Forest

To an outsider, the Boreal Forest can be an uninviting and daunting place. A person who is inexperienced at living in a forest would find it difficult to survive for any considerable length of time. On the other hand, a person who knows and understands the forest well would be able to live comfortably for a very long time. The various Aboriginal Peoples who have lived in the forest for centuries do not fear the forest or find it unfriendly. This is because they know the forest very well; the forest is quite simply their home. The people of the Boreal Forest have developed a symbiotic relationship with the forest. The word symbiotic refers to a relationship in which different organisms live together in respectful harmony. Simply put, they depend on each other for survival.

The Aboriginal People of the Boreal Forest respect the forest and take good care of it. This is called responsible stewardship while the people who take care of something are called stewards. Responsible stewardship means the Aboriginal People ensure that they do not offset nature’s delicate balance. As stewards, they take from the forest only what they need and avoid damaging the forest irreparably. In return, the forest shelters them and provides them with food and other basic necessities of life.

One way in which the forest provides for the people and other creatures who live there is through the diversity of usable plant life. Over time, Aboriginal communities have discovered many different uses for much of the Boreal Forest’s plant life. While, in many cases, this varied from one community to the next, all communities did, and some still do, benefit from the diversity the forest’s plant life in one way or another.

The people of the Boreal Forest utilize the plant life for such things as food, medicine, clothing, toolmaking, shelter, and religious ceremonies. For instance, some Aboriginal communities burn specific plants for spiritual enlightenment.

The various uses of the Boreal Forest’s plant life are far too numerous to list here; after all, it took the Aboriginal people centuries to learn all they know about the forest. Their knowledge is vast, and they are still learning.