Ethnobotany of the Copper Inuit of Kugluktuk, Nunavut, Canada

Ethnobotanical research has focused on tropical regions rich in biodiversity and is relatively rare in Arctic environments where the flora is by comparison depauperate. The Copper Inuit are a sub-population of Canadian Inuit who occupy the Kitikmeot Region of the Territory of Nunavut, Canada. The objective of this study was to document the use of plants in the traditional diet, material culture, and medicine of the Copper Inuit. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in the Hamlet of Kugluktuk, Nunavut (67°47.881' North; 115°13.845' West). Data were gathered through unstructured interviews, participant observation, and voucher-specimen collection. Uses were documented for 23 plant species/types contained in 12 families. Nine species were eaten, six species/types were used as materials, and 12 species were used for medicine. Further efforts to document the ethnobotanical knowledge of the Canadian Inuit are indicated by rapid changes in Arctic culture and climate.