INGRID KRITSCH, GSCI
Ochre outcrop at Tsaih Natr’oondak (translated as ‘Ochre-they pick up’) along Rock River, July 2008. Ochre is considered sacred and highly valued
by the Gwich’in as a decorative element for clothing, snowshoes and other traditional material items. A gift must be left before collecting samples
skills and sharing their knowledge about plants. In
response to this, in 1996 and 1997, the GSCI and Aurora
Research Institute (ARI) partnered with Gwich’in elders
from Aklavik, Fort McPherson, Inuvik, and Tsiigehtchic
to begin documenting the plants the Gwich’in traditionally used and how they used them.
The elders were interviewed both on the land and
in their communities, with youth from each community participating to aid in transmitting this knowledge to the next generation. The knowledge recorded
included the use of wood as well as leaves, bark, roots,
flowers, cones, and berries. An important body of
Traditional Knowledge is now available on the uses of
plants in Gwich’in traditional material culture as well
as the treatment of a variety of medical conditions.
The Spruce and Gwich’in Place Names
Gwich’in place names speak to the importance of
plants along with many other resources and places of
significance in their traditional lands. During the 19th
and 20th centuries, many traditional names for rivers,
lakes, mountains, and other features fell into disuse or
were replaced by settler names. Since 1992, GSCI staff
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have interviewed elders and land users, and captured
the traditional names of 900 places along with their
meanings and associated stories.
This has resulted in the official recognition of close
to 500 names on government maps in both the Northwest Territories and Yukon, and new signage reflecting
these names along the Dempster Highway, in local
territorial parks, and in communities. A series of place
name maps created by the GSCI is now available for
use in schools and local band, tribal, and government
offices, and is accompanied by an online and interactive Gwich’in Place Names and Story Atlas available at
atlas.gwichin.ca. This research has been an import ant
step in the ongoing process of Gwich’in culture and
language revitalization.
Of the 900 recorded place names, many make
reference to spruce wood or timber. Besides their
use in medicine, spruce trees were essential for the
construction of boats, fish traps, houses, and caribou
fences, and were also used for fuel. Knowing where
these trees were was critical for Gwich’in survival in
earlier times, and is still important today.
For example, Khàtaiinlaii Èhdì’ (literally translated as
“water flowing out-stands of timber (along the river)”)
refers to an area near the confluence of the Peel and