Uruq
Sphagnum spp. and other varieties
Plant
Mosses are unusual plants. Unlike most plants, they absorb water through their leaves and stems. They do not have roots or a system that transports nutrients. They grow in dry, moist, and wet ground, on trees and rocks, and in freshwater. People in the Kodiak Archipelago divide moss into two categories: tree mosses and ground mosses.
Material: Elders remember gathering, washing and drying moss for use in diapering babies, as toilet paper, and as absorbent material for menstruating women. People also used moss as insulation for houses and clothing, material for camp bedding, camouflage for snares and traps, to cover graves, to remove the hair from seal skins, to fill leather balls for laptuuk, and as a wick for an oil lamp.
Medicine: Used to treat pneumonia in the steam bath.
