Alaska Ethnobotany

Waterproofing with Spruce Pitch

Pinaceae Family  Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière Sitka spruce Tlingit: Shéiyi (KayaanÍ Commission, 28) Picea glauca (Moench) Voss white spruce Picea mariana Mill. black spruce Additional Names Yup’ik name for spruce tree *unclear if it is for all spruce trees or only white spruce trees kevraartut (mid Kuskokwim) (Jernigan, K. A., …

Spruce Root Basketry

“The first lesson you learn is don’t be angry at anybody because your weaving will show it, and don’t think angry thoughts, and make sure your house is clean…” –Haida Weaver Delores Churchill The first basket I ever wove was a gods eye pattern of red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea …

Healing Salve

Salves are semi-solid, fatty herbal mixtures made for topical applications, and have been used historically as a medicinal treatment. Hippocrates suggested treating contused wounds with salves to promote suppuration, remove necrotic material, and reduce inflammation. I started off with the intention of creating a “Yarrow Salve’, but ultimately when it …

Bannock

“We ask: do we really need bannock, or do we just desire bannock? Which leads to asking one of our Elders, Therese, about traditional flours, which leads to an afternoon collecting cat tails to make flour” (Ballantyne, 2014, pg.17). Bannock With winter upon us, I have been looking for an …

Birch Bark Basketry

Introduction Paper Birch (Betula neoalaskana Sarg.) Family: Betulaceae Meaning behind Latin names: Betula possibly comes from the Sanskrit word burga, meaning “a tree whose bark is for writing on,’ whereas neoalaskana means “new Alaska’ (Grey 2011, p. 242) Other common names: Alaskan paper birch, Resin birch, and Yukon white birch …

Beachgrass Basket

When you pick it you say a little prayer, thanking the grass for letting us have some of it, and that we won’t abuse it ~ Maria Turnpaugh (Smithsonian, 2003). Leymus mollis (Trin.) Pilg. (Poaceae) Taxonomy and Etymology: There have been several scientific names for this plant in the past, …