INTRODUCTION
Berries continue to be an integral part of Gitxsan culture. Most types of berries are flavourful and provide various dietary nutrients not otherwise readily available in the traditional Gitxsan diet. Berry picking, as an activity, played an important social role in Gitxsan culture, specifically within their seasonal round. The physical geography of the Gitxsan territory generally provides optimal growing conditions for a wide variety of edible berry species that are utilized by the Gitxsan. The importance of berry resources is evident as Gitxsan House chiefs exercise a high degree of control over berry picking areas within each House territory. Prior to influence of Euro-Canadian authorities, Gitxsan House Chiefs employed rigorous conservation practices to maintain the quality and quantity of berry production within House territories (Daly 1988, 2005).
Available traditional use information regarding Gitxsan berry use is limited. A significant portion of the traditional use information presented in this report is derived from anthropological reports prepared during the 1980's and 1990's, for use as evidence in the court proceedings of Delgamuukw et. al. v. British Columbia. Delgamuukw was initiated by House chiefs from the Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en Nations. As a result of the ‘dual involvement’ of these two First Nations in Delgamuukw, traditional use evidence was prepared in manner that applied to both the Gitxsan and the Wet'suwet'en Nations. Of course, there are and were cultural similarities between the Gitxsan and the Wet'suwet'en Nations that made such a dual application possible within the limited context of the Delgamuukw proceedings. However, the Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en Nations are separate and distinct Nations. Therefore, some of the information regarding berry use, as presented in the following report, could relate to either the Gitxsan or the Wet'suwet'en Nations – which is a reflection of the available published information.
