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Ethnobotany of Alaska: A Southwestern Alaska Perspective

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Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures

Alaska is the home of many diverse native peoples who inhabit a wide variety of environments. To survive and flourish in these environments it was essential for people to be aware of the wide range of plant and animal species in their area on which their survival depended. Published texts on Alaskan Natives, particularly the Eskimo (Lee and DeVore 1968), have stressed the dependence of native people on hunting in order to survive. While this dependence is undoubtedly true, the awareness and intensity of use of vegetal resources has often been overlooked. While it is impossible to summarize, in a single article, the use of indigenous plants among all native peoples of Alaska, this article focuses on one area of Alaska, that of the Southwest, in order to illustrate the range of knowledge and use of indigenous flora by the Yup'ik Eskimo. This use includes the harvest of plants for food, medicine, and utilitarian purposes. Limited ethnobotanical references for native peoples in the...

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Aleut occupy the southern tip of the Alaskan Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. Their use of indigenous flora is not discussed in this paper (see Bank 1953).

  2. 2.

    Cup'ig spellings of all plant species are taken from the Cup'ig Dictionary by Amos and Amos (2003) and have been placed in bold italics. A glossary of Yup'ik and Cup'ig plant names are included in the Appendix.

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Authors
  1. Dennis Griffin
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hampshire College, 893 West Street, 01002, Amherst, MA, USA

    Helaine Selin (Editor) (Editor)

Appendix: Glossary of Native Plant Names

Appendix: Glossary of Native Plant Names

Yup'ik Native Plant Name Glossary

Scientific Name

Common Name

Yup'ik

Cup'ig

Siberian Yup'ik

Achillea spp.

Yarrow

punaiyulinu'kait

  

Aconitum delphinifolium

Monkshood

 

cetegneg

 

Alnus spp.

Alder

chufu'koak

  

Angelica lucida

Wild celery

ikiituk

ik'itut, ik'iituq, ikkitug

 

Arctostaphylos alpina

Alpine Bearberry

kavlak

kavlag

 

Ammodenia peploides

Sea purslane

 

tukullegat

 

Artemisia Tilesii

Stinkweed, Wormwood

caiggluk

neqnialngut

 

Betula nana exilis

Birch, Dwarf Birch

chupuaiya'hak

cigur

 

Boltenia ovifera

Sea Potato, Sea Onion

 

arnaut

 

Caltha palustris

Marsh Marigold

allngiguaq

wivlug

 

Carex spp.

Sedges

 

pekneret

 

Cladonia spp.

Lichens

ciruneruat

qelqun'at

 

Cladonia rangiferina

Lichens–Reindeer Moss

ciruneruat

ungagar, ungagat

 

Claytonia tuberosa

Tuberous Spring‐Beauty

ulqit

ulpit

ulkik

Conioselinum chinense

Western Hemlock‐Parsley

 

tuk'ayug

 

Dendroa aggregate

Unknown

 

tukurnar

 

Draba borealis

Wild Lettuce

 

inguqit

 

Dryopteris austriaca

Shield Fern

ciilavik

centurkar, ceturga'ar

 

Dryopteris dilitata

Shield Fern

ceturqaaraat

cilqaarat, ilqaarat

 

Elymus mollis

Wild Rye Grass

taperrnaq

taperrnaq

 

Empetrum nigrum

Crowberry

paunraq

paunrat, pauner

pagungak a

Epilobium angustifolium

Fireweed

ciiqaaq

cilqaar

 

Epilobium latifolium

Dwarf Fireweed, River Beauty

 

qilqaarat

 

Equisetum arvense

Common Horsetail

qetgoq

kenret

 

Eriophorum spp.

Cottongrass

melquruaq

melqiutet, pal'it

 

Eriophorum angustifolium

Tall Cottongrass

anlleq

pekner

 

Fomes igniarius

Chew ash fungus

kuma'hak

  

Fucus spp.

Bladderwrack

 

elquat

 

Fucus gardneri

Bladderwrack

 

elquar

 

Hippuris tetraphylla

Mare's Tail

tayaruq

tayarut

 

Honckenya peploides

Beach Greens

qelquayak

tukullegat

mytknagrak

Ledum palustre decumbens

Labrador Tea

ayuq, ai'yut

ay'ut

 

Linguiticum scoticum Hultenii

Beach Lovage, Wild Parsnip

tukaayuq

tuk'ayat, ciukarat

 

Lycoperdon spp.

Puffballs

agyam anaa

agyam an'a(i)

atykyrygak a

Matricaria matricariodes

Pineapple Weed

atsu'koak

  

Mertensia maritima

Oyster Leaf

Tumaglir

ciunertur pag

 

Nephroma arcticum

Arctic kidney lichen

kus'koak

  

Oxycoccus microcarpus

Bog Cranberry

uingiar, tumagliq

  

Oxyria digyna

Mountain Sorrel

 

quulistar

kugylnik

Palmaria mollis

Seaweed, Dulse

 

elquat, elquarnar

 

Parrya nudicaulis

Wild Cabbage

 

inguqit

 

Pedicularis verticillata

Wooly Lousewort

ulevleruyak

megtat neqiat

kakykak a

Petasites frigidus

Coltsfoot

qaltaruaq

lal angagguar

kamgyak a

Picea glauca

White spruce

mingkot'moak

  

Pohlia nutans

Moss

kuma'hotit

kumarutet

 

Polygonum bistorta

Bistort, Pink Plumes

cuassaaq

ciwassat

siukl'iak

Polygonum viviparum

Alpine Bistort

 

ciwassat

siukl'iakyak

Ranunculus Pallasii

Pallas Buttercup

 

aggulunguat

 

Rubus arcticus

Nagoonberry

puyuraaraq

puyurarag

 

Rubus chamaemorus

Cloudberry, Salmonberry

atsalugpiaq

atsar atsakutag

akavsik

Rumex arcticus

Sourdock, “Wild Spinach”

quagciq

ciwassat

al'kyhkak

Salix spp.

Dwarf Willow

nuwi'longok

inaqac'it

okviuk

Salix alaxensis

Alaska Willow

 

qugyuguat

kukunat a

Salix fuscescens

Willow

 

qimugkararat

 

Salix pulchra

Diamondleaf Willow

 

qugyuguat

kukunat

Saxifraga spp.

Saxifrages

 

quulistat

siknak a

Sedum rosea

Roseroot, Stone crop

cuqlamcaraat

megtat neqiat

nunivak

Senecio pseudo‐Arnica

Ragwort, Fleabane

 

qugyugguat

 

Sphagnum spp.

Sphagnum moss

uruq

  

Streptopus amplexifolius

Twisted Stalk

 

atsarrlug

 

Vaccinium uliginosum

Alpine Blueberry, Bog Blueberry

curaq

cur'at

siugak

Vaccinium vitis‐idaea

Lingonberry, Low‐bush Cranberry

tumagliq

tumaglir

kitmik

Valeriana spp.

Valerian

  

ahseukpuk

  1. aName references same species but possibly different subspecies.

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Griffin, D. (2008). Ethnobotany of Alaska: A Southwestern Alaska Perspective. In: Selin, H. (eds) Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9434

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