ms. Rose Fisher of the Rivercane Restoration Alliance state that “a skilled Choctaw artist can identify the right time of year, correct age class, appropriate stem diameter, stand health, and harvest technique to gather the right cane for the right basket.”

In his blog post, Chief Batton outlines how and why tribal members should get involved in rivercane restoration efforts. “You can help by seeking out river cane restoration efforts and help with transplanting or giving to groups who are working to preserve the native grass. This river cane has provided tools, comfort and food for early Choctaws and, with our help, can continue to provide well into the future.”

“I want people to understand how important rivercane is not only to us, but to the environment as well. We have to respect the rivercane again, like our ancestors did. We want future generations to know rivercane and have the ability to go out and harvest it responsibly,” says Spring.

If you know of a possible rivercane location, you can share it with Smith’s office.

Smith assures private property owners who have canebrakes on their property that “we are not claiming ownership. We only want to partner in efforts to conserve and protect rivercane as a keystone species. Rivercane can be an important ally in your land management practices.”

An essential element of conservation is education. Several resources are available to learn about rivercane conservation and restoration efforts, including CONSERVE’s Rivercane Restoration Alliance and Rivercane Genome Project.

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Forestry, in partnership with the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, held the first annual Rivercane Gathering, which brought together tribal communities, federal employees, and university researchers to discuss rivercane’s cultural significance and conservation best practices.

Since 2013, the River Cane Initiative has been actively identifying and mapping existing canebrakes on tribal land here in northeastern Oklahoma. You can keep up with their efforts on their Facebook group, River Cane Initiative.

“We want the younger generations to learn about it, how it grows, how to harvest while protecting it, and what to make with it,” says Jamie. “If we lose these efforts, we lose the ability to continue important culturally relevant practices. Scientists, historic preservation, artists, and community members must unite to protect this cultural and ecological keystone species.”

Smith’s work does not stop after she locates and collects data on the canebrake. Once all the information is recorded, she contacts Ryan Spring, Research Coordinator and GIS Specialist in Historic Preservation, and together, they work to bring in more people who know how to work and harvest the rivercane.

“We bring in a blended group of artists, landowners and managers, traditional and academic scientists, and anyone who wants to learn more about rivercane to restore and work these canebrakes. We are building a community around rivercane,’ says Spring.

Rivercane conservation includes active engagement and use of the canebrakes. Stewardship practices that connect scientists and artists are an effective conservation method to ensure the longevity of this species.