Plant dispersal by Native North Americans in the Canadian subarctic

The reciprocal nature of the relationships between humans and plants is recognized today as integral to the study of ecological anthropology, cultural ecology, and ethnobotany. It is so central to our thinking that its importance cannot be overstated. Students who came into contact with Volney Jones during their formative years were fortunate to have been exposed to this basic assumption of ecology before it was widely recognized. One area of plant and man relations in which Jones has had some interest is that of the role played by native American Indian populations as agents of plant dispersal. This question not only touches upon his interests in the ecological nature of the relationships but it also reflects his conception of ethnobotany as both relying upon and contributing to our knowledge of botany and of anthropology. In this paper some examples of American Indian influence on native flora and some suggestions concerning the nature of this influence are offered, with speculations about its influence on our own scientific, botanical traditions. The reciprocal relationships involve certain species of plants, some Native Americans in the Canadian subarctic, and contemporary Euro-American and Euro-Canadian botanists. (author)