Use of cinder conk (Inonotus obliquus) by the Gitksan of northwestern British Columbia, Canada

4 Pages·1992·2.1 MB·English

by  Leslie M Johnson Gottesfeld

Summer
153-
Ethnobiol. 156 1992
12(1):
/.
SHORT COMMUNICATION
CONK
USE OF CINDER BY THE GITKSAN
(Inonotus obliquus)
NORTHWESTERN CANADA
OF
COLUMBIA,
BRITISH
JOHNSON
GOTTESFELD
LESLIE M.
Department Anthropology
of
University Alberta
of
T6G 2H4
Edmonton,
Alberta
The
Gitksan Indians of northwestern British Columbia, Canada, gathered the
conks" conk
"sterile of the cinder fungus, Inonotus obliquus (Pers.: Fr.) Pilat
(Hymenochaetaceae) and Ryvarden These
(Holsten Gilbertson
et 1985; 1986).
al.
under
massive black eruptions of fungal tissue externally resemble charred cork;
the dark crust they are a yellowish-brown color and have a corky texture. They
and
emerge from on Marsh.)
cankers living birch trees (Betula papyrifera (Fig. 1
The conk was broken trunk Cinder conk had
Fig. crusty off the for use.
sterile
2).
Marsh
FIG. conk growing on living Betula papyrifera
1. sterile
Canada
stem, Cedarvale, Columbia,
British
GOTTESFELD Vol. No.
12, 1
154
brown intenor
conk showing yellowish
FIG. 2.—Inonotus obliquus sterile in section
Quesnel, British
and from stem,
black surface. Collected living Betula papyrifera
Columbia, Canada.
and as
two
principal uses: for moxibustion treatment of swollen athritic joints,
conk tor
slow match making and Use cinder
tinder or a for transporting of
fire.
matches
by
moxibustion continues; use slow match has been supplanted
for a
and modern means
other of kindling
fire.
unusual
who
After conversations with a Gitksan elder described the use of this
collection
fungal structure, collected specimens of cinder conk and brought a
I
A
fungus voucher (Gottesfeld
of the to the elder to verify the
identification.
ALT
A) deposited with Herbarium.
Eth. 54, is the University of Alberta
am
uncer-
The Gitksan have two words and
for cinder conk: mii'hlw tiiuxw.
I
dialect
words may
tain these have distinct meanings; they represent intervillage
if
A and
variants with the same meaning. Gitksan cinder conk its
elder describes
Summer
1992 JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY
155
medicinal use as follows: "Mii
the black growth from
the
crack the
in birch
Like yellow
tree. cotton you
inside.
cut use
If the yellow
off, cotton Take
it
stuff.
match
a sliver like a and burn
stick for pain
it in joint." (interview notes,
2/20/87).
According
to the
elder, after the sliver of cinder conk was burned
to the skin on
me
dnectea
was
a
joinr, special salve then
applied to the burn wounds.
This
treat-
ment was
reported be
to effective in reducing the and
swelling, presumably
the
discomfort, of the Another
Gitksan
joint. informant
reported grandmother
that his
applied
pitch burning
after cinder conk
slivers to her
treat knee.
arthritic
A
handful of cinder conk was used by
the Gitksan as a slow match. was
It
carried as an ember new
to kindle a "Bring from morning camp
fire. fire the
fifteen or twenty Wrap
miles.
in birch bark. Light
in the evening. remains
fire
It
an ember
long
for a time. doesn't smoke."
(interview
It notes,
2/20/87).
Three
other Indian groups
of northern and northwestern North America
also
named
and used
cinder conk. The Wet'suwet'en
of northwest Columbia
British
have two names
for cinder conk and The
(dicic'ah
ci'ists'o'
tl'eyhtse).
identifi-
and names
cation were by showing
verified pieces of a sterile conk to an elder
from
Hagwilget
Village (interview She
notes, described moxibustion
6/14/89). a
treatment using cinder conk similar to that used by the neighboring Gitksan. The
Wet'suwet'en
used
also as a slow match. This use
it is recalled in a traditional
ember
start a
fire.
According
to Kari (1987), the Tenaina of southcentral Alaska used cinder conk,
which
they punk
call k' atnitsayi, for a or tinder with a as a slow match,
fire drill,
treatment
taxonomic
descript
the
identity
of the fungus.
Woods
fomen
tarius
arthritis. In addition, was used make
obliquus to a tea.
J.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks
are due to David Green, Charles Austin, Marianne Austin, and David Harris
for sharing information on names and thank Randy Currah
the uses of cinder conk. Dr.
I
my
for verifying identification and Brenda Callan of the Pacific Foresty Centre in Victoria,
B.C.
for providing the photograph The manuscript was improved by reviews
for Fig. 2.
by Nancy
Turner, Brenda and Duncan
Callan, Morrison.
LITERATURE CITED
GILBERTSON,
ROBERT and
and LEIF Pest Management, State Private
L.,
RYVARDEN.
1986. North American Forestry, Alaska Region Report No. 181.
Polypores, RUSSELL. Tenaina
PRISCILLA
Fungiflora, Oslo. 2 KARI, 1987.
vols.
HOLSTEN, EDWARD
An
PAUL HEN- Ethno-
H., Denai'ina K'et'una.
E. Plantlore.
NON,
RICHARD
and WERNER. South-
A. botany of the Dena'ina Indians of
1985. and 2nd National
Insects diseases of Alaskan central Alaska. rev. ed.
USDA
Anchorage.
forests. Alaska Region,
Forest Service, Forest Park Service,
GOTTESFELD No.
Vol.
12, 1
156
LITERATURE CITED
(continued)
ANNE Man
Museum
LEIGHTON, Mercury Cana-
1985. Wild plant use of Series,
L.
by Woods Cree (Nitihawak) dian Ethnology Service Paper No. 101.
the of East-
The
Central Saskatchewan. National
BOOK
REVIEW
Volume and
Economic and Medicinal Plant Research: Plants Traditional
4:
Wagner Norman
Medicine. H. and Farnsworth (general Olayi-
R. editors);
Academic
and London:
wola Akeerele Charlotte Gyllenhaal (volume editors)
.
ISBN 0-12-730065-1.
Press, 1990. Pp. xv, 174. $69.95 (hardcover).
Some com
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meant
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This
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This book was meant on medicinal
to aid in the internationalization of research
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and The body book
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plants.
Ghana,
consists of eight chapters, each dealing with country (China,
a
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India, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Samoa, and Thailand). The authors of the chapters
on was
are experts the ethnopharmacology Each author
of that particular nation.
summary
asked
to give a brief of the traditional medical system prevalent in the
country, then to identify five or six species which seemed to merit further atten-
tion. For each plant chosen, some important uses and con-
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The
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This cannot satisfy the need for a standard reference volume since it
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it
Joseph E. Laferriere
Ownbey Herbarium
Marion
Washington University
State
WA
Pullman. 99164-4309