Ethnobotany - Gwich'in Social & Cultural Institute · GWICH’IN ETHNOBOTANY: PLANTS USED BY THE GWICH’IN FOR FOOD, MEDICINE, SHELTER AND TOOLS1 T ABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction

by Alestine Andre and Alan Fehrby Alestine Andre and Alan FehrCovers the Gwich&in Settlement Region in the

Northwest Territories and Yukon Territory

Gwich’inEthnobotany

Plants used by the Gwich’in for Food,Medicine, Shelter and Tools

Ç Gwich&in Social and Cultural Institute and Aurora Research Institute, 2002.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except brief passages for purposes of review)without the prior permission of the copyright holders.

Published and distributed by Gwich&in Social and Cultural Institute and AuroraResearch Institute

CONTACT INFORMATION

Gwich&in Social and Cultural InstituteBox 46Tsiigehtchic, Northwest TerritoriesX0E 0B0Phone> (867) 953-3613Fax> (867) 953-3820

PHOTO CREDITS

Front cover

Cranberry - Dave Jones

Back cover

Raspberry - Myrna Pearman, Sphagnum - Dave Jones, Dwarf Birch - GSCI,Ochre - Alan Fehr, Fungus - GSCI, Pussywillow - GSCI, Centre Photo - Alan Fehr.

Inside

Alestine Andre, Leslie Main Johnson, Alan Fehr (Parks Canada), Gwich&in Social andCultural Institute (GSCI), Resources Wildlife and Economic Development (RWED),Laura and Steve Gasaway, Christian Bucher, Dave Jones, Jacquie Bastick (ParksCanada), James McCormick (Parks Canada), Derek Johnson and Myrna Pearman.

Aurora Research InstituteBox 1450Inuvik, Northwest TerritoriesX0E 0T0Phone> (867) 777-3298Fax> (867) 777-4264

CITATION

Andre, Alestine and Fehr, Alan. 2002. Gwich&in Ethnobotany, Plants used by theGwich&in for Food, Medicine, Shelter and Tools. Gwich&in Social and Cultural Instituteand Aurora Research Institute. Inuvik, Northwest Territories. 68 pages.

Canadian Cataloguing in Publication DataISBN> 1-896337-09-0

S E C O N D E D I T I O N , 2 0 0 2

GWICH’IN ETHNOBOTANY: PLANTS USED BY THE GWICH’IN FOR FOOD, MEDICINE, SHELTER AND TOOLS 1

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Introduction 3

Geographic Setting 4

Methods 6

About This Book and Kit 8

General Comments About Collecting and Use 10

A Request for Feedback 11

Acknowledgements 12

Summary of Plant Uses and Names 14

Trees 17

Berries 29

Shrubs 47

Other Plants 53

Mosses and Lichens 59

Fungus 63

Literature Cited 64

Appendix 1: 66Rocks and Minerals Used for Medicine and Dye

GWICH’IN ETHNOBOTANY: PLANTS USED BY THE GWICH’IN FOR FOOD, MEDICINE, SHELTER AND TOOLS2

^^People were always healthy and

there was hardly any kind of illness or

diseases because of the way they

lived in the country.&&

—Sarah Peters (COPE, b)


I N T R O D U C T I O N

Human beings have alwaysdepended on plants for theirsurvival. In virtually everyenvironment on the planet, wehave used plants for food andmedicine, and to make tools andbuild shelters. Over thousands ofyears, the Gwich&in people livingin the subarctic region of NorthAmerica became highly skilled atmaking use of the trees, shrubsand berries that the taiga andtundra provided. As skills weredeveloped and improved, thisknowledge was passed along fromgeneration to generation.

As the Gwich&in now live inpermanent communities, theirdependence on local plants hasdiminished. Many of the skillsthat they needed to survive on theland now survive only in thememories of their Elders. As theypass away, this knowledge isgradually dying with them.Recognizing that urgent actionwas needed, in 1996 the InuvikResearch Centre (InRC) of theAurora Research Institute, and theGwich&in Social and CulturalInstitute began documenting theplants the Gwich&in use and how

they use them. During the summerof 1997, staff from the InRC andGSCI worked with Gwich&inElders to document theirknowledge about the traditionaluse of plants, including leaves,bark, roots and berries. Eldersfrom Aklavik, Fort McPherson,Inuvik and Tsiigehtchic wereinterviewed, both in thecommunities and on the land.Youth from each community alsoparticipated in the project.

The result of this research is thisbook and an associated kit, whichare designed to be used byeducators, naturalists and thepublic.

Important Notice:

This is not a plantidentification guide. If youare uncertain of a plant’sidentity or uses DO NOTUSE. Consult a local plantexpert for more information.


G E O G R A P H I C S E T T I N G

The Gwich&in Settlement Region(GSR) was established under theterms of the Gwich&inComprehensive Land ClaimAgreement, which was signed in1992 by the Government ofCanada and the Gwich&in TribalCouncil. The GSR is located inthe northwest corner of Canada&sNorthwest Territories, coveringthe southern half of theMackenzie Delta and extendingsouth along the Mackenzie River,southwest along the Arctic Redand Peel Rivers, and west into theYukon (Figure 1> Map of GSR).The communities of Aklavik, FortMcPherson, Inuvik, andTsiigehtchic are located within theGSR.

The climate of the settlementregion is semi-arid and cold.Permafrost occurs throughout.The GSR includes two naturalregions> the taiga plain and taigacordillera. The taiga plain is a vastexpanse of open black spruceforest on moist sites, white spruceforest on the drier sites, andnumerous lakes and ponds. Treessuch as balsam poplar, tamarackand paper birch, are also found in

this region. The Mackenzie Deltais the largest delta in Canada andconsists of a maze of lakes andchannels, vegetated by whitespruce and a variety of shrubs onthe uplands, and willows alongthe banks.

The taiga cordillera, or mountainregion, includes the southern endof the Richardson Mountains andthe northern end of the MackenzieMountains. Black and whitespruce forests also grow in thisregion, although they aregenerally confined to lowerelevations and river valleybottoms. At higher elevations,arctic-alpine tundra grows.Typical tundra species includedwarf willow, cranberry,blueberry, blackberry andnumerous lichens and mosses.

Black bear, beaver, muskrat,woodland caribou, moose, lynx,snowshoe hare, marten and minklive in the forest region. Dallsheep are found only in themountains and barren-groundcaribou inhabit the tundra.Grizzly bears, wolves, red foxes,and wolverines are at home in theforest and tundra habitats.


Inuvik

Aklavik

Red�Mountain

Black�Mountain

Fort�McPherson

Eagle�Plains

Tsiigehtchic

Fort�Good�Hope

INUVIALUIT

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69°138° 137° 136° 135° 134° 133° 132° 131° 130° 129°

128°

129°128°

130°131°132°133°134°135°

136°137°

138°

THE GWICH'IN

SETTLEMENT REGION

Yukon and Northwest Territories, Canada

Scale: 1:3 Million��

Lambert Conformal Conic Projection

Dempster Highway

Terr i tor ia l Boundary

Sett lement Boundary

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M E T H O D S

Elders were selected toparticipate in this project basedon their expertise and interest inthe traditional use of plants.Usually Elders were interviewedduring field trips on the land.Youth and staff accompaniedElders on hikes through areasthey recommended, occasionallystopping to look at plants, pickberries or discuss a plant&s useand name. Photographs weretaken and some plants collectedfor use later in the Gwich&inPlant Kit. Because some Eldershad difficulty walking in thebush, we spent time with someof them in homes and officesexamining freshly picked ordried plants and discussing theirnames, uses and habitat.Information was also collectedfrom Elders in 1997 during theGwich&in Science Camp,organized by the GSCI. RuthWelsh, a Gwich&in Elder nowliving in the Yukon, alsoattended the camp. She has aspecial interest in ethnobotanyand worked with the staff andstudents identifying plants and

passing on information abouttheir preparation and uses. Inthe fall of 1997 Elders, youthand staff took a field trip downthe Dempster Highway to RockRiver.

Separate trips were made tocollect and photograph plants atdifferent stages of growth. Atthe Inuvik Research Centrelaboratory, the plants wecollected were pressed until dry,and then mounted with whiteglue on herbarium paper. Someplants were laminated for use inthe Gwich&in Plant Kit. Wherepossible, berries were dried andmounted with the whole plant<however, they often droppedoff, or were not present whenthe plants were collected. Toensure all plants in the kit hadsamples for people to see,berries were picked, dried andthen bagged and placed in aplastic organizer for display.Ground cone, lichen, moss andfungi were dried and placed ineither glass jars or in theorganizer.


On November 23 to 25, 1998,the authors and nine Elders,representing all fourcommunities, met to review,discuss, and correct the draftbook, plant specimens, and kit.This workshop was video-tapedand the tape archived at GSCI.

This book contains all theinformation gathered from theElders during the project. Theplant species presented arethose identified by Elders at thelocations they visited. We havealso included information aboutplant use by Gwich&in peoplethat is stored on the Gwich&inRenewable Resource Board&s

database of traditionalenvironmental knowledge. Thefollowing archives in thedatabase were searched>Hudson&s Bay Company,Committee for the OriginalPeoples Entitlement (COPE),Gwich&in EnvironmentalKnowledge Project (GEKP) andLand Use Planning. Many ofthe individuals whose quotesand information we used arenow deceased. The informationthey provided has proved to beinvaluable.


The Gwich&in Plant Kit wasdeveloped for use by educatorsin the Gwich&in SettlementRegion. The Inuvik ResearchCentre, the Gwich&in Social andCultural Institute, Parks Canadaand the five schools in the GSRall have kits that are availablefor educational purposes. Thekit includes a copy of this book,27 pressed, labelled andlaminated plants, an organizerwith assorted samples of driedberries and fungi, and two jarsof lichens and mosses. Thebook can be used without therest of the kit.

The plants presented in thisbook are grouped into trees,shrubs (lower growing, usuallymany stemmed, woody plants),berry plants, a collection ofmiscellaneous vascular plants,mosses and lichens, and fungi.Information on rock andmineral use was collectedincidental to the plant datacollection and is summarized inthe appendix. The English,Latin and Gwich&in plant namesare provided. We use both the

Gwichya Gwich&in dialect,spoken in Tsiigehtchic, and theTeet¬&it Gwich&in dialect used inthe Mackenzie Deltacommunities of Aklavik, FortMcPherson and Inuvik. In caseswhere only one dialect has aname for a particular plant, wegive that name and indicatewhich dialect by a ^^T&& forTeet¬&it or ^^G&& for Gwichya. Noreference is made to the dialectswhere they share the same namefor a particular plant. It shouldbe noted that some plants havemore than one Gwich&in name,including some that may not beincluded in this book. Not allEnglish names could be listedfor each plant< we have includedonly the names commonly usedin this region.

Often in the book, we use theexpression ^în the old days&&.While a bit ambiguous, we arereferring to a period prior to the1960s, when dog teams werestill the norm and most peoplelived, at least seasonally, on theland.

A B O U T T H I S B O O K A N D K I T


Although we provide a generaldescription for most plants, thisbook is not intended to replaceplant identification guides. Ifyou are unfamiliar with theseplants and need moreinformation in order to identifythem, ask an expert or obtainone of the following plantbooks>

1. Plants of the Western BorealForest and Aspen Parkland.1995. Derek Johnson, LindaKershaw, Andy MacKinnon,Jim Pojar. Lone PinePublishing, Edmonton,Alberta.

2. Wildflowers of the Yukon,Alaska, and NorthwesternCanada. 1988. John G.Trelawny. Sono Nis Press,Victoria, British Columbia.

3. Discovering Wild Plants>Alaska, Western Canada, andthe Northwest. 1989. JaniceJ. Schofield. AlaskaNorthwest Books, Portland,Oregon.

For a more academic andthorough treatment of plantidentification, obtain one of thefollowing books>

1. Flora of the Yukon Territory.1996. William J. Cody.National Research Council ofCanada, Ottawa.

2. Vascular Plants of ContinentalNorthwest Territories,Canada. 1980. Alf ErlingPorsild and William J. Cody.National Museums of Canada,Ottawa.


G E N E R A L C O M M E N T S A B O U TC O L L E C T I N G A N D U S E

Plants are a renewable resourcethat will regenerate year after yearif taken care of properly. Considerthe effects of collecting plants andremember the following>

1. Try not to pick out an area—take only what you need.

2. Do not destroy the whole plantif you do not need it all.

3. Try to collect away from mainroads and towns. Plants arecleaner away from theseplaces.

4. When collecting inner or outerbark, do not strip the bark fromaround the entire tree trunk.Girdling the tree, as it is called,will kill the tree.

Gwich&in Elders say that peoplemust respect the plants they arecollecting. People should leave anoffering when collecting any partof a tamarack, juniper or ochre (arock). Suitable offerings includetobacco, matches, tea, rifle orshotgun shells, money, sugar or aprayer. Mary Kendi of FortMcPherson says to pray while youcollect and prepare your medicine.

To make medicines, one shoulduse clear creek water, snow or ice,not tap water. Elders say allevergreens, including spruce,juniper and tamarack, promotehealing, and that the steam fromboiling these plants helps relievenasal congestion and colds.Boiling time should generally notexceed five to 10 minutes.Excessive boiling could result inextremely strong medicines andteas which could be bitter orharmful. Elizabeth Greenlandadvises to dispose of plants andtraditional medicines on the landwhen finished with them.

Finally, we ask that whencollecting plants out on the land,you respect the beliefs and valuesof Gwich&in Elders.

In olden days, when you’regoing to use any plant,you have to pay MotherEarth for it. They say that’swhen it works for you.—Laura Pascal, (COPE).


A R E Q U E S T F O R F E E D B A C K

We urge readers to pass onconcerns, corrections or anyinformation they might haveabout plant use in the Gwich&inSettlement Region. Stories,recipes, collecting locations,plants not listed—all would beappreciated.

Gwich’in Social and Cultural InstituteBox 46Tsiigehtchic, Northwest TerritoriesX0E 0B0

Phone: (867) 953-3613

Fax: (867) 953-3820

Please contact the Gwich&in Socialand Cultural Institute inTsiigehtchic with yourinformation.


A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

Many people helped complete thisproject. The Ehdiitat Gwich&infrom Aklavik included EldersAnnie Benoit, Mary Kendi,Louisa Kalinek, Bella Greenland,Martha Stewart, Rosie JaneStewart, Richard Ross, Annie B.Gordon as well as students SharlaGreenland, Sigmour Furlong, andEric Kendi. The Nihtat Gwich&infrom Inuvik were Elders MabelEnglish, Elizabeth Greenland, andCatherine Mitchell, as well asstudents Dorothy Wright andMary Beth Baxter. GwichyaGwich&in participants fromTsiigehtchic were Elders CarolineAndre, Hyacinthe Andre, andAnnie Norbert, as well as studentsBilly Veryl Clark, Nich&it tsalNorbert, Billy Moore, CharleneBlake, Daniel Blake, EarlMcLeod, and Bobby Jean Natsie.The Teet¬&it Gwich&in from FortMcPherson included Elders MaryKendi and Louisa Robert, as wellas students Karen Vaneltsi,Charles Vaneltsi, Charlie RobertGreenland, and Candace Smith.

In 1997 William Hurst andsummer students Angeline Haynesand Frederick ^^Ziggy&& Maring, all

from the Inuvik Research Centre(InRC), participated in field tripsto Aklavik, Inuvik andTsiigehtchic, and assisted inpressing and mounting the plantspecimens. In 1998 InRC summerstudents Augusto Carriedo andRebecca Filion assisted with plantcollection, pressing, andmounting. Augusto Carriedolaminated most of the plants andassisted with label preparation.Several other InRC staff alsoassisted> Valoree Walker, LesKutny, Suzanne den Ouden, TanyaDorey, Alex Collins and AlexBorowiecka. Ruby Lennie andLeslie Main-Johnson assisted withthe plant photography in 1998.Marie-Anick Elie from theGwich&in Renewable ResourceBoard helped with the collectionof photographs.

The Elders& workshop held inNovember 1998 to review thedraft products included MaryKendi, Alfred Semple, andCatherine Semple from Aklavik<William Teya, Louisa Robert andMary Kendi from FortMcPherson< Mabel English andElizabeth Greenland from Inuvik<


and Noel Andre and Antoine(Tony) Andre from Tsiigehtchic.Itai Katz video-taped theworkshop. Other people whoassisted us in various waysincluded Ruth Welsh, GraceBlake, Barb Cameron, IngridKritsch, and Lucy Wilson. Gadi

SPONSORS OF THIS PROJECT>

PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS>

Katz constructed and AlmaCardinal painted the boxes for theGwich&in Plant Kit. ChrisDouglas, Hillarie Zimmermann,Robin Clark and Scott Blackassisted with the editing anddesign of the book.

Aurora Research Institute

Canadian Polar Commission

Fort McPherson District EducationAuthority

Gwich&in Renewable ResourceBoard

Gwich&in Social and CulturalInstitute

Inuvik District EducationAuthority

NWT Department of Resources,Wildlife and EconomicDevelopment

NWT Department of Education,Culture and Employment

Parks Canada (Western ArcticField Unit)

We would like to thank all the photographers who provided the images forthis book. (See inside cover for listing.)


English names in brackets are provided for readers familiar with differentcommon names. We have also provided additional English names in thetext. Gwich&in names are indicated with a ^^G&& if they are in the Gwichyadialect or ^^T&& if they are in the Teet¬&it dialect. If there is no ^^T&& or ^^G&& thismeans that the word is the same in both dialects.

S U M M A R Y O FP L A N T U S E S A N D N A M E S

alpine arnica at&an tsoo Arnica alpina medicine 53

bear root treh (G) Hedysarum alpinum food and 53trih (T) medicine

birch aat&oo Betula papyrifera food, medicine, 25tools and bait

bird&s eye dzhii nde'e& (G) Arctostaphylos rubra food 29 (bearberry) shih jak (T)

black currant deetree ja'k Ribes hudsonianum food 39

blackberry dineech&u'h (G) Empetrum nigrum food and medicine 30 (crowberry) dineech&uh (T)

blueberry ja'k zheii (G) Vaccinium uliginosum food and medicine 40jak naalyuu or jak zheii (T)

cranberry nat¬&at Vaccinium vitis-idaea food, medicine 40and dye

dwarf birch ¬uu t&an (T) Betula glandulosa flooring 47

fireweed no Gwich&in name Epilobium angustifolium food and medicine 55

fungus, birch edinìichii various medicine, tobacco, and willow insect repellent, 63

moth ball, fire starter

goosefood kheh dye'& (G) Equisetum arvense medicine, food 55 (horsetail) kheh dì& (T) and pot cleaner

juniper (crowberry) deetre'e ja'k (G) Juniperus communis medicine 47ts&ìivii ch&ok (T)

mooseberry dìnjik ja'k (G) Sheperdia canadensis food and medicine 45 (soapberry) dinjik ja'k (T)

English Names Gwich’in Names Latin Names Uses Page No.



moss nin& Sphagnum species diapers and cleaner 60 (sphagnum moss)

muskeg tea lidii maskeg¶maskig (G) Ledum palustre food and medicine 48 (Labrador tea) masgit (T)

northern ground du&iinahshe'e (G) Boschniakia rossica medicine and pipe 54 cone doo&iinahshìh (T)

onions, wild t¬&oo drik Allium schoenoprasum food 56

poplar t&oo Populus balsamifera medicine, fuel and 24bait

raspberry ts&eenakal Rubus acaulis food 42Rubus strigosus

red currant eneeyu'& (G) Ribes triste food and medicine 42nee&uu (T)

red willow (alder) k&oh Alnus crispa medicine, fuel 49and dye

rhubarb, wild ts&iigyu'çuç& (G) Polygonum alaskanum food 56ts&ii gyu'u& (T)

rose hips nichìèh (G) Rosa acicularis food and medicine 43nichih (T)

spruce ts&iivii Picea mariana and food, medicine, 17Picea glauca shelter, fuel and tools

stoneberry da'n daih (G) Arctostaphylos uva-ursi food 44 (kinnikinnick) dandaih (T)

tamarack ts&iiteenju'h (G) Larix laricina medicine and fuel 23tsiiheenjoh (T)

white moss uhdeezhu'& (G) Cladina species food and cleaner 59 (reindeer lichen) uudeezhu& (T)

willow k&aii& (G) Salix species fuel, medicine, food, 50k&a'ii& (T) tools and shelter

wormwood gyu'u tsanh (T) Artemisia tilesii medicine and 57insect repellent

yarrow at&a'n daga'çièiè (G) Achillea millefolium medicine 57at&a'n daga'ii (T)

yellowberry naka'l (G) Rubus chamaemorus food 46 (cloudberry) nakal (T)



S U M M A R Y O F P L A N T U S E S A N D N A M E S . . . C O N T I N U E D

Rocks and Minerals

flint vihtr&ii (G) n¶a fire starter 67vihtr&ih (T)

ochre tsaih n¶a dye 67

sulphur gwinahkho;o (T) n¶a medicine 66


T R E E S

Ts&iivii

Spruce

(see photo on page 37)

G/T

E

Common names:Latin names:

Uses:

black and white sprucePicea mariana andPicea glaucafood, medicine, shelter,fuel and tools

Black and white spruce trees arefound throughout the Gwich&inSettlement Region. Except forhigh alpine areas they inhabit anyareas with suitable habitat. Whitespruce is commonly found onwell-drained soils, while blackspruce favours wetter areas. Ingeneral, the Gwich&in treat the twotypes of spruce as one type whenpreparing medicines. Spruce gumis not found in large quantities onblack spruce, but small blackspruce can be chopped up intosmall pieces to make medicine,using the same method asdescribed under ^^cones&& or^^young spruce tips.&&

Dineezil¶Edineezil (G)Dineedzil (T)Cones

Spruce cones are used to make atea that relieves colds and helps

maintain good health. Of all theparts of the spruce tree, someElders believe the cones make thebest medicine (Andre 1995).Cones are picked year round fromthe tops of young trees. Usuallyfive to 15 cones are gently boiledfor 10 to 15 minutes in a pot ofwater. The longer they boil, thestronger the medicine becomes.Branches are sometimes put intothe pot with the spruce cones.Some people prefer straining theliquid before drinking it. Sprucetea relieves coughing and sorethroats and chests. Those who aresick with colds can take it three or

Alan Fehr, Louisa Robert and Alestine Andre

Take cones and branches and boil,cool it and drink one cup in themorning, afternoon and night.–Annie Norbert describes JulienneAndre’s medicine

GSC

I


T R E E S

four times a day for about fivedays. Some Gwich&in drinkbetween one-quarter cup andone cup of spruce tea every dayto stay healthy. You can drinkthis medicine when it is hot orafter it is cooled, though itshould never be gulped. Manypeople keep the medicine in ajar in the fridge for later use.

Dze'h ant& a't (G)Dzih ant& at (T)Sticky Gum

Sticky gum is the clear, stickysap that can be found year roundon spruce trees and in greenfirewood. This is new sap thathas recently run from the woodof the tree. The gum can beremoved from a tree using aknife, stick or your fingers, andstored in a container. When youare finished, baby oil, lard orbutter will help get the remaininggum off your hands.

Sticky gum is used to sootheirritated skin and, when applied

to cuts, helps healing andreduces the chance of infection.It is also used for mouthinfections such as cankers, byapplying it directly to the sore.When made into a tea, stickygum can be sipped to soothe sorethroats. Sticky gum can also beused as glue to waterproof acanoe.

Sticky gum can be applied just asit is, or it can be made into asalve, by melting the sap at lowheat and mixing it with lard orgrease (Vaseline, vegetable oil oranimal fat will do). Meltingsticky or spruce gum tends tospoil the pot so it is best to usejust one pot to prepare themedicine.

Mary Kendi, from FortMcPherson, says to spread stickygum on warm canvas and thenstick it on the chest. The dressingis kept on until it drops off byitself. This remedy helps relievethe symptoms of chest colds andtuberculosis (TB).

Making Salve with Sticky Gum

Collect pitch (sticky gum) that’s really sticky and clear, even if it’s only a coupleof tablespoons. Take it and warm it in water until it’s melted, and then put anequal or slightly smaller amount of Vaseline or other fat into it. Don’t use cold fatthough, it should always be room temperature. Use a clean stick and stir itslowly. Make sure the water is always fairly hot and that everything is liquid.Take it off the heat and then pour it into a container.–Ruth Welsh


T R E E S

Dze'h kwan& (G)Dzih drinh& (T)Spruce Gum

This is the hard, older kind oftree sap or pitch, with a red orrose colour. As the quote belowsuggests, spruce gum forms inbreaks in the bark, such as thetooth marks left by a porcupine.Spruce gum is picked yearround from the trees with aknife, stick or fingers. It canthen be chewed like a piece ofgum. Both the gum and thejuice it produces can beswallowed as you chew. Sprucegum wascommonly givento children as atreat when out inthe bush cuttingwood or pickingberries.

Spruce gum can also be boiled,strained and cooled to make atea. Like spruce cone tea, thistea is used to relieve colds andmaintain good health. It tendsto be very concentrated though,so only small amounts aresipped. Softer spruce gum, likesticky gum, can be put on cutsor sores. It is also used to drawout slivers by applying amixture of pitch and salve onthe wound. After the slivercomes out, or is removed, clearpitch is applied to aid healing.The dressing and the pitchshould be changed regularly.

Ts&eevii ghat (G)Ts&iivii uudeeghaii (T)Tree Roots

In the old days, people used rootsfor string, rope and to sew therims of baskets, and skin andbirch bark boats. Roots from anyevergreen tree or willow wereused< however, tamarack rootswere considered the strongest.Alfred Semple described how hisgrandmother (Caroline Ts&ii gii< d.1946) collected spruce roots fromriver banks after spring icebreakup. If the roots had a straightgrain they were split and used tomake fish nets. When not in usethe fish nets were stored in waterso that they did not dry up.According to Laura Pascal(COPE), the roots can also bepounded and boiled to make aliquid medicine.

Spruce Gum

GSC

I

Porcupinesmake sprucegum.–William Teya


T R E E S

Ts&eevii ch&yìdh (G)

Ineech&uu (T)

Inner Spruce Bark

The inner bark from evergreens,like spruce, and willows, can beused to produce a number ofmedicines. Bark is stripped off thetree, and the white pulpy layer onthe inside of the bark is peeled orscraped. This part of the bark canbe chewed to relieve colds ormaintain good health. It can alsobe placed directly on a wound andcovered with a bandage. Somepeople dry strips of the inner barkthat can be reconstituted whenneeded. Nap Norbert recounts thatwhen his sister, Rose, cut herfinger with an axe, his step-father,Louis Cardinal, put the inner partof the bark on the wound. Napsaid that the injury healed welland left no scar (Andre 1995).

Aatr&iiOuter Spruce Bark

The outer bark is useful formaking smokehouses for dryingfish. Large pieces of bark arepeeled from trees in the springwhen the sap is running and usedas shingles and siding forsmokehouses. Smokehouses madewith bark are preferred because aconstant inside temperature ismore easily maintained, comparedto structures sided with plastictarps. Splints for broken limbs orbraces can also be made from theouter bark.

Mary Kendi of Aklavik cutting fish in front of a sprucebark smokehouse

Ts&eevii zhao le'& (G)

Ts&eeviizhuu li& (T)

Young Spruce Tips

Chewing the tips of a youngspruce tree helps relieve itchythroats and is good for any kind offlu or cold. The tips, cones, andbranches can also be mixed andboiled. Spruce tips can becollected year round and boiledwith cones and branches. MaryKendi, of Aklavik, likes to boil thetips in the house to keep sicknessaway.

Didich&açièiè (G)

Didich&eii (T)

Dried Branches

The dried branches or twigs (grayin colour) found at the base ofspruce trees, beneath the boughs,are excellent for starting fires.

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T R E E S

Even after rain they remain dry.Branches covered with the hairyor stringy-looking lichen (oldman&s beard) should be used firstif available. When travelling onthe land, many people keep sometwigs and lichen in their pocketsto start a fire if needed.

Building A Fire

It could save your life if you had tomake a fire quick when it’s 60below. When you are traveling inthe bush and you need to make afire, break off a bunch of dry twigsfrom the tree, light a match to itand place it under your wood tostart a fire. (Andre 1995)–Nap Norbert

Troo zheii (G)

Troo gaii (T)

Dry Wood

Ts&iivii leh> green wood (G)Ts&iivii lih> green wood (T)Dachan> any kind of wood,including driftwood, birch,willow, spruceDoo> driftwoodSpruce wood is used for fuel andfor building or making thefollowing items>

© log houses,© smokehouses,© caches,© stages,© axe and ice chisel handles,© snow shovels (zhoh ch&ik), and© sleds.

Many of these tools are alsoconstructed with birch wood.Mary Kendi, of Aklavik, relatedhow lumber was cut to make theframe of a skin boat. She also saidcandle sticks can be made fromwood such as willow, spruce andbirch.

Trappers used spruce trees for anumber of purposes. Young greentrees, stripped of their bark, wereused to make tsee tr&ill, or beaverpelt stretchers. If a trapper did nothave a spruce pole suitable for atsee tr&ill, he could stretch the peltby nailing it to a large tree.Ordinarily, snowshoes are madeof birch wood< however, in spring,spruce is favoured because itabsorbs less water and remainslight through this wet season.Alfred Semple recommends usingyoung spruce trees from riverbanks, because they are strongand flexible, having grown in awindy location. He makes a^^disposable&& pair of snowshoes byshaping the wooden frames andusing shoelaces or string for thelacing. Tony Andre noted thatwillow can also be used for theframes.

Snow snake poles, used in awinter throwing game called zhohchii zak, were made with straightspruce poles.

Long spruce poles (about fivemetres or 16 feet long) with thebark removed can be used to setfish nets under the ice.


T R E E S

Ah&Spruce Boughs

Thoo& ah> spruce boughs usedfor flooring

Spruce boughs are used forflooring in tents. Starting at theback of the tent, boughs arepositioned so that the needlespoint toward the ground. For thenext row, place the stems of thebranches underneath theprevious layer. This makes for awarm floor, especially incombination with caribou skins.

In the old days, people putcoals in rotten wood to start itburning. Then they added mosswith rotten wood over top of it,and placed this in a dry bag. Inthis way they kept the coalsalive. Each family had a firestarter kit. The flint was kept inthe bag too.

Caribou fur skins were used as amattress which covered the wholeinside where the bedding is. It isplaced on top of well laid sprucetree branches. With all this thereis no cold under, everything wasmade from caribou fur skin and itwas very warm.–Mary Husky (COPE).

When out at camp, the ah& shouldbe changed every weekend in bothwinter and summer.

In addition to being an excellentinsulator, spruce boughs arethought to have medicinal value.Many Gwich&in believe that thearoma of the boughs inside a tentkeeps people healthy. Small,young trees are considered to beparticularly therapeutic. Sprucebranches can also be boiled toproduce a steam that relieves coldsymptoms and maintains goodhealth.

Building a Fish Trap

The fish trap was something else our ancestors (prior to the turn of the century) useda great deal and perhaps it was the best and easiest method used in catching fish.The following is needed in order to build a fish trap: an eddy, long wooden poles withbark left on, long wooden poles with bark cleaned off. The first thing to do was tochoose a good eddy. Directly downstream from this eddy is where the trap was built.The poles with bark are driven into the river bottom with an opening in between.Poles were then put in horizontally, like a fence. The next thing to do was to build along basket. This was made from the clean wooden poles and set in the openingwith the small end closed. Then you waited. The fish would come along and swimstraight into the trap in great numbers. The fish were then scooped into the canoewith a large willow dipper with a long handle. A lot of fish were caught this way.–Elijah Andrew (COPE, a)


T R E E S

Ts&iiteenju'h

Tsiiheenjoh

Tamarack


G

T

E


Uses:

larchLarix laricinamedicine and fuel

Thoo cha'n> woody part ofbranch (G)Thoo& chan> woody part ofbranch (T)Thoo& cha'a> branch (T)Thoo& a'a> needles (T)Troo> wood

The tamarack tree grows in wetboggy areas and is foundsporadically throughout theGwich&in Settlement Region.Many trees grow along theDempster Highway betweenInuvik and Tsiigehtchic. Unlikeother coniferous trees, tamarackneedles turn yellowish-orange inautumn and then drop off.Tamarack needles occur in smallclusters along the branch,whereas spruce needles occursingly.

The branches and cones can becollected year round. Peopleshould leave an offering whencollecting any part of a tamaracktree. Caroline Andre ofTsiigehtchic said, ^^This is realgood medicine. They say youhave to pay for it, leave sugar ortea behind.&&

Tamarack tea is good for upsetstomachs, colds, fatigue, or forgeneral good health. It is made

by cutting tamarack branches into15 centimetre (six inch) lengths,and boiling gently for five to 10minutes, adding water as itevaporates. One can also addspruce gum to the tamarackstems and boil to make a strongermedicine. Mary Kendi of FortMcPherson makes her specialmedicine by adding cut up piecesof birch fungus to the tamarackstems and boiling.

Tea made from tamarack cones isgood for soothing colds andalleviating headaches. Only fouror five cones are needed.

Dry tamarack wood produces alot of heat when burned.Tamarack roots are very strong,and can be coiled and stored forlater use. According to Laura

When you cut tamarack, you wantit to be really good and strong andwork for you. You have to putsomething in place of it. In oldendays, when you’re going to useany plant, you have to payMother Earth for it. They saythat’s when it works for you but ifyou don’t pay for it, it just won’twork.–Laura Pascal (COPE)


T R E E S

T&oo

Poplar


G/T

E


Uses:

balsam poplarPopulus balsamiferamedicine, fuel and bait

Tamarack tree in summer

Pascal (COPE), the inner bark can beprepared as a poultice for wounds.

Poplars are deciduous trees thatoften grow alongside willows onriver banks and lake shores. Thebuds, which are very sticky, arecollected in the spring before theyopen and then boiled. Drinkingthe tea relieves cold symptoms.The resin which collects on theside of a pot can be used for cuts.It can also be used as glue, eitheron its own, or mixed with sprucegum. The sticky buds can beapplied to a sore to aid healing.

Poplar driftwood found along theMackenzie River is good for

drying fish in a smokehousebecause it burns longer than othertypes of wood. Wood that is partlydry and partly green will burn fora long time. Poplar is also goodfor smoking moose hide as part ofthe tanning process. VictorStewart (GEKP) said that poplar,like birch and willows, can beused for baiting beaver traps.William Teya explained thatpoplar is not a good material forbuilding log houses, as it does nothold heat well. Poplar wood is soft

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Tamarack Tea and Poultice

You cut (branches) up into small pieces or pound itup. Then you put it in a pot and boil it up. After it’sdone you cool it down. Then you strain it through awhite cloth. You drink the juice three times a day.It’s good for colds and when you’re tired. You drinkit for an upset stomach too, or to eat good. Theyused to use it a lot in the olden days for medicine.

To make a poultice you take all the bark off theoutside branch. Rub the white pulp together thenput that on a wound, a cut or a big scrape.—Laura Pascal (COPE)


T R E E S

Making Soap

In the spring, when she was young and living on the land with her family, the menwould make a skin boat for going into Fort McPherson. While they wereconstructing the boat, the women would collect half dry poplar wood, burn it andcollect the ashes. These ashes they boiled in a pot until the water evaporated. Thenthey mixed caribou fat in with the ashes to make soap. Once well mixed, theypoured the mixture into a birch dish and let it cool. After cooling they cut the soapinto small blocks and gave one to each family to wash clothes and clean up beforeheading to town.—Mary Kendi, Aklavik

Aat&oo

Birch


G/T

E


Uses:

paper birchBetula papyriferafood, medicine, toolsand bait

These trees, with their beautifulwhite bark, grow throughout theGSR in moist soils, often mixedwith black spruce. They growlarger and taller in the southernparts of the area, and are notcommon in the Mackenzie Delta.There are many uses for the barkand wood, making it an importanttree for the Gwich&in.

Birch is a hardwood valued for itsstrength and resistance tocracking. It is a favoured materialfor making snowshoes. In thepast, the Gwich&in also used birchto make the following>

∑ net needles,∑ paddles,

∑ drum frames,∑ chairs and furniture,∑ toboggans,∑ snow shovels and scoops,

and∑ handles for knives, axes,

awls, slingshots, dog whipsand sleds.

Dog whip handles were oftendyed with red ochre anddecorated with fancy carvings.Birch toboggans are valued forbeing strong and slippery. Thehunting canoes of the Gwich&inwere built with birch frames andcovered with canvas. MaryFrancis (COPE, a) indicated thatspoons and forks were also madewith birch wood.

and easily carved into toys orimplements, such as snow shovels.

Long ago, people burned the barkof poplars and then mixed the

ashes into dog food. This helpedcontrol worms and kept dogs& furin good condition.


T R E E S

Sections of birch wood were usedfor bait when setting beaver trapsunder the ice of a lake. Rottingbirch wood was considered goodfor smoking skins.

To make a medicine for stomachailments, such as heartburn andulcers, young birch trees can bechopped down, cut into smallpieces and boiled in a large pot.The stems, twigs and leaves areall used. The boiled juice, whichlooks like tea, should be strainedbefore pouring it into jars. Eldersadvise making only enoughmedicine for one week, as it willspoil. They recommend drinkingone-half cup in the morningbefore breakfast and another oneat night before going to bed.Sticky gum may also be chewedand swallowed with this medicine(Andre 1995).

Birch Tea

Find a young birch tree, chop itup, place it in a pot of water andboil into tea. Mabel Englishsuggests drinking one-half cup oftea before every meal toalleviate stomach ailments.

K&ii chuç& (G)

K&ii chuu (T)

Syrup

Birch, like willows, are full of sapfor one or two weeks in mid-June.To collect the sap, a notch is cut inthe bark in the shape of an upsidedown V. Peel back the bark tomake a hook. A bucket is hungfrom the hook to catch thedripping sap. Instead of a V-notchsome people cut a vertical slit inthe bark and hang a pail beneathit. The syrup, which is used as atopping for pancakes and otherfoods, is made by boiling downthe sap until it thickens. A lot ofsap must be collected to make asmall amount of syrup.

K&iiBirch Bark

CONTAINERS> In the spring,baskets, plates, bowls, and othercontainers can be made from soft,freshly peeled birch bark. Barkmay also be dried for storage andthen wet down when it is to beused. A basket is made by firstfolding fresh, green bark into theBirch bark and driftwood

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T R E E S

shape you desire. Then a root islaid along the rim. Finally, asecond root is sewn around therim of the basket to make it stiffand hold the shape of the basket.Large roots can be split intosmaller sizes, and all roots arekept in water to keep them moistand flexible. Roots are dyed withberries or ochre, although thesedays lipstick is sometimes used.An awl is used to make holes forsewing the rim. A lid for thebasket can also be made with apiece of bark. In the old days,these containers were used forwater, soup, and storing berries,dryfish and other foods. Berriesstored in baskets weresometimes buried in moss forwinter use. The late MaryVittrekwa made birch baskets.

CANOES> The Gwich&in used tomake canoes from smooth birchbark with no knots. Roots wereused to sew the pieces togetherand spruce gum to make itwater-tight. Charcoal was addedto the spruce gum to give itcolour. Tony Andre&s father had abirch bark canoe that lasted 15years.

FIRE STARTER> Birch bark isan excellent fire starter and iscarried by many peopletravelling on the land for thispurpose. It can either be peeledfrom a tree, or collected fromamong the driftwood along theriver shore.

Roots

Alfred Semple&s greatgrandmother used to make a teafrom birch roots for washing theeyes of people afflicted by snowblindness. To prepare the tea,roots were dug up and cleanedwith a knife. They were thenwashed, cut into pieces andboiled. Alfred says that asimilar tea for snow blindnesscan be made using the buds ofthe tree.

Roots can be used for sewingbaskets.

MEDICINE> The inner bark ofbirch trees is used to make a teafor stomach ailments. It iscollected by peeling birch barkaway from the tree trunk andcollecting the white pulpunderneath. The pulp is thenboiled to prepare the tea.

On Birch and Beavers

I was sitting on the lake and Itook some bark off a birch tree.If I light it, the beaver smells it.It is going to swim to me. Sobirch and poplar are the maintrees that beaver really like.Even when we trap them, weput a piece of birch on the trap.I nail it there and if the beaversmells that, it has to come tothat trap. So the best beaverfood that I know of is birch.–Victor Stewart (GEKP)


T R E E S

This is how I make a drum:

I go into the bush and find a good piece of willow or birch.A long piece is good to work with. I take it home, clean thebark off, and with a sharp knife, I cut away most of thewood. I cut until there’s only a thin slab that is nice andsmooth. I work at it until I can bend it easily into a circle.This is then fastened together with a strong piece of twine.Babiche is better to use.

Now that I have a circle, I find a thin piece of caribou hide(not tanned), cleaned of hair and anything lumpy. I stretchthis over the frame. I find that the thinner the skin is, thebetter the drum I make. The skin is tacked on with smalltacks. I do not know how it was done before we had tacksto use. Probably it was fastened onto the frame withbabiche, too. Now I need something to hold the drum with,so I take babiche again and string it onto the bottom side ofthe drum. I also put three across the top. This produces abeautiful sound when it is played.

Another important part of the drum is the stick with whichyou hit it. This should be a small bent piece. Again, this is tomake a good sound. If not, you do not produce good music.Now when this drum is played, it should produce a nice, richsound. While playing it, if you know it starts to sound off,you simply splash some water onto the skin and rub it untilyou get it nicely dampened. This is all it needs to start itsounding better again.—Elijah Andrew (COPE, b)


Dzhii nde'e&

Shih jak

Bird&s Eye


G

T

E

B E R R I E S


Uses:

birdeye, bearberryArctostaphylos rubrafood

The edible berries of this low-growing (less than 10 centimetresor four inches tall) plant aresimilar to red currants. The red,shiny berries are juicy but sour.These plants grow in a variety ofhabitats, preferring moist areas.The leaves of the plant turn red inthe fall, and Mary Kendi, of

Aklavik, believes that this is whyRed Mountain turns ^^red.&&

Ruth Welsh and Mary Kendi sayif you do not have any water theseberries and cranberries willquench your thirst. Alfred Semplerecommends adding bird&s eyeberries to meatballs (pemmican).

Annie Benoit and William Hurst at MaryKendi’s camp near Aklavik

ALA

N F

EHR

Berry Picking in the Delta

The women used to pick berries. Down they used to go by boat. Sometimes theywould stay two or three days. We used to have a lot of fun (and I never pickedanything). Us girls used to make the boys mad, then they would spill our berries.One time we were nearly left behind because Mary Kendi (Aklavik) and I andsome other girls were so bad. We had to cross three lakes. Everybody took off andleft us. When we got down to the lake there was only one canoe—just onewoman sitting in it waiting for us to come. We were so happy to see her there. Wewere good until we got home.—Sarah Ann Gardlund (COPE)


B E R R I E S

Dineech&u'h

Dineech&uh

Blackberry


G

T

E


Uses:

crowberryEmpetrum nigrumfood and medicine

Blackberry is a low-growing(less than 15 centimetres or sixinches tall) evergreen withrunners that spread throughoutthe moist, mossy areas in whichit grows. Clusters ofblackberries sit atop the stemand green, needle-like leavesgrow along the stem.

The berries are edible and makegood jam. They are ready to bepicked in August and Septemberand are tasty when eaten aloneor when mixed and eaten withother berries. Blackberries canbe mixed with cranberries, forexample, and added to it&suh, adessert prepared from poundeddryfish.

Blackberries and Fish

Take the fish broth from boiled whitefish, add a pail of blackberries, enough sugarto sweeten it up, and a dipper of fish blood, hearts and liver. Cook this mixture.Then you take it down (off the stove). It is just like jam.—Effie Francis (COPE)

Old Joe Natsie’s Medicine

This medicine was considered asgood as spruce gum tea forstomach aches and bad colds. Thistea was made by collecting andboiling blackberry roots, berries andstems.—Annie Norbert, Tsiigehtchic (COPE)

Blackberry leaves and berries

RWED


At&an tsoo

Alpine Arnica

(see descriptions on page 53)

TE

Aat&oo

Birch


G/TE

Treh

Trih

Bear Root(see descriptions on page 53)

GTE

Dzhii nde'e&

Shih jak

Bird&s Eye(see descriptions on page 29)

GTE

CH

RIST

IAN

BU

CH

ER

CH

RIST

IAN

BU

CH

ER

DAV

E JO

NES

GSC

I

GSC

I

DAV

E JO

NES


Deetree ja'k

Black Currant


G/TE

Nat¬&at

Cranberry(see descriptions on page 40)

G/TE

Dineech&u'h

Dineech&uh

Blackberry(see descriptions on page 30)

GTE

J. D

EREK

JO

HN

SON

RWED

Ja'k zheii

Jak naalyuu or Jak zheii

Blueberry(see descriptions on page 40)

GTE

GSC

I

DAVE JONES

DAV

E JO

NES


Òuu t&an

Dwarf Birch(see descriptions on page 47)

TE

Edinìichii

Birch and Willow Fungus


G/TE

Fireweed


E

Kheh dye'&

Kheh dì&

Goosefood(see descriptions on page 55)

GTE

GSC

I

RWED

GSC

I

JAC

QU

IE B

AST

ICK

Note> there is no Gwich&in name forthis plant


Nin&

Moss


G/TE

Dìnjik ja'k

Dinjik ja'k

Mooseberry(see descriptions on page 45)

GTE

Lidii maskeg¶Maskig

Masgit

Muskeg Tea(see descriptions on page 48)

GTE

DAV

E JO

NES

GSC

I

DAV

E JO

NES

GSC

I

Deetre'e ja'k

Ts&ìivii ch&ok

Juniper(see descriptions on page 47)

GTE

DAVE JONES


T¬&oo drik

Wild Onions


G/TE

T&oo

Poplar


G/TE

LESL

IE M

AIN

JO

HN

SON

J. D

EREK

JO

HN

SON

JAM

ES M

CC

ORM

ICK

CH

RIST

IAN

BU

CH

ER

Du&iinahshe'e

Doo&iinahshih or ts&eedichi

Northern Ground Cone(see descriptions on page 54)

GTE

Ts&eenakal

Raspberry


G/TE

MYRNA PEARMAN

JAMES MCCORMICK


Eneeyu'&

Nee&uu

Red Currant(see descriptions on page 43)

GTE

Nichìèh

Nichih

Rose Hips(see descriptions on page 43)

GTE

MYR

NA

PEA

RMA

N

GSC

I

GSC

I

GSC

I

K&oh

Red Willow


G/TE

Ts&iigyu'çuç&

Ts&iigyu'u&

Wild Rhubarb(see descriptions on page 56)

GTE

DAVE JONES

RWED


Ts&iivii

Spruce


G/TE

Da'n daih

Dandaih

Stoneberry(see descriptions on page 44)

GTE

Uhdeezhu'&

Uudeezhu&

White Moss(see descriptions on page 59)

GTE

GSC

I

CH

RIST

IAN

BU

CH

ER

DAV

E JO

NES

JAC

QU

IE B

AST

ICK

Ts&iiteenju'h

Tsiiheenjoh

Tamarack(see descriptions on page 23)

GTE

GSCI

JACQUIE BASTICK


Gyu'u tsanh

Wormwood


TE

K&aii

K&a'ii

Willow(see descriptions on page 50)

GTE

Naka'l

Nakal

Yellowberry(see descriptions on page 46)

GTE

JAM

ES M

CC

ORM

ICK

JAC

QU

IE B

AST

ICK

JAM

ES M

CC

ORM

ICK

DAV

E JO

NES

At&a'n daga'çièiè

At&a'n daga'ii

Yarrow(see descriptions on page 57)

GTE

Tsaih

Ochre(see descriptions on page 67)

G/TE

ALA

N F

EHR

GSCI


B E R R I E S

Deetree ja'k

Black Currant


G/T

E

Latin names:Uses:

Ribes hudsonianumfood

Black currant shrubs stand lessthan one metre (three feet) tall,and usually grow in moist areaswith willows and roses. They arewidespread but not common inthe Gwich&in Settlement Region.Some bushes were found at OldAklavik across the Peel Channelfrom the present town site, MaryKendi&s camp above Aklavik,and Knut Lang&s camp. They arealso found in the Husky Riverarea.

The black berries are strongtasting and usually are pickedfor food in late summer. Theymake good jam. A tea can alsobe made using dried leaves and

berries. In winter, one cancollect the stems and make tea.

Black currant

J. D

EREK

JO

HN

SON

Berries and Beads

. . .they had special clothes for the summer. Some of them had different names butI can’t say it in English very good,…these fancied up clothes were worn forsummer and men and children wore these. Sometimes if a family had goodworkers, they had a good life. They made clothes like buckskin jackets with allkinds of different beads on them. The kinds of beads I’m talking about weredifferent from the beads now. They were made out of ivory bone and they colouredthe beads with different kinds of berries. These beads were pretty big and you couldsee on the shoulders of the jacket the bead work, and on the back of the jacket.Sometimes they would make a pair of overalls out of really good white tannedcaribou skin. They also beaded the shoes. They also made fancy garters out of goodtanned moose skin or caribou skin and out of fancy bead work or great porcupinequills. These were all different colours and they used that for garters either for menor women. These were made for special summer occasions, like sports day.—Sarah Peters (COPE, a)


B E R R I E S

Nat¬&at

Cranberry


G/T

E

Ja'k zheii

Jak naalyuu or

Jak zheii

Blueberry


G

T

E

Latin names:Uses:

Vaccinium uliginosumfood and medicine

Latin names:Uses:

Vaccinium vitis-idaeafood, medicine and dye

Jak naaluu or in¬uh (T) or

an¬uh (G)> unripe blueberriesDinde'zri&> ripe blueberries (G)Dinde'zrii> ripe blueberries (T)

Blueberry bushes are low-growing shrubs, less than one-halfmetre (1 1¶2 feet) high. They arefound throughout the GSR, most

Cranberries are evergreen, low-growing (up to 20 centimetres oreight inches tall) shrubs. The pinkflowers develop into bright red,seedless berries by late August.The edible berries are juicier andmore tasty than stoneberries,which they resemble. Ripecranberries are best stored in abox rather than in plastic and canbe enjoyed year round. Berriespicked before they are ripe willripen in storage.

Cranberries can be eaten raw,with sugar, or added to breads,

commonly in willow flats or openforested areas around lakes. Theberries are tasty and can be eatenwith sugar or used in jam, pies,muffins, and it&suh (a dessertmade from pounded dry fish). Thestems and leaves can be boiled tomake a tea for cold symptoms.

pies and muffins. Cranberry jam,jelly or syrup can be made byboiling the berries in sugar. Apudding or sauce can be made byadding a paste made of flour orcustard to boiled berries.

Cranberry leaves and berries

DAV

E JO

NES


B E R R I E S

Picking Berries in Winter

She was old enough to workso whenever her father andshe stayed with a family, shewould do a lot of work. Shewas willing to work; bringwood, melt snow for water.And while she was filling pailswith snow, she would seecranberries on the ground andshe would dig and eat frozenberries. She would be away along time. When she cameback, they asked her, “What iswrong, why were you away solong?” She said she foundberries on the ground and shewas digging all over so shecould eat the berries.—Lucy Rat (COPE)

Cranberries can also be enjoyedby mixing them with cooked andmashed loche liver. It&suh, adessert prepared from poundeddryfish, can be made withcranberries, a bit of sugar andfish oil.

Cranberry juice is good forkidney problems. Two to threecups of cranberry juice, made bysimmering berries for up to 30minutes, can help with colds anddigestion and improve appetite.Clara Norman, of Tsiigehtchic,used to boil the leaves and drinkthe juice for coughs. AlfredSemple also recommends thisremedy.

Cranberry juice is good fordyeing porcupine quills.

Loche liver and Cranberries

When you jiggle or set hooks for loche, you get quite a bit of loche. You pack thewhole pile of it up to the tent. Then you take all the liver and eggs out. You put allthe liver in a big pan. Then you mash the whole liver up. You take all the skin andveins out of it until it is smooth. Only then you put it on to cook. If there is a lot ofliver and eggs, you are cooking it all day or all evening. You cook it slowly, then youtake it down. You put all the cooked liver to one side of the pan so all the greasedrains out. Put the grease into a pot. You could put cranberries in with the eggs too.Also add sugar to it. Nowadays they put sugar and a little flour into it. You put thecooked liver into a good pan to freeze. In the old days, after they washed the lochestomach bag, they put the liver into it. They would put the grease into a separate bagtoo. The liver does not spoil and tastes fresh over the winter. You can eat it while it’sfrozen.—Effie Francis (COPE)


B E R R I E S

Ts&eenakal

Raspberry


G/T

E

Common andLatin names:

Uses:

Dwarf Raspberry(Rubus acaulis)Tall Raspberry(Rubus strigosus)food

Dwarf raspberries grow less than15 centimetres (six inches) talland have pink, edible flowers. Thered fruit is also edible and verysweet tasting. Because the plantsare widespread and bear fewberries the fruit is usually eaten asit is picked. They tend to growaround lakes in shaded, woodedareas.

Tall raspberries grow in openwooded areas, and are mostcommon in the Tsiigehtchic andFort McPherson areas. Theseshrubs seldom grow more than1.5 metres (five feet) tall. William

Eneeyu'&

Nee&uu

Red Currant


G

T

E

Latin names:Uses:

Ribes tristefood and medicine

This shrub has edible red berries.It is usually less than one metre(three feet) tall and it grows inmoist, shaded areas throughoutthe GSR. Red currant is oftenfound in people&s wood lots,burned areas, and tree fall areas.

The berries are picked in latesummer, and either eaten raw ormade into jam. A tea made fromthe whole plant (leaves andstems) is used for stomachailments.

Teya says they often grow aroundold camps where the bush hasbeen cleared. Several locations inthe GSR are known to have tallraspberries> around the NorthernStore and below Isaac Kunnizzie&splace in Fort McPherson< alongroadsides in Tsiigehtchic, at ElijahAndrew&s camp on NayookChannel between Aklavik andFort McPherson, and at ThreeCabin Creek on the DempsterHighway. Alfred Semple hasnever seen them near his camp onthe Husky Channel below BlackMountain.


B E R R I E S

Nichìèh

Nichih

Rose Hips


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Common names:

Latin names:Uses:

wild rose, prickly rose,itchy bumsRosa acicularisfood and medicine

Storing Berries

They kept berries in birch baskets. When they picked berries they wanted to keepthem. They got birch and made it into a basket by sewing it with skinny willow barkfrom along the shore. After it was finished they put berries in it and made a lid andsewed it on. After that they dug a hole in the ground under moss where there waspermafrost. They covered it and in the fall time, when it froze, they dug it up.—Mary Francis (COPE, d)

Kho'h chan¶Kho'h dachan (G)

Kho'h chan (T)

(Stems)

Kho' kak at& an chik (T)> roseplantKho'h (G)> thorns

Rose bushes grow throughout thearea in open woodlands, on dryground. After the showy pinkflowers bloom in June and July,the fruit develop into red berriescalled rose hips.

Rose hips are best picked andeaten when they are ripe inAugust and September.Remember to spit out the seedsbefore swallowing or you willquickly learn why rose hips arecalled ^îtchy bums!&& Rose hipscan also be fried and eaten.

Boiled rose hips can be mashedand strained through a cheesecloth to remove the seeds. Thestrained juice can then be made

into jam, jelly, or syrup. In earlysummer, green rose hips can bepicked, boiled and strained tomake a thickening agent, likeCerto. Green rose hip juice caneither be used immediately orstored in jars for later use.

Rose hips are an excellent sourceof vitamin C and make a goodcold remedy. Fresh rose hips canbe eaten for relief from summercolds. For a winter supply, theycan be dried, frozen, or boiled andstrained to make a juice that canbe stored in jars.

Annie Norbert was told by LouisCardinal that rose hips are goodfor the heart.

Rosehips

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B E R R I E S

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Nichih t&a'nPetals

In early July the pink petals can beboiled until the water is pink andstored in a jar with a lid. Themedicine can be stored and used forup to a month< however, over time,the water evaporates and themedicine becomes stronger. Whenthe liquid is strained, it can be usedas eye drops or an eye wash toremove dirt and infection. In the olddays, Laura Pascal (COPE) usedboiled petals for heat rash and cuts.

Ruth Welsh puts petals in a jar ofcold water, and sets it in the sunfor five to seven days, turning thejar upside down every so often.Christie Thompson, of FortMcPherson, pours boiling waterover petals and rinses her eyeslater with the cooled water. Thefluid is also good as a skinsoftener (e.g. face wash). Rosepetals can also be eaten alone,used to make tea, or pressed inbooks to make decorations.

Da'n daih

Dandaih

Stoneberry



Uses:

bearberry, kinnikinnickArctostaphylos uva-ursifood

It’suh(pounded dry fish and berries)After you make dry fish you take all the good eating dry fish out of the pile. Thenyou pound all the dry fish. You make lots of pounded up dry fish. It is just likepemmican with meat. Make a big birch bark dish and put all the pounded up dryfish into it. Then you pour fish oil into it, put stoneberries or cranberries in it, andmix it up good. If you’re going to use it for winter, sew a bark lid on it using treeroots. Then you put it away where it’s cool so it won’t get stale. This is how youmake use of dry fish too.

—Effie Francis (COPE)

Stoneberry grows low to theground (10 to 20 centimetres, orfour to eight inches tall) in dry,forested areas. Stoneberry shrubsare evergreens similar in

appearance to cranberries, thoughstoneberry leaves are not as shiny.The dull pinkish-red or orange-redfruit has seeds inside and a dry,mealy taste. Places where it is


B E R R I E S

known to grow include thehillside behind Tsiigehtchic, onthe hills near Caribou Creek, andin the mountains at the head of thePeel River.

The berries can be mixed withpounded dry fish to make it&suh.Mary Kendi of Fort McPhersonsaid her grandmother pounded

dryfish and added this berry to itafterwards. It can also be mashedup and mixed with loche liver orfish eggs. Caroline Andre said,^Ôld ladies were bad for it a longtime ago.&& Mary Francis (COPE,b) said they used to usestoneberries in pemmican.Alfred Semple adds the berriesto meatballs (pemmican). Thesweet spring petals can be eatenalso.

Dìnjik ja'k

Dinjik ja'k

Mooseberry



Uses:

soapberry, buffaloberryShepherdia canadensisfood and medicine

Mooseberry is a shrub of mediumheight (one to two metres or threeto seven feet tall) that grows indry, wooded areas. The leaves aregreen on the upper side andorange underneath. The redberries are edible and can be usedto make medicines for a variety ofailments. The berries can be eatenraw for colds or sore throats,though they have a soapy taste.Mooseberry tea can be made byputting berries in a pot, boilingand mixing them until they turnfoamy. The foam is then skimmedoff the top. Laura Pascal (COPE)said that this tea can be used forsore throats and colds.

The stems and roots can be boiled,producing a tea that relievesstomach aches and diarrhea.Annie B. Robert (COPE) saidmooseberry roots and juniperberries can be washed and boiledto produce a laxative. Sherecommended drinking one cup ofthis mixture before eating. AnnieB. also said that the boiled berriescan be eaten like any other cookedberry, and that it helps to increaseone&s appetite. The tea from boiledbranches can be used to wash aperson&s legs for soreness, or torub on mosquito bites andinfections.

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B E R R I E S

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Naka'l

Nakal

Yellowberry


Common names:

Latin names:Uses:

cloudberry, knuckles,salmonberryRubus chamaemorusfood

Yellowberries are low plants (lessthan 20 centimetres or eightinches tall) that grow in openwoodlands, on muskeg amongspruce and alders, on the tundranorth of Inuvik, and in themountains. The white flowerscome out in June and the berries,which resemble orangeraspberries, are ready to pick inlate July when they are soft andplump. Along with blueberriesand cranberries, yellowberries area favourite in the area. Peopleusually eat them right away, orsave them for a special occasionor to give away as a gift.

Yellowberry leaves and fruit

In the old days people storedyellowberries in birch barkbaskets under the moss, where thepermafrost kept them fromspoiling and, in winter, fromfreezing too hard.

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S H R U B S

Òuu t&an

Dwarf Birch


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Latin names:Uses:

Betula glandulosaflooring

Deetre'e ja'k

Ts&ìivii ch&ok

Juniper


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Uses:

crowberryJuniperus communismedicine

Dwarf birch is a medium height(about one metre, or three feettall) shrub that is used for flooringin tents. When it is placed amongah& (spruce boughs) the birchkeeps the boughs fresh longer.Dwarf birch is widespread in theGSR, and is commonly foundgrowing among cranberries andalders (red willow) on muskeg.

Juniper is an evergreen shrub withstiff, sharp needle-like leaves. Theberries, called crowberries locally,range in colour from white to

purplish to dark blue, dependingon their age. Juniper grows low(usually one-half metre or 1 1¶2feet tall) to the ground in dry,

Eric Kendi and Mary Kendi of Aklavikholding muskeg tea

Dwarf Birch

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S H R U B S

Lidii maskeg¶Maskig

Masgit

Muskeg Tea


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open areas. As it grows thespruce-like branches spread out,and may take root some distancefrom the original plant. In theGwich&in Settlement Regionjuniper is found on exposed, openhillsides and in dry open forests.It is known to grow in themountains, near Campbell Lake,at Caribou Creek, and aroundTsiigehtchic.

The blue coloured berries can bepicked and used year round. Aswith tamarack and ochre, theGwich&in leave an offering, suchas matches or tea, when collecting


Uses:

Labrador teaLedum palustrefood and medicine

these berries. Juniper berry teacan be made by washing andboiling the berries (incombination with the branchesand roots, if desired). CarolineCardinal used to boil juniperberries as a medicine for chestpains, bad colds, coughs andcongestion. The steam producedby this mixture is also effectiveagainst these symptoms. Annie B.Robert (COPE), on the otherhand, drank juniper berry tea as alaxative. Use of the tea as abathing solution has also beendocumented (Andre and Kritsch1992).

Muskeg tea, as the namesuggests, grows on muskeg andis found throughout the area. Itis generally less than 30centimetres (one foot) tall, withevergreen leaves that are greenon top and fuzzy orangeunderneath.

The leaves and stems can bepicked year round and boiledinto a tea. In the spring, thewhite flowers can also becollected and used to make tea.Muskeg tea is considered goodfor children and is known to be

a relaxant and high in vitaminC. Many Elders, including IdaStewart, add a regular tea bagfor flavour. Some Eldersrecommend drinking one cup ofthis tea per day for good health.People say that Olive Blakenever catches colds because shedrinks two to three cups everyday. Other people include theroot of the plant to make a moreconcentrated medicinal drink.Inhaling the steam from this teacan help clear congested nasalpassages.


S H R U B S

K&oh

Red Willow


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Common names:

Latin names:Uses:

alder, mountain alder,green alderAlnus crispamedicine, fuel and dye

Red willow is highly valued forthe medicine and dye it yields.The medicine is considered asvaluable as spruce gum tea. It is acommon shrub of medium height(one to three metres, or three to 10feet tall) that is found on muskegwith cranberries and muskeg tea,and in other moist areas. It is easyto recognize because of the twodifferent types of cones on thebranches. The long, slender type(male flowers) dangles three tofive centimetres (one or twoinches) from the branch, and thehard, round cones (femaleflowers) are found in clusters. Thefemale flowers are often describedas ^^little pine cones.&&

Bark

The bark can be collected yearround from any size of red willow.

Bark is used to prepare a drink torelieve a variety of illnesses or asa dye for hides. A solution for skinconditions is made by peeling thebark off the stem and boiling itslowly until the liquid turnsorange. Two minutes of boilingwill produce a weak solution, andfive minutes a strong one. Oncecooled, the liquid, and the filmthat forms on the surface, isrubbed on skin to heal sores,scabs, eczema, insect bites,sunburns and rashes. Drinking theliquid, or rubbing it directly onthe affected area, will soothe stiffand aching joints. It will alsorelieve stomach aches. SomeGwich&in eat the bark rather thanboiling it. Annie Benoit ofAklavik says that scraping off thedark outer covering of the bark isan option before eating or boilingit.

The tea can be made, cooled andjarred for later use. Eldersadvise against keeping muskegtea for more than a few days.Boiling or steeping the tea formore than 10 minutes is notrecommended because of thechemical compound it contains(Walker 1984).

A taller, big-leaved form ofmuskeg tea (Ledumgroenlandicum) is also commonthroughout the area< however, ithas a stronger taste and is notgenerally used. ElizabethGreenland explained, ^^The bigone is strong good medicine, butthe small one is better.&&


S H R U B S

K&aii

K&a'ii

Willow


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Uses:

pussy willowSalix speciesfuel, medicine, food,tools and shelter

Willows are common throughoutthe GSR, especially in wet areassurrounding lakes and alongrivers and channels. In many areasthey are extremely dense and cangrow up to seven metres (20 feet)high. Willow flats (k&ii chah) forexample, along the MackenzieRiver near Tsiigehtchic, are goodhabitat for rabbits and ptarmigan.Moose also eat young willowbuds in this area.

K&ilDry willow

The small, dry twigs found amongbranches on the willow tree aregood for starting fires.

K&aii dzhuhYoung Shoots

In the spring, the Gwich&in peelbark from the new shoots and lickthe sweet juice, chew the stem or

Buds

A person can chew and swallowthe juice of the round green conesor buds for colds and spit the budsout afterward. Buds, like bark, canbe boiled slowly in warm water,and then strained through a clean

Roots and Wood

The roots of red willow can bedug up, mashed and eaten to helpwith stomach aches. Effie Francis(COPE) preferred alder wood fordrying fish> ^În olden days whenyou make dry fish you used onekind of wood to burn under dryfish. They used to use only alderwood that is dry. Nowadays theyjust use any kind of wood theysee.&&

A boiled bark solution is also usedto dye hides, skins, snowshoeframes and fish nets. Animal hideswere soaked in the cooled solutionfor about a day to dye them red.Dyed caribou hides were used astrim for mitts. To soften,wolverine and beaver skins, apulp mixture made from the innerbark was prepared and rolled upin the skin.

white cloth. Some people drinkabout one cup of juice three timesdaily for colds, or apply it tosores. It can also be used forbathing to soothe eczema andrashes (see ^^bark&&).


S H R U B S

Making a Fish Net with Willow (1)

To weave a net made of willow, the following are a number of items one must have:fresh willow, a sharp ended instrument, (e.g. ice pick), about three men, and fishoil. The first thing to do was to pick fresh spring willows, then clean the bark off andsplit the willow into small strands using the ice pick. As soon as you had enough,one or two of the men started to knit the net. As soon as it was long enough,approximately four feet or longer, it was ready to set. When not in use, the net waskept in fish oil. This prevented the net from cracking and breaking. Fish oil keeps itnice and moist. This type of net was very good for fish. Fish seem to like it.—Elijah Andrew (COPE, a)

K&aii ah (T)Branches

Willow branches are good amongah& (spruce boughs) in a tent. Thebrush does not dry up as quicklyand it smells nice too. Willows canalso be used as temporary flooringuntil spruce boughs can begathered. Mary Kendi of FortMcPherson said that hergrandmother used to knit willowsinto rugs for around the stove.Willows also make a good mat foroutside the tent door.

Young willows (k&ii loh) are strongand can be used to tie together five

eat the tips. Whistles (k&aii uzhu'uin Gwichya or k&a'ii yuuzhuh inTeet¬&it) can be made from thenew but harder willow stem. Thebark from young shoots can bepeeled into strips, wrapped arounda cut like a bandage and tied inplace with a cloth. The whiteinner bark from young shoots canbe made into a poultice and usedas a pain-killer on wounds.

to 10 whitefish. The willows arestrong enough that the fish canthen be hung up. In the summer,branches are also collected andused to place fish on next to thefish table. Similarly, a thick bed ofwillow branches can serve as aplace to keep meat clean whenbutchering a moose or a caribou.

Beaver pelt stretchers are madewith willows, and in summer, thespring for high set rabbit snarescan be made by bending over athick willow. In winter the^^spring&& willow is replaced with apole. Larger willows can be usedfor tent poles. Mary Francis(COPE, c) and Roddy Peters(COPE) both indicated that fishtraps used to be made with willowpoles that were stuck into thebottom of a river or creek. Maryalso said that willow was used tomake smoke for drying meat, and,in the days before metal cutlery,for making spoons and forks.

Annie B. Robert described a gameusing rings made from willow


S H R U B S

K&a'ii t&a'n (G)At&an (T)Leaves

Any kind of green willow leavescan be crushed or chewed andapplied to bee stings and otherinsect bites, burns, rashes, aches,cuts, and toothaches. Somepeople prefer to use leaves thatare white on the underside.

K&a'ii neech&yìdh (G)K&aii neech&yuu (T)Bark

Paul Bonnetplume (COPE)and Elijah Andrew (COPE, a)both described how willowbark was used to make fishnets.

K&aii gha'ii& (G)K&aii chan (T)Roots

Willow roots were used formending and constructingsnowshoes, smokehouses, canoesand nets.

Pussy willows

Annie Norbert said, ^^Mrs. Norrisused to eat the pussy buds just likethat.&&

Making a Fish Net with Willow (2)

Fishing is done in creeks or small rivers. Nets and spears are used in catching fish. Tomake a net, first of all, a large amount of willow bark is gathered. The bark iscarefully removed from the willow, then they are cut in thin long strips and placed inhot boiling water. After it has been in the water for some time, it is removed andtwisted. The bark is twisted around and around and then brought together withanother piece of bark. This then becomes a strong little piece of rope. After producingenough small ropes, the ropes are fastened together and knitted into a net.—Paul Bonnetplume (COPE)

Daniel Fehr standing beside a willow shrub

branches. The ring was throwninto the river, and then childrenran along the bank trying to catchthe ring with a stick.

When Elijah Andrew (COPE, b)made his drums, he would usewillow branches for the frames.

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O T H E R P L A N T S

At&an tsoo

Alpine Arnica


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Latin names:Uses:

Arnica alpinamedicine

Treh

Trih

Bear Root


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Common names:

Latin names:Uses:

liquorice root, roots,Indian carrots, EskimopotatoHedysarum alpinumfood and medicine

The Elders call this plant^^dandelion&& because of the largeyellow dandelion-like flower thatsits atop the stem. It grows in dry,sandy or gravelly areas. The

Bear root is a common plantfound throughout the area nearcreeks and river banks. Placeswhere bear root is known to growinclude Jamieson Creek nearAklavik< along stretches of thePeel River, including Knut Langcamp< at Joan Nazon&s camp onthe Mackenzie River across from

Tsiigehtchic< and on river banksalong the Mackenzie River andin the Mackenzie Delta. Theflowers are pinkish-purple andare quite conspicuous. The rootsof the plant can be collected bydigging along the river bankswhere it is growing.

flowers are used to make tea, andthe Elders say that it is good forsome stomach ailments (Andre1995).

Mary Kendi of Ft. McPherson and AlestineAndre

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Although they can be dug up atany time when the ground isthawed, the roots are usuallycollected in June after the river icebreaks up, or from mid-August toSeptember, before freeze-up. Theyare not suitable for eating betweenthese times because they hardenand are too dry to eat. The rootscan be stored for the winter, withthe skin on, as they keep wellfrozen. Annie Norbert&s motherused to dig the roots up inSeptember. She would put mud ina box, place the roots inside, andcover them with more mud beforestoring.

The roots of this plant are juicyand sweet tasting in the spring andfall. Laura Pascal (COPE)described them as being ^^rootsjust like carrots.&& Prior to eatingor cooking bear root, the outer

skin is peeled away with a knife,like a potato. The roots may beeaten raw, or some Gwich&inprefer to eat bear root with duckor fish oil. If the root is hard, it isnormally boiled. One can thendrink the juice. Elders say thatbear root can increase a sickperson&s appetite, or can be eatenraw to relieve diarrhoea.

Du&iinahshe'e

Doo&iinahshih

or ts&eedichi

Northern Ground Cone


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Uses:

Indian pipe, broomrapeBoschniakia rossicamedicine and pipe

The Gwich&in name for this planttranslates as ^ûncle&s plant&&(Andre 1995). It grows in moistshaded areas with red willow,willows and spruce. Whenmature, ground cone is brown,rugged-looking, and slender inshape. It has a woody appearance

and reaches about 20centimetres (six to eight inches)in height. Unlike most otherplants, ground cone does notmake food from the sun&s rays.Instead, it parasitizes, or livesoff the roots of, spruce and redwillow plants.

A site showing where grizzly bears have dug forbear root

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The white core at the base of theplant is ground into a powder orchewed as a medicine. AlfredSemple&s great grandmother usedto mix the powder with grease andapply it to skin rashes. New plantshave a white part in the middle ofthe root, referred to as ^^potatoes.&&This part can also be boiled andeaten to increase appetite orrelieve stomach aches.

Ground cone is sometimes called^^pipe&& as many Elders remember

using it to make pipes when theywere children. Young plants werecut and the dry portion that growsabove the ground discarded. Thewet, bulb-like portion was driedand had a hole cut into it to serveas a pipe bowl. After drying, itwas filled with tobacco or driedwillow leaves. Sometimes theground cone roots were dried,pounded and mixed with thetobacco.

Note> there is no Gwich&in namefor this plant

Fireweed


E Latin names:Uses:

Epilobium angustifoliumfood and medicine

Fireweed is commonly found innew forest fire burns and indisturbed areas. This flower hasstriking pink and purple flowersand stands up to one metre (threefeet) tall.

The whole plant can be boiled asa medicine and the liquid rubbedon the skin for rashes. A poultice

is made from the leaves andapplied to burns, bee stings, achesand swelling caused by arthritis.The pink flowers are edible andcan be mixed in with jello andsalads. The new shoots can becooked like asparagus, choppedand eaten as greens, or mixed inwith salads.


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Uses:

horsetailEquisetum arvensemedicine, food and potcleaner

Goosefood grows close to theground along the shores of rivers

and on sandbars throughout thearea. This green plant is a source

Kheh dye'&

Kheh dì&

Goosefood



Ts&iigyu'çuç&

Ts&iigyu'u&

Wild Rhubarb


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Uses:

rhubarbPolygonum alaskanumfood

Wild rhubarb grows in open areas,disturbed areas and along riverbanks. The plant is ready to eat in

mid-June when it is about 20 to 25centimetres tall (eight to 10inches).

T¬&oo drik

Wild Onions


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Latin names:Uses:

Allium schoenoprasumfood

Wild onions grow in moist grassyareas. Like cultivated onion, wildonion leaves are narrow, taperingand grow erect from the base ofthe flower-stalk. In spring theflower stalk is generally longerthan the leaves and is topped witha pink or purple flower. Theleaves and bulb are both edible.

Laura Pascal (COPE) and SarahPeters (COPE, b) both talkedabout using onions for food.

Onion Lake (upstream fromInuvik, near Airport Lake) gets itsname from a large stand of onionsthat grows on one of its islands.

of food for geese, and possiblymuskrats as well.

The root tubercles, or dazho zhii(translated from Teet¬&it means^^mouse food&&) can be eaten raw,and the leaves and stems can besteamed for nasal congestion,colds and stomach ailments. Thecoarse green stems can begathered and used to scrub potsand clean dishes.

Daniel Fehr holding GoosefoodA

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Wild Rhubarb Pudding

To cook the wild rhubarb into a pudding, cut the whole plant including the tops intosmall pieces and put into a pot of water. Bring this to a slow boil. Whitefish or conyfish pipes (part of the stomach) and eggs can then be mixed in. On the side, mixtogether a paste of flour and water to make a thick gravy, and add to the rhubarb.Add sugar to sweeten the pudding to the desired level. Extra pieces of raw rhubarbcan be stored frozen in plastic bags for later use.

Gyu'u tsanh

Wormwood


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Latin names:Uses:

Artemisia tilesiimedicine and insectrepellent

Wormwood grows on dry openland, especially in disturbed areasaround bush camps, near townsand along roads.

Wormwood tea can be made forcolds and sore throats. If the plant

is boiled, inhaling the steam willclear nasal passages. According toMary Kendi of Aklavik and TonyAndre, wormwood can be put ona fire to make a strong smellingsmudge that repels mosquitoes.

At&a'n daga'çièiè

At&a'n daga'ii

Yarrow


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Latin names:Uses:

Achillea millefoliummedicine

Yarrow, with the distinctivewhite-flowered tops and finelydivided leaves, is easy to spot indry, open, and often disturbed,spaces.

The boiled liquid from this planthas many medicinal uses. Thewhole plant including the whiteflowers can be boiled to make atea that provides relief from

The picking time for this plantlasts only about two weeks. Whenthe plant is young it can be eatenraw, after first removing theleaves and seedy tops from the

plant, and peeling off the outerskin. It is very crunchy and juicy.Once the plant has gone to seed orhas many white flowers, the plantis too dry to eat.



Yarrow

coughs or ulcers. Mary Francisused to use this medicine.

A drink that prevents nosebleedsis made by boiling the whiteflowers in water for a fewminutes. Drinking one-quartercup of this liquid every day isreported to reduce nosebleeds.William Teya said PeterThompson crushed the whiteflowers and placed them in hisnostrils to stop nosebleeds. Theliquid from the boiled flowertops can also be used to sootheinfected skin and sunburns, ordry up skin rashes, includingeczema.

A paste made from crushedflower tops can be applied toinsect bites. Leaves and flowers

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can also be crushed into a pasteand put on wounds to controlbleeding.


M O S S E S A N D L I C H E N S

Uhdeezhu'&

Uudeezhu&

White Moss


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Common names:

Latin names:Uses:

lichen, caribou food,reindeer moss, reindeerlichenCladina spp.food and cleaner

This lichen grows in large matsin spruce forests, where it isoften eaten by caribou.According to Alfred Semple,Lazarus Sittichinli said it takesa long time to grow. He alsotold Alfred that if you eatanimals that eat willow, likemoose, you will get hungrymore quickly than eatinganimals that eat lichen, likecaribou. William Teya said, aschildren, they were taught torespect the lichen. Childrenwere not supposed to play on itand if you took some you wereto pay for it.

White moss can be boiled tomake a tea. Mary Kendi of FortMcPherson, and ElizabethGreenland, agreed that boiling

and drinking the juice (tea) isgood for stomach and chestpains. It is especially valuable ifpeople are low on food or dogfood. Annie Norbert said thatmen used to drink this teabefore going to the mountainsbecause it helped them keeptheir wind for walking andclimbing. Lichen can be driedand ground and mixed in soupsas an extender. The lichen itselfcan be eaten after being boiledtwice and strained. TonyAndre&s mother, Julienne, wouldboil lichen for an hour and thenfry it. Eating the fried lichenwas like eating cornflakes, hesaid.

It&rik is the stomach (rumen)contents from a caribou. The

Alan Fehr and Mary Kendi of Fort McPherson

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M O S S E S & L I C H E N S

Moss Houses in the Old Days

My brother John and I went along when the men went to the lakes to hunt.All the wives would be left at the lake and they would make a fire. Thewives, all related to each other, said when they were left behind that theywould build a house. They made it out of moss. That night they made a fireon a large piece of land. Even then it was cold. After the house was made,we all went into a nice, hot place. They all laughed at the men who left thembehind without a house.—Julienne Andre (COPE)

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Moss


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Uses:

sphagnum mossSphagnum spp.diapers and cleaner

Moss, which is yellow, green orbrown in colour, is commonlyfound in wet muskeg areas andwas used for several purposes inthe old days. Women used tohang it in branches of willows to

dry and to get rid of bugs. (Thebugs crawl out or drop from thedrying moss.) The dry moss wasstuffed and sewn into sugar bagsfor use as diapers. Strips of clothwere used to tie the diapers on.

it&rik, which is mostly lichen,can be placed on meat totenderize it and enhance thetaste. The best it&rik isobtained from a caribou shotearly in the morning before ithas begun to eat. It&rik fromthe stomach of a youngcaribou can be hung to age fora few days to a week, and thenmixed with fat, marrow,berries or sugar to make apaste. This paste can be eatenalone or fried with marrow

and fat. It&rik can also be boiledand eaten as soup, or added toboiling caribou meat. It&rikenhances a person&s appetite.

Lichen can also be mixed withdog food or grass from muskratpushups to rid dogs oftapeworms.

Finally, when out on the land,lichen is good for scrubbingpots and pans.



Wet moss was used for washingdishes, cleaning hands and wipingoff fish and fish tables. It was alsoput into a dish of water andtreated as a house plant. Mosswas often used to chink log housewalls and roofs, and to bank thesides of tents against the wind. Tochink a house, moss was pushedin the cracks and then coveredwith a coat of soft mud andallowed to dry or freeze. Mosswas also hung in trees and shrubsto blaze or mark trails.

According to Julienne Andre andBella Alexie, before the Gwich&inpeople settled into communities,they lived from time to time inmoss houses, or neek&an. Theywere built as needed, anywherethat moss was abundant. To makethe houses, blocks of moss werecut in the fall, just after it startedto freeze. In the spring, the blockswere stored away until the nextfall when the good ones would bereused. The blocks measuredabout one metre long, 30centimetres wide and 20centimetres thick (three feet long,one foot wide, and eight inchesthick). The blocks were packedbetween peeled poles that cametogether at the top. The number ofpoles required depended on thesize of the neek&an. For a bighouse (three families) 20 poleswere needed and it would take thefamilies a week to build it. For amedium house (two marriedcouples), 15 poles were needed. A

single-person dwelling requiredonly 12 poles.

A fireplace was made in themiddle of the moss house. Gravelstones were piled up about a foothigh. The fire was built on top ofthis platform. As the groundthawed from the fire, more stoneswere placed on top of theplatform. When a fireplace wascarefully built, the smoke lingeredabout two metres (six feet) abovepeoples& heads. If a person wascareless, the smoke lingeredlower. Tony says his mother,Julienne Andre, was really good atmaking this fireplace. Over thewinter the blocks of moss that

Charlene Blake of Tsiigehtchic holding sphagnummoss and white moss.

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Moss for Fuel

Half of this time we did not know wherewe were going except that we were goingback by canoe. Some of the places wewent to there was no wood or willow,only dry moss. So we had to burn drymoss to cook a meal for ourselves...—Pascal Baptiste (COPE)

made up the wall thawed outpart way from the heat.

According to Tony Andre,Paul Niditchie had two orthree of these moss housesalong his trapline. He stayedtwo to three nights at each ashe moved along his trapline.


F U N G U S

Edinìichii

Birch and Willow

Fungus


G/T

EUses: medicine, tobacco, insect

repellent, moth ball, firestarter

Birch fungus is a general termfor a type of bracket fungus thatgrows on birch trees. Similarfungi grow on willow and redwillow (alder) shrubs.

Birch fungus was cut up andboiled and used for stomachailments. Ashes were rubbedgently on skin sores andpimples. The fungus was alsocut up and crushed into smallpieces, and then mixed withcigarette or chewing tobacco tomake it last longer. Funguscould also be burned on a fireuntil it turned into a white

powder, which was then mixedwith tea and tobacco to makesnuff (Andre and Kritsch 1992).Pieces of birch or willowfungus were burned on a plateto repel mosquitoes.

A small piece of willow funguscan be used as a moth ball in acloset or drawer. Once driedand pounded, birch fungusmakes a good fire starter thatcan be ignited with a flint andsteel.

Louisa Robert, Charlie Robert Greenlandand Alestine Andre at Rock River

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L I T E R A T U R E C I T E D

Alexie, Bella. 1976. Early 1900sas I remember it. Committeefor the Original PeoplesEntitlement files. NWTArchives. Yellowknife, NWT.

Andre, Alestine and IngridKritsch. 1992. The traditionaluse of the Travaillant LakeArea using trails and placenames of the GwichyaGwich&in from Arctic RedRiver, Northwest Territories.Report prepared undercontract for NOGAPArchaeology Project,Canadian Museum ofCivilization by Gwich&inSocial and Cultural Institute.67 pp. plus maps.

Andre, Alestine. 1995. Gwich&inTerritorial Park Plant Report.Prepared by the Gwich&inSocial and Cultural Institutefor Gwich&in Geographics.Inuvik, NWT. 11 pp.

Andre, Julienne. No date. Lifestory of Julienne Andre.Committee for the OriginalPeoples Entitlement files.NWT Archives. Yellowknife,NWT.

Andrew, Elijah. No date (a). Along time ago. Committee forthe Original PeoplesEntitlement files. NWTArchives. Yellowknife, NWT.

Andrew, Elijah. No date (b). Howto make a drum. Committeefor the Original PeoplesEntitlement files. NWTArchives. Yellowknife, NWT.

Baptiste, Pascal. No date. Travelswith Eskimos. Committee forthe Original PeoplesEntitlement files. NWTArchives. Yellowknife, NWT.

Bonnetplume, Paul.1974. Huntingand fishing in the fall.Committee for the OriginalPeoples Entitlement files.NWT Archives. Yellowknife,NWT.

Francis, Effie. No date. Poundedup dry fish. Committee forthe Original PeoplesEntitlement files. NWTArchives. Yellowknife, NWT.

Francis, Mary. No date (a). A manleaving his wife to die.Committee for the OriginalPeoples Entitlement files.NWT Archives. Yellowknife,NWT.


L I T E R A T U R E C I T E D

Francis, Mary. No date (b).Drymeat. Committee for theOriginal Peoples Entitlementfiles. NWT Archives.Yellowknife, NWT.

Francis, Mary. No date (c). Fish.Committee for the OriginalPeoples Entitlement files.NWT Archives. Yellowknife,NWT.

Francis, Mary. No date (d). Food.Committee for the OriginalPeoples Entitlement files.NWT Archives. Yellowknife,NWT.

Gardlund, Sarah Ann. No date.Life story. Committee for theOriginal Peoples Entitlementfiles. NWT Archives.Yellowknife, NWT.

Husky, Mary. 1973. Life of longago. Committee for theOriginal Peoples Entitlementfiles. NWT Archives.Yellowknife, NWT.

Kritsch, I., S. Jerome, and E.Mitchell. In prep. Teet¬&itGwich&in Heritage Places andSites in the Peel RiverWatershed. Gwich&in Socialand Cultural Institute.Tsiigehtchic, NWT.

Pascal, Laura. No date. Medicinefrom plants. Committee forthe Original PeoplesEntitlement files. NWTArchives. Yellowknife, NWT.

Peters, Roddy. No date. Bushmanstories. Committee for theOriginal Peoples Entitlementfiles. NWT Archives.Yellowknife, NWT.

Peters, Sarah. 1973a. Life in theold days. Committee for theOriginal Peoples Entitlementfiles. NWT Archives.Yellowknife, NWT.

Peters, Sarah. No date (b). Theway the people used to live.Committee for the OriginalPeoples Entitlement files.NWT Archives. Yellowknife,NWT.

Rat, Lucy. No date. Life story.Committee for the OriginalPeoples Entitlement files.NWT Archives. Yellowknife,NWT.

Robert, Annie B. No date. Gamesand medicine. Committee forthe Original PeoplesEntitlement files. NWTArchives. Yellowknife, NWT.

Stewart, Victor. 1996. Beaver. TapeB 100696IVICTSTEWFM.Gwich&in EnvironmentalKnowledge Project. Gwich&inRenewable Resources Board.Inuvik, NWT.

Walker, Marilyn. 1984. Harvestingthe Northern Wild. OutcropPublishers Ltd. Yellowknife,NWT. 224 pp.


A P P E N D I X 1ROCKS AND MINERALS USED

FOR MEDICINE AND DYE

Gwinahkho;o

Sulphur

T

E

Uses: medicine

Sulphur Medicine

When you move around Rock River, you could find sulphur on the rocks. You just hita little and it falls off. It’s good for a lot of things, it’s strong. After you collect them,you put it on a piece of cloth, then you pound it up. When you finish that, you takeall the little stones out of it. Then you put a little water in it, make it into a pastethen put it on a wound or cut. It’s (also) good for bad stomach, I mean, upsetstomach. You put one-half teaspoon in lukewarm water, you drink that.—Laura Pascal (COPE)

Sulphur is a mineral found amongother rocks. It is green when wetand yellow or white when dry.Sulphur can be collected byscraping it off of rocks and puttingthe powder in a container. Somepeople call sulphur ^^lime.&& It canprovide relief to people sufferingfrom toothaches, by applying apinch of powder directly to thesore tooth. Gwinahko;o is foundon the side of a hill by De'eddhooGo'onlii (Scraper Hill) up the Peel

River. It is also found at CaribouRiver, Stoney Creek, in theRichardson Mountains northwestof Fort McPherson, and RockRiver. It is also found at RoadRiver (Kritsch, Jerome, andMitchell, in prep.) AlfredSemple&s father collected sulphurfrom cracks in rocks on a bluffalong the Hart River. His fathermade a drink with it and used it totreat heartburn and to helpdigestion.

Charlie Robert Greenland collecting ochre

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A P P E N D I X 1

Vihtr&ii

Vihtr&ih

Flint

G

T

E

Uses: fire starter

Tsaih

Ochre(see photo on page 38)

G/T

EUses: dye

Before the age of matches andlighters, flint was used to startfires by striking a metal objectagainst the flint to produce aspark. Natural supplies of flintare found in a variety of places

According to the Elders,Gwich&in collect ochrefrom Rock River, up theArctic Red River and inthe mountains. Anoffering is left when ochreis collected. Suitableofferings include tobacco,shells, tea, woodenmatches and even itemslike spoons and knives(Andre and Kritsch 1992).People believe if anoffering is not left, a bigwind storm will blow. Ifthe ochre is lumpy it isground up into a fine,

in the GSR, including themouth of Thunder River (redshale) and on Joe Callis& Riverbetween Thunder River andLittle Chicago (Andre andKritsch 1992).

reddish powder. It is commonlyused to ^^paint&& the following>

© snowshoes,© toboggan handlebars,© the dried raw caribou hide

covering the head of atoboggan,

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Collecting ochre


A P P E N D I X 1

Ochre and Caribou Clothing

People living in the country lived mostly on caribou and all other wild meats.They would make their outfit out of caribou skin more than anything else.They made tents out of the caribou skin and they were really good tents.After they finished making the tents, they would have gone through about 20caribou skins, all tanned. Where the sewing was, each strip would have redpaint which was made out of red stones. They made real fancy tents out ofcaribou skins. They also got a special kind of willow for the tent. During thewinter or summer or whenever they moved, they had dogs to pull the bunchof sticks away to put the tent up. They put the tents up and everyone knewthat there were no stoves in those days.—Sarah Peters (COPE, a)

© snow shovels,© dog harness traces,© dog whips,© caribou skin ropes,© canoes,© porcupine quills,© white cotton fishnets, and

© clothing and hides (e.g.wolverine).

Some people burned rottendriftwood to make tsaih. The redashes were used to colour similaritems (Andre and Kritsch 1992).

Gwich’in Socialand Cultural Institute

The Aurora Research Institute has a mandate toimprove the quality of life in the western region

of the Northwest Territories by applying scientific,technological and indigenous knowledge

to solve northern problems.

Parks Canada is a federal government agency whosemandate is to protect and present places which

are significant examples of Canada's culturaland natural heritage.

The Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute is anon-profit society whose mandate is to document,

preserve and promote the practice of Gwich’in culture,language, traditional knowledge and values.

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Documents

Ethnobotany - Gwich'in Social & Cultural Institute · GWICH’IN ETHNOBOTANY: PLANTS USED BY THE GWICH’IN FOR FOOD, MEDICINE, SHELTER AND TOOLS1 T ABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction