Tamarack
People should leave an offering when collecting any part of a tamarack tree.
Caroline Andre of Tsiigehtchic said, “This is real good medicine. They say you have to pay for it, leave sugar or tea behind.”
English
Medicine
Spruce
As food
Spruce gum, dzèh kwan' (G) dzih drinh' (T), is the hard, older kind of tree sap or pitch, with a red or rose colour. It can be picked year round from the trees with a knife, stick or fingers. It can then be chewed like a piece of gum. Both the gum and the juice it produces can be swallowed as you chew. Spruce gum was commonly given to children as a treat when out in the bush cutting wood or picking berries.
As medicine
English
Poplar
As medicine
The buds, which are very sticky, are collected in the spring before they open and then boiled. Drinking the tea relieves cold symptoms. The resin which collects on the side of a pot can be used for cuts. The sticky buds can be applied to a sore to aid healing. Long ago, people burned the bark of poplar and then mixed the ashes into dog food. This helped control worms and keep dogs’ fur in good condition.
Source: Andre, Alestine and Alan Fehr, Gwich'in Ethnobotany, 2nd ed. (2002)
English
Birch
As food
Birch syrup (k’ii chų’ (G), k’ii chuu (T)) can be collected for one to two weeks in mid-June. The syrup, which is used as a topping for pancakes and other foods, is made by boiling down the sap until it thickens. A lot of sap must be collected to make a small amount of syrup.
As medicine
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Willow
As fuel
The small, dry twigs found among branches on the willow tree are good for starting fires. Mary Francis (COPE,c) said that willow was used to make smoke for drying meat.
As food
In the spring, the Gwich’in peel bark from the new shoots and lick the sweet juice, chew the stem or eat the tips. Annie Norbert said,
Mrs. Norris used to eat the pussy buds just like that.
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Wild Rose
As food
English
Red willow (alder)
As food
Annie Benoit of Aklavik says that scraping off the dark outer covering of the bark is an option before eating or boiling it. Medicine from red willow is considered as valuable as spruce gum tea. The bark can be collected year round from any size of red willow.
As fuel
Effie Francis (COPE) preferred alder wood for drying fish:
English
Labrador tea - tall
As medicine
All of the above ground parts of the Labrador (muskeg) tea plant are used to make a relaxant tea. The dwarf labrador plant, with its smaller leaves, is more aromatic than the tall labrador plant as a tea. Labrador tea is used as a medicine to treat colds, either for drinking, gargling, or for steaming. Ruth Welsh cautioned however that
English
Labrador tea - dwarf
As food
The leaves and stems can be picked year round and boiled into a tea. In the spring, the white flowers can also be collected and used to make tea. Muskeg tea is considered good for children and is known to be a relaxant and high in vitamin C. Many Gwich’in Elders, including Ida Stewart from Fort McPherson, add a regular tea bag for flavor.
As medicine
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Dwarf birch
As flooring
Dwarf birch is widespread in the Gwich’in Settlement Region and is commonly found growing among cranberries and alders (red willow) on muskeg. It is used for flooring in tents. When it is placed among ah’ (spruce boughs) the birch keeps the boughs fresh longer.
Source: Andre, Alestine and Alan Fehr, Gwich'in Ethnobotany, 2nd ed. (2002)
As medicine
English
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