On the role of peat bogs as components of Indigenous cultural landscapes in Northern North America

Figures & data

Figure 1. Overview map of North America showing the traditional territories currently claimed by Indigenous groups mentioned in the text as known to be using, or having used, bog plants and resources. Territory information obtained from https://native-land.ca/ (Native Land Digital 2021). Map prepared by James Williamson.

Table 1. List of bog plant species mentioned in the text as utilized by Indigenous peoples

Latin and common names	Indigenous group	Uses	Sources
Carex spp.
Sedge	Labrador Inuit	Woven mats, floor coverings	Zutter (2009)
	Various (Western Alaska)	Unknown (“mouse food”)	Anderson (1939)
	Yup’ik (Yukon–Kuskokwim)	Food (“mouse food”)	Jernigan (2014)
Drosera rotundifolia
Common sundew	Kwakw̱ḵ’wakw	Removing warts, corns, and bunions; love charm	Turner and Bell (1973)
	Coast Salish^a	Unknown	Turner and Bell (1971)
Eriophorum spp.
Cotton grass	Inuit (various)	Lamp wicks	Lazarus and Aullas (1992), Small and Cayouette (2016)
	Labrador Inuit	Lamp wicks	Pigford and Zutter (2014), Zutter (2009)
	Iñupiat	Food (“mouse food”)	Jones (2010)
Juncus spp.
Rush	Labrador Inuit	Woven mats, floor coverings	Zutter (2009)
Lysichiton americanus
Skunk cabbage	Kaigani Haida	Cooking, food storage	Norton (1981)
Rhododendron groenlandicum
Labrador tea	W̱SÁNEĆ	Beverage ingredient	Turner and Bell (1971)
	Coast Salish	Beverage ingredient	Turner and Bell (1971)
	Kaska Dena	Medicine/beverage ingredient	Johnson (2012)
Rubus chamaemorus
Bakeapple berry	Inuit (various)	Food	Boulanger-Lapointe et al. (2019)
	Métis (Labrador)	Food	Karst and Turner (2011)
	Kiluhikturmiut Inuinnait	Food (raw, mixed with fat)	Davis and Banack (2012)
Salmonberry	Yup’ik (Napaskiak)	Food (agu’tuk)	Oswalt (1957)
Cloudberry, mars apple, malt berry	Haida	Food	Turner (2004)
Sarracenia purpurea
Purple pitcher plant	Innu	Treatment for sores/rashes and smallpox	Tantaquidgeon (1932)
Sphagnum spp.
Peat moss	Kiluhikturmiut Inuinnait	Menstrual pads, diapers, bandages, insulation, coating on sled runners	Davis and Banack (2012)
	Yup’ik (Napaskiak)	Chinking houses	Oswalt (1957)
	Yup’ik (Nunivak)	Diapers	Lantis (1946)
	Wet’suwest’en	Diapers (avoidance of red)	Harris (2008)
	Gitsxan	Diapers (avoidance of red)	Harris (2008)
	Alaska (various)	Salve	Thieret (1956)
	Kwakw̱ḵ’wakw	Used to reduce fever, lighten complexion	Boas (1966), Turner and Bell (1973)
	Various	Lamp wicks	Llano (1956)
	Kaska Dena	Diapers	Johnson (2012)
Vaccinium oxycoccos spp.
Bog cranberry	Kaigani Haida	Food (stored in grease)	Norton (1981)
	Kwakw̱ḵ’wakw	Food (fresh or steamed)	Turner and Bell (1973)
	Yup’ik (Napaskiak)	Food	Oswalt (1957)
	Katzie (Coast Salish)	Food (owned resource)	Suttles (1955)
	Kaska Dena	Food	Johnson (2012)
Marshberry	Labrador Inuit (Nain)	Food	Boulanger-Lapointe et al. (2019)
Vaccinium uliginosum
Bog blueberry, bilberry	Coast Salish	Food (dried or raw)	Turner and Bell (1971)
	Inuit (various)	Food	Boulanger-Lapointe et al. (2019)
	Yup’ik (Napaskiak)	Food (agu’tuk or raw)	Oswalt (1957)
	Kiluhikturmiut Inuinnait	Food (raw, mixed with fat)	Davis and Banack (2012)
	Various (Western Alaska)	Food	Anderson (1939)
	Kaska Dena	Food	Johnson (2012)

Note. ^aIndicates where usage of a plant is presumed but not fully known for a particular group.

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