Chapters 4.35
4.35 Canada buffaloberry Shepherdia Canadensis
Bella Litvak , University of Guelph, Canada
Suggested citation for this chapter.
Litvak,B. (2022) Fleshy Fruits. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/
Introduction
The Canada buffaloberry is a shrub native to Canada and has deep cultural meaning to the first native communities across Canada. These plants have a lot of potential as food, in the medical field, and as other products but due to their unpleasing name and sour and bitter taste, they are often overlooked.
Background Introduction
Description
Shepherdia canadensis, also called the “Canada buffaloberry” is a shrub that can grow from 0.5 - 4 meters in height. These shrubs are dioecious and the berries tend to be red, orange, or yellow and each contains a single seed (Small, 2013). Each berry weighs approximately 0.05 g and has a diameter of 3 to 5 mm. It takes approximately 3.5 months for the berries to ripen.
Berries do not have to be picked right away, as they could survive on the shrubs for a few months but as time passes, they will change in taste and become sweeter (Janick & Paull, 2008). The Canada buffaloberry starts producing seeds when they are 4 to 6 years old (Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station & Intermountain Research Station, 1987).
Geographics
These berries were first recorded in 1818 but have been a part of Indigenous culture for far longer (Janick & Paull, 2008). They are found all over Canada, except on Prince Edward Island, so they were widely used by many different Indigenous groups. They are also found in Alberta and even down in Arizona and New Mexico. They prefer habitats with sandy and rocky soil, therefore they grow well on shores, riverbanks, and rocky woods (Small, 2013).
Consumption
The Canada buffaloberry could be eaten raw or dried. Due to the high concentration of vitamin C, many Indigenous people enjoyed consuming them in the winter. Indigenous people made the berries into a jam to be eaten with buffalo meat. It was also made into cakes, with the use of smoking techniques to cook it. Finally, Salishan and Athapaskan people made ice cream by mixing these berries with water and sweetener (Small, 2013).
Association With Indigenous People
The Indigenous people in British Columbia used these berries as a trade item and when giving presents. It was also often used as medicine. The branches were used as eyewash by the Salish and Kootenai people. To treat diarrhea, the roots were boiled by the Sioux people. To induce childbirth, the berries were used by the Wet'suwet'en people (Small, 2013). Also, when a young aboriginal girl obtained her period, Indigenous tribes used to have ceremonies where they used Canada buffaloberries as a red dye (Janick & Paull, 2008).
Indigenous Mythology
‘Bella Coola Indians,’ located in British Columbia, believe that the buffaloberries were once restricted to the slopes of mountains by the Mountain God. The reason is unknown but it was believed that the Mountain God was jealous. But occasionally the mountain God would treat the first native tribes with ice cream from the shrub’s berries. One day, a raven managed to eat a few and flew over the Bella Coola tribe, spreading the seeds. That is how the buffaloberries became a widespread shrub and how the first natives were able to start farming them for themselves (Dube, 2002).
Many tribes have spiritual and ritual beliefs about these berries. The Shuswap people would use buffaloberries in death rituals. The Northern Okanagan people would drink these berries as tea as a way to protect themselves from bad luck. The Northern Okanagan people also believed that if they managed to injure a deer while hunting but it still managed to escape, hunters would need to chew on the leaves of the buffaloberry and spit on the deer’s blood. This would cause the blood flowing through the deer’s veins to foam up and stop the animal from escaping (Dube, 2002).
Labour
Unlike the silver buffaloberries, the Canada buffaloberries are thornless, so handpicking doesn’t harm people. But Indigenous people still had other techniques, such as simply laying a cloth under the shrubs and collecting the berries that have fallen. When the temperature is cold,the berries are more likely to fall off (Janick & Paull, 2008). They would also beat the shrubs to have the berries fall (Hart, 1999).
Future Potentials
The Canada buffaloberry can grow in poor soil and improve said soil with its ability to fix nitrogen levels. Therefore, they can grow anywhere, even in poor communities with bad soil, and become a food resource for anyone (Small, 2013). Canada buffaloberries can also be used as windbreaks and have been used as such by Indigenous communities in the past. These plants are also resistant to difficult environments, such as Canadian weather. Canadian winters are harsh and even in the spring, it can snow. These sudden cold weathers can kill many plants but the Canada buffaloberry is good at surviving these conditions (Janick & Paull, 2008). It has also been recorded that it is slightly resistant to fire and is one of the few plants that are first to grow after a fire (Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station & Intermountain Research Station, 1987). Lastly, it is hard to revive soil that has been damaged due to mining, lodging, and road construction. It has been found that the Canada buffaloberry can survive in such soil and possibly even bring nutrients back into it to help other plants grow (Monsen et al., 2004). AWES (Agroforestry and Woodlot Extension Society) is using native plants to restore the environment in Western Canada. It just happens that Canada buffaloberries are one of their most useful plants; as they provide nitrogen and food for pollinators. They are mostly used as riparian buffers, to help grow vegetation between water and rural areas, such as agriculture drains.
References
1.Hart, J. (1999). Montana native plants and early peoples. (pp. 119) Saint Paul, US: Montana Historical Society Press.
2.Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Intermountain Research Station.
3.General Technical Report INT. (pp. 13-14) US: U.S. Department of Agriculture.
4.Small, E. (2013). North American Cornucopia: Top 100 Indigenous Food Plants. (pp.151-156) Boca Raton, US: CRC Press. https://www.google.ca/books/edition/North_American_Cornucopia/Y-f5DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Shepherdia+Canadensis&pg=PA157&printsec=frontcover
5.Dube, M.. (2002). Poorly Known Economic Plants of Canada- 32. (pp. 4-9) Montreal, Canada: CBA/ABC Bulletin. https://www.cba-abc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/vol_35_1.pdf
6.Monsen, S. B., Stevens, R., Shaw, N. L.. (2004). Restoring Western Ranges and wildlands.642-643) Fort Collins, US: Rocky Mountain Research Station.