Fireweed as a Gitxsan Clan!?

Abstract

This paper was originally written for Instructor Robert Bandringa's Indigenous Studies 332 course Indigenous Ethnobotany. The assignment asked students to investigate how First Peoples live in respectful relationship with plants and place. The paper uses MLA citation style.  

Exploring the culture and protocols of the Gitxsan Nation in regard to its Clan system leads to a discussion about the unique decision to include Fireweed—a plant—as one of its four Clan crests. This analysis delves into the ethnobiological relationship between the Gitxsan Nation and Fireweed, investigating the biology, ecology, and cultural uses of this plant.