Mult-No-mah - Wappato Camas

Brad Yazzolino

Multnomah - or Mult-No-Mah - Falls is located in the Northern quadrant of Oregon state, along the Columbia River Gorge, and is named for the indigenous Multnomah tribe that used to live in the Wappato Valley region. "Wappato" is a tuber plant that grows in marshlands and was harvested by Northwestern tribes; "Camas" refers to the perennial herb "camassia quamash," a tuber also used by Northwest tribes as a flavoring agent.

This is an image of the famous natural landmark as imagined during pre-colonization times, with tribespeople gathered at the shore to fish for salmon, two dugout cedar canoes on the river in the background. This may have been a poster for a festival or other event. Yazzolino is a multi-disciplinary who's also been an environmentalist throughout his life, focusing especially on the Columbia River Gorge.