Gwich’in Ethnobotany Plants used by the Gwich’in for Food, Medicine, Shelter and Tools by AlestineAlestine Andre and Alan Fehr Covers the Gwich&in Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories and Yukon Territory 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 retrieval system, 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 Aurora Research Institute SECOND EDITION, 2002 CONTACT INFORMATION Gwich&in Social and Cultural Institute Aurora Research Institute Box 46 Box 1450 Tsiigehtchic, Northwest Territories Inuvik, Northwest Territories X0E 0B0 X0E 0T0 Phone> (867) 953-3613 Phone> (867) 777-3298 Fax> (867) 953-3820 Fax> (867) 777-4264 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 and Cultural Institute (GSCI), Resources Wildlife and Economic Development (RWED), Laura and Steve Gasaway, Christian Bucher, Dave Jones, Jacquie Bastick (Parks Canada), James McCormick (Parks Canada), Derek Johnson and Myrna Pearman. Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data ISBN> 1-896337-09-0 CITATION Andre, Alestine and Fehr, Alan. 2002. Gwich&in Ethnobotany, Plants used by the Gwich&in for Food, Medicine, Shelter and Tools. Gwich&in Social and Cultural Institute and Aurora Research Institute. Inuvik, Northwest Territories. 68 pages. T ABLE OF CONTENTS 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: 66 Rocks and Minerals Used for Medicine and Dye GWICH’IN ETHNOBOTANY: PLANTS USED BY THE GWICH’IN FOR FOOD, MEDICINE, SHELTER AND TOOLS 1 ^^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) 2 GWICH’IN ETHNOBOTANY: PLANTS USED BY THE GWICH’IN FOR FOOD, MEDICINE, SHELTER AND TOOLS INTRODUCTION Human beings have always they use them. During the summer depended on plants for their of 1997, staff from the InRC and survival. In virtually every GSCI worked with Gwich&in environment on the planet, we Elders to document their have used plants for food and knowledge about the traditional medicine, and to make tools and use of plants, including leaves, build shelters. Over thousands of bark, roots and berries. Elders years, the Gwich&in people living from Aklavik, Fort McPherson, in the subarctic region of North Inuvik and Tsiigehtchic were America became highly skilled at interviewed, both in the making use of the trees, shrubs communities and on the land. and berries that the taiga and Youth from each community also tundra provided. As skills were participated in the project. developed and improved, this The result of this research is this knowledge was passed along from book and an associated kit, which generation to generation. are designed to be used by As the Gwich&in now live in educators, naturalists and the permanent communities, their public. dependence on local plants has diminished. Many of the skills that they needed to survive on the land now survive only in the memories of their Elders. As they Important Notice: pass away, this knowledge is This is not a plant gradually dying with them. identification guide. If you Recognizing that urgent action are uncertain of a plant’s was needed, in 1996 the Inuvik identity or uses DO NOT Research Centre (InRC) of the USE. Consult a local plant Aurora Research Institute, and the expert for more information. Gwich&in Social and Cultural Institute began documenting the plants the Gwich&in use and how GWICH’IN ETHNOBOTANY: PLANTS USED BY THE GWICH’IN FOR FOOD, MEDICINE, SHELTER AND TOOLS 3 GEOGRAPHIC SETTING The Gwich&in Settlement Region this region. The Mackenzie Delta (GSR) was established under the is the largest delta in Canada and terms of the Gwich&in consists of a maze of lakes and Comprehensive Land Claim channels, vegetated by white Agreement, which was signed in spruce and a variety of shrubs on 1992 by the Government of the uplands, and willows along Canada and the Gwich&in Tribal the banks. Council. The GSR is located in The taiga cordillera, or mountain the northwest corner of Canada&s region, includes the southern end Northwest Territories, covering of the Richardson Mountains and the southern half of the the northern end of the Mackenzie Mackenzie Delta and extending Mountains. Black and white south along the Mackenzie River, spruce forests also grow in this southwest along the Arctic Red region, although they are and Peel Rivers, and west into the generally confined to lower Yukon (Figure 1> Map of GSR). elevations and river valley The communities of Aklavik, Fort bottoms. At higher elevations, McPherson, Inuvik, and arctic-alpine tundra grows. Tsiigehtchic are located within the Typical tundra species include GSR. dwarf willow, cranberry, The climate of the settlement blueberry, blackberry and region is semi-arid and cold. numerous lichens and mosses. Permafrost occurs throughout. Black bear, beaver, muskrat, The GSR includes two natural woodland caribou, moose, lynx, regions> the taiga plain and taiga snowshoe hare, marten and mink cordillera. The taiga plain is a vast live in the forest region. Dall expanse of open black spruce sheep are found only in the forest on moist sites, white spruce mountains and barren-ground forest on the drier sites, and caribou inhabit the tundra. numerous lakes and ponds. Trees Grizzly bears, wolves, red foxes, such as balsam poplar, tamarack and wolverines are at home in the and paper birch, are also found in forest and tundra habitats. 4 GWICH’IN ETHNOBOTANY: PLANTS USED BY THE GWICH’IN FOR FOOD, MEDICINE, SHELTER AND TOOLS 138° 1 128° 37° 136° 130° 129° 69° 69° 135° 134° 133° 132° 131° BEAUFORT SEA INUVIALUIT s ie SETTLEMENT r y r ito r ito r r REGION r e MACKENZIE e t T T s n e o DELTA w k u th Inuvik Y r o N Aklavik Campbell Airport Lake Lake 68° 68° Red Caribou Mountain Creek Black Mountain Thunder River SAHTU Fort Tsiigehtchic McPherson SETTLEMENT WAY IGH H REGION Ro c k 67° 67° R i v e P r E E M L AC K E N Z I A E RCTIC CIRCLE R IV E R Eagle Plains Fort A Good RC T Hope IC RE 66° R D 66° TE S P R M I VE R E R IV D E R r ve i r R e v i R B on n e d t n i W t r S a n a H k P e lu 65° m 65° e R iv R e i r v e r 64° 64° 138° 128° 137° 29° 136° 130° 1 135° 134° 133° 132° 131° Town THE GWICH'IN Settlement SETTLEMENT REGION Territorial Boundary Settlement Boundary Yukon and Northwest Territories, Canada Dempster Highway Water Feature Scale: 1:3 Million Gwich'in Settlement Area Lambert Conformal Conic Projection GWICH’IN ETHNOBOTANY: PLANTS USED BY THE GWICH’IN FOR FOOD, MEDICINE, SHELTER AND TOOLS 5 METHODS Elders were selected to passing on information about participate in this project based their preparation and uses. In on their expertise and interest in the fall of 1997 Elders, youth the traditional use of plants. and staff took a field trip down Usually Elders were interviewed the Dempster Highway to Rock during field trips on the land. River. Youth and staff accompanied Separate trips were made to Elders on hikes through areas collect and photograph plants at they recommended, occasionally different stages of growth. At stopping to look at plants, pick the Inuvik Research Centre berries or discuss a plant&s use laboratory, the plants we and name. Photographs were collected were pressed until dry, taken and some plants collected and then mounted with white for use later in the Gwich&in glue on herbarium paper. Some Plant Kit. Because some Elders plants were laminated for use in had difficulty walking in the the Gwich&in Plant Kit. Where bush, we spent time with some possible, berries were dried and of them in homes and offices mounted with the whole plant< examining freshly picked or however, they often dropped dried plants and discussing their off, or were not present when names, uses and habitat. the plants were collected. To Information was also collected ensure all plants in the kit had from Elders in 1997 during the samples for people to see, Gwich&in Science Camp, berries were picked, dried and organized by the GSCI. Ruth then bagged and placed in a Welsh, a Gwich&in Elder now plastic organizer for display. living in the Yukon, also Ground cone, lichen, moss and attended the camp. She has a fungi were dried and placed in special interest in ethnobotany either glass jars or in the and worked with the staff and organizer. students identifying plants and 6 GWICH’IN ETHNOBOTANY: PLANTS USED BY THE GWICH’IN FOR FOOD, MEDICINE, SHELTER AND TOOLS On November 23 to 25, 1998, database of traditional the authors and nine Elders, environmental knowledge. The representing all four following archives in the communities, met to review, database were searched> discuss, and correct the draft Hudson&s Bay Company, book, plant specimens, and kit.