Naut’staarpet – Our Plants
The Alutiiq people are known for their rich maritime heritage, and from afar, plants may seem less important than the sea mammals, fish, birds, and shellfish that people harvest. Yet plants provide the Alutiiq with sustenance, raw materials, fuel, and medicine.
To a diet rich in animal protein and fat, plant foods contribute vital carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Plants also provide wood and fiber for making tools and clothing, fuel for heat and food preservation, and powerful medicine. Alutiiq healers continue to make teas, tinctures, switches, and poultices from local plants known for their healing properties.
This gallery introduces a selection of Kodiak plants and their traditional uses. The information shared here comes from Alutiiq culture bearers. It was collected by Priscilla Russell in 1990 with support from the Kodiak Area Native Association.
Print and digital resources produced with support from the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the Alaska State Museum.
A Note of Caution
Knowledgeable consultants provided the ethnobotanical knowledge shared here. However, this knowledge has not been scientifically tested or verified. Priscilla Russell, the Alutiiq Museum, and the book’s contributors, editors, and supporters accept no responsibility for experimentation. Any experimentation with wild plants is done at the reader’s own risk.
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