Aboriginal Use of Non-Timber Forest Products in Northw estern North America

Summary

Aboriginal peoples in northwestern North America hav e traditionally used hundreds of different forest plants for food, materials and medicines. Plant products have also been economically important as trading goods. Today there are excellent prospects for aboriginal people to participate in the harvesting and marketing of non-timber forest products, but there are serious issues of access to and control of resources, respect of intellectual property rights, and concerns for conservation of plants and ecosystems that must be addressed. We provide an overview of past, current and potential use of NTFPs by aboriginal peoples in British Columbia and neighboring areas, and discuss the relevant issues and concerns, with recommendations about how these can be accommodated.

Key Words:

• Traditional food
• traditional medicine
• indigenous peoples
• basketry
• British Columbia