BEARBERRY: Multi-Tribal UsesJump to Page Navigation Buttons===>>
Family Ericaceae
Genus Arctostaphylos
Species uva-ursi
Common_name Kinnikinnick
Bearberry
Larb
Cultural Note: You'll probably find it as annoying as I did that some of these anthros consider kinikinnik (a sacred herb) to have been used as "a narcotic" by some tribes. This is noted by the same guy, working as far apart as Minnesota-Wisconsin and the southwest, in the 1930's. Apparently this was because he noticed the leaves were being smokeed (or something). I can only suppose the 2 1973 anthros from British Columbia, who lay the same trip on the uses of kinikinnik leaves by NWC tribespeople were either influenced by that guy's writings or don't have any sense themselves, either.
Early settlers noted that kinikinnik was widely used as part of a smoking mix that usually included wild (uncured) tobacco and sometimes red willow or other herbs. When tobacco was not available -- it didn't grow everywhere -- kinkinnik might be smoked alone or with other bark/leaf mixtures. In some tribla cultures, it may have a sacred meaning, but I was told its main use was to cut the harsh taste and feel of uncured wild tobacco -- which I've had in Pipe ceremonies, and it would be harsh if being smoked for relaxation and pleasure. In any event, kinikinnik (dried bearberry leaves, often steamed before drying) do not contain any narcotics, and the reports by ethnobotanists, all of whom made these reports in the 20th century when scientifically they should have known better, appear racist to me. That's especially true of the Canadians, writing in the early '70's, who probably thought if Indians smoked it, it must be like marijuana.
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CREDITS: The photo is from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) botany gopher.
Webmistress --Paula Giese.Text and graphics copyright 1996.
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 16, 1996 - 8:05:26 AM
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