Chapters 7.16
7.16- Porcupine
Xavier Wilson , University of Guelph, Canada
Suggested citation for this chapter.
Wilson,X. (2022) Mammals. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/
Porcupine in Traditional Indigenous Culture
Indigenous peoples have made many great contributions to the world’s food system, many of which are not well known to the world’s population. Their knowledge of their environment, the land, and of natural medicine has elevated the quality of life for people all around the world. The list of traditional Indigenous foods is long and varies drastically based on factors such as culture, geographical location and some items may only make an appearance in the tribe’s diet in times of necessity (Speck, 1951). Porcupine has played an important role in the survival of Indigenous peoples for centuries.
Species Information
A member of the rodent family, Porcupine, also known as Erethizan dorsatum is classified as a rodent species. The Erethizan dorsatum is the only species of all 23 porcupine species worldwide to reside in Canada (Smith, 2015). The gestation period for a porcupine is around 210 days in length which is much longer than most other rodent species (Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 2015). Another factor contributing to the low growth rate is the fact that most gestations only yield one offspring making population growth very difficult (Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 2015). Porcupines are native to most of Canada, Alaska, and most of the western United States (Alaska department of Fish and Game, 2015). With the species so widely populated, this made it available to a wide variety of indigenous tribes and groups. This species is a large rodent ranging from anywhere from 15-30 pounds in size and tend to be primarily nocturnal. (Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 2015). Porcupines are also the second largest rodents in Canada right behind the beaver (Smith, 2015). Porcupines are typically found living in forests and in thickets of bush where they seek refuge in small dens where they usually live alone (Smith, 2015). The slow-moving nature of porcupines made them an easy target for any predator looking for an easy source of food has forced them to adapt, and their adaptation is quills as a form of self defense. Despite many misconceptions, porcupines do not actually throw their quills. They simply stand them up when they feel threatened (Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 2015). As for their diet, porcupines enjoy a scavenger type diet where they eat lots of branches, leaves, plant buds and bark which allows them to live in essentially anywhere in Canada and most parts of the United States outside of the major city centres (Smith, 2015).
Consumption and Uses
Porcupines have been in North America for thousands of years and although they are easy targets, they have managed to survive and have sometimes been relied upon by Indigenous groups in times of desperate need. Porcupine was not used as a primary source of food but rather was consumed as a last resort since porcupines tend to be slow and easily hunted. A very wise practice considering the extremely slow reproduction and growth rate of the porcupine population. If proper care and population management not been taken, this would leave Indigenous peoples with very few options for nourishment in the event of a lack of food.
Being that porcupines were and still are so widely located, they were used and prepared in a wide variety of different ways largely dependant on the group at hand. The most common use for porcupine was for human consumption but there are some other known uses as well. Groups such as the Algonquins, Cree, and Chipewyan among many others were known to place the slain animal over a fire to burn off the quills (McClellan, 1975). Most groups then proceeded to cook the meat over an open fire however some groups such as the Southern Touchone were known to boil the meat before eating (McClellan, 1975). It is also known that some groups such as the Algonquins, Hare, Blackfoot, and Slavey used porcupine quills in clothing design and in some instances used it in forms of jewellery (Speck, 1951). It is also believed that the Micmac used porcupine quills so poke holes into maple trees to extract the sap which can be considered an early form of maple syrup (Speck, 1975).
Health Benefits
Similar to many other things, many items in indigenous culture had medicinal purposes and health benefits as well. Women of the Eyak tribe in Alaska would often eat a form of porcupine soup as it was believed that its consumption helped improve lactation in nursing mothers (Birke-Smith, 1938). Another medicinal use for porcupine is that the Iroquois would apply oil to young babies and infants to soothe aches and muscle spasms (Waugh, 1973). As for the consumption of porcupine meat, there are many benefits that everyday people can enjoy.
Porcupine can be classified as an exotic meat since it is a very protein rich meat that is low in fat which makes it a very healthy alternative to the typical red meats (Heben, 2020) . This type of meat is extremely low in cholesterol making it one of the healthier meats available to consumers (Heben, 2020). Similar to other “heart healthy” foods like eggs, porcupine is rich in omega-3 fatty acids which is another health benefit to this type of meat (Heben, 2020).
Geographic Origins
Porcupines are found all over North America and pretty much everywhere in Canada, so they are far from being uncommon. The western half of the United States as well as states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and up through Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are also home to many porcupines making them accessible to many indigenous groups all over the continent. This includes in the far reaches on the United States all the way up in Alaska but their northern most limit is when the arctic tundra is reached in the most northern parts of the northwest territories, Nunavut and the northern tip of Quebec.
Associated Indigenous Peoples
Porcupines are spread out all over North America making them accessible to a wide variety of Indigenous groups and tribes. Locally, many groups such as the Huron, Iroquois,Ojibway, Cree and others would have likely used porcupine in times of need. Many western and Prairie tribes would have used porcupine as well. Groups like the Cheyenne and Blackfeet would also have had access to the porcupine resources based on their geographical location. The far northern Alaskan Indigenous groups are well known for their medicinal uses of porcupine which are groups like the Eyak and Yupik (Birke-Smith, 1938).
Limitations
There are many limitations involved when discussing the consumption of porcupine. The first and major limitation is that porcupine is not farmed in North America. Porcupine is a completely wild animal to the exception of maybe a few that are kept in zoo exhibits. Being that it is a wild animal, it can not easily be integrated into a modern food system. Porcupines are also very independent beings and tend to spend very little time with other porcupines unless for mating purposes or to take care of their offspring (Animalia, 2022). Porcupines are not uncommon which makes them quite accessible to anyone wanting to hunt them however similar to the consumption of any other wild meat, there are some health risks associated as the animal may be diseased or could have some level of toxicity in the meat due to some environmental contamination and can also increase the risk of zoonotic disease transmission to humans (World Health Organization, 2021).
References
1.(n.d) Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Juneau, Alaska. https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=northamericanporcupine.main
2.McClellan C: (1975) My Old People Say: An Ethnographic Survey of Southern Yukon Territory-Part 1. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada.
3.Smith, D. A. (2006, February 7). Porcupine | The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/quillwork
4.n.d. Eating wild meat significantly increases zoonotic disease risk: UN . (2021, September 15). Retrieved November 10, 2022, from https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099952
5.Animalia - Online Animals Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://animalia.bio/
6.Heben,. Health Benefits of Porcupine Meat - Dr. Health Benefits. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://drhealthbenefits.com/food-bevarages/meats/health-benefits-of-porcupine-meat