Augyaq
Empetrum nigrum L.
Plant
Crowberry is a low, evergreen shrub with needle-like leaves and tiny, early blooming, purplish flowers that develop into edible, black, seedy berries. The plant forms mats in tundra, bog, and spruce forest habitats throughout the Kodiak Archipelago.
Gathering: Crowberries ripen in August and are available into September. People who prefer firm berries gather them early in the season as rain and frost make the berries watery.
Food: These popular berries are used in mashed potato akutaq and eaten with fish. People include them in a variety of jams, jellies, and desserts. They were once stored in containers of oil but are now stored in a cool place or the freezer.
Medicine: A tea made from crowberry stems facilitates menstruation. The smoke from burning crowberry plants was once used to cleanse both homes and visitors of diseases and evil spirits.
Material: Used to make a purplish red dye. People use the smoke from burning crowberry plants for fumigation, to rid houses of insects.
