Glossary

The Glossary used for this Edukit will be the same one used on the main website People of the Boreal Forest.

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Aboriginal

Being the earliest known in a particular region; native, indigenous. In Canada, Section 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982 defined Aboriginal Peoples to include First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

antler:

The deciduous horn of a member of the deer family, i.e. moose, caribou, elk, or deer. Often used by Aboriginal Peoples in the production of art, crafts, and tools.

babiche:

Rawhide (usually moosehide) soaked in resin (usually the sap of a spruce tree); it is commonly used as webbing in snowshoes.

backpack:

A container, usually of fabric construction, carried on a person’s back and used to carry supplies.

bait:

Food, or an object that gives off the appearance, sound, or scent of food used to lure an animal, bird, or fish into a trap.

bannock:

A heavy, flat, round bread made of flour, usually unleavened; a traditional recipe includes ground plant root and fish eggs.

barge:

A flat-bottomed boat capable of carrying freight across rivers and lakes, and pushed or pulled by a motor boat. Sizes range from a load capacity of two tonnes to six-hundred tonnes or more.

barged:

Goods and supplies carried or transported across a river or lake by a barge either pushed or pulled by a power boat.

bark:

To remove the bark of a tree after it has been cut down; to bark a log or pole.

Barren Lands:

Lands north of the boreal forest; a tract of land with minimal tree growth and little vegetation. It is a vast nesting habitat for many migrating birds.

birchbark:

The protective cover of a birch tree. Used traditionally to cover a canoe frame and used extensively in the production of crafts.

birchbark imprint:

The creative design made by tooth imprints bitten in a strip of birchbark; usually the practice of First Nations women.

black ice:

A sheet of floating ice that is saturated with melt run-off; it may sink without warning.

boreal:

Pertaining to, or located, in northern regions.

boreal forest:

A large area of wooded land consisting of a dense growth of trees and underbrush, relating to northern and mountainous parts the northern hemisphere.

boughs:

The fine branches of a coniferous tree, often refers to the small branches of a spruce tree, as in spruce boughs.

bow:

The front end of a canoe or boat.

break-up:

A time or season of year, particularly in early spring when the movement and breaking of ice across lakes and rivers is caused by melting.

break trail:

To pack snow, usually with snowshoes, to allow access for walking or for dog team travel.

brush:

The low growth of shrubs and grass often mixed with tree growth; resembles a forest ground cover.

bush person:

A person occupying forest land; living in part or in total from and off the land.

cabin:

A small house located along a trapline used by trappers as a temporary residence or overnight shelter, usually built of logs and consisting of a single room.

cache:

A place for the storage of food and supplies, often located at strategic locations along the trapline and hunting route.

camp:

A residence, home, and property in the northern bushland.

candlestick:

Lake or river ice which, in the spring, is near breakup condition. Not safe to travel over.

carriole, carryall:

A toboggan about four metres (thirteen feet) long and half a metre (one and a half feet) wide, fitted with a fabric (moosehide) sidewall cover; used to carry people and supplies. It is pulled by dogs, snowmobiles, or all-terrain wheeled vehicles.

castors:

Large glands located under the belly skin of both male and female beavers, by which the scent of the beaver is carried and dispersed. Castors are a source of traditional medicine and a market commodity for the contemporary commercial perfume industry.

castorium:

Scent from the castor of a beaver; used in a variety of traditional medicines and to produce commercial perfume.

caulk:

The act of filling seams or joints of boats and log buildings.

caulking compound:

Material used to fill and seal the seams of boats and houses.

channel:

A river or lake pathway for boats, especially relevant where there is a narrow channel meandering under the surface of a large body of shallow water.

chink:

(see caulking) To fill the gap between the logs of a house; to fill the gaps between boards on a Chipewyan skiff to keep out water or air.

clearing:

An area of land in a forest where trees are cleared out; can also found along the shoreline of a stream, river, or lake.

conical tent:

(see tepee) A shape resembling a cone; the shape of an Aboriginal tepee.

crackling:

Also known as Indian Popcorn, a sweet and crunchy snack made when the stomach cape of a moose is rendered to remove fat and then dried.

culture:

Customary beliefs, values, and material traits of a racial or social group; the Aboriginal lifestyle.

deadwood:

Fallen trees, often used as a shelter by animals and birds; often a source of dry firewood.

dog-musher:

A person who controls and drives a dog team while it pulls a toboggan.

down:

The layer of feathers of a goose or duck used for stuffing pillows, quilts and clothing, and as lining in bird nests. The eider duck (female) is a preferred source of down.

downstream:

In the direction of the flow of a river.

downwind:

In the direction towards which the wind is blowing; to be downwind from the location of a hunted animal.

dressing an animal:

Preparing the carcass of a hunted animal, bird, or fish; removing hide (skin), some bones, and entrails.

dry cure:

A process of curing food, particularly meat and fish, in the open air over a trickle of smoke and heat from a wood fire.

dugout:

(as in dugout canoe) This is a hollowed-out log fashioned to be a water transportation vehicle. A canoe is as short as two metres (six and a half feet) and as long as the tree size will allow, usually ten metres (thirty-three feet) or more.

eddy:

A place along a riverbank where the flowing water reverses its direction creating a circular flow of water. A preferred place for travellers to rest or to place a permanent dock.

fishstick:

About ten kilograms (twenty-two pounds) worth of fish hung head-down on a willow branch which has been pierced through the tail of each fish; a stick across ten or twelve fish have been hung. Often used as dog-food.

flesher:

A sharp-edged flesh and hair scraper made from the leg bone (below the knee) of an animal, often the moose. Small fleshers are made from the bones of smaller animals.

floodplain:

The highest level at which water will rise when rivers or lakes are flooded beyond normal levels.

freeboard:

The amount of space between water and the upper edge (gunwale) of the side of a canoe or boat.

freeze-up:

The time of year when rivers and lakes freeze over; the onset of the winter season.

fungus:

A parasitic growth on trees, shrubs, and soil, including moulds, rust, mildew, smut, mushrooms, and bacteria.

green log:

A newly fallen or harvested live tree, still moist with resin and water.

grouse:

An upland bird; year-round resident of the boreal forest.

gullet:

Throat or esophagus of a grouse.

gum:

The sap of trees.

gunnel (gunwale):

The upper edge of the side of a boat or canoe.

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