I'm quite sure this is Labrador Tea: there's a sign for it on the trail. The leather leaves, according to the sign, conserve vital nutrients, including water. It's a staple ingredient for aboriginal medications, including insect repellants. And it's use as a tea was probably introduced by Hudson Bay Company officials--or so states this sign.
I took this photo a few weeks ago along the Frame Lake Trail; the flowers are no longer in bloom. Last night I was finishing "Here I Sit" by Rene Fumoleau, who came to the north in 1953 as an Oblate priest. He has chronicled Dene life in poems, stories, photographs and films. Last night, I came upon this poem, called "Muskeg Tea". It's about how the Dene never order anyone to do anything. You don't hear a parent say "Do this...". Instead, a mother might say: "There's not much water left in the barrel." Here's an excerpt from the poem:
The youngest child was about four/She led her own life, wandering freely in and out of the house and in the bush nearby./One afternoon, the little girl walked in, holding a few twigs of muskeg tea which she presented to her mother./Muskeg tea or Labrador tea, is a wild bush with narrow leaves./It is prepared like regular tea, or mixed with tea to add a special flavour./It was the first time that the little girl contribured anything to the family./The mother received the twigs with reverence and she thanked her daughter, calmly, but with such joy and pride./I felt priviliged to witness the deep feelings flowing between mother and child.
I've started a new section on my blog: On the left hand side there's a list of books I'm reading while in Yk. My fave so far is Thomas King's "A Short History of Indians in Canada".
