The traditional Dakelh way of life is based on a seasonal round, with the greatest activity in the summer when berries are gathered and fish caught and preserved. The mainstay of the economy is centered on harvesting activities within each family
keyoh (ᗸᘏᑋ, territory, village, trapline) under the leadership of a hereditary chief, known as a Keyoh holder or keyoh-whudachun. Fish, especially the several varieties of
salmon, are
smoked and stored for the winter in large numbers. Hunting and trapping of
deer,
caribou,
moose,
elk,
black bear,
beaver, and
rabbit provided meat, fur for clothing, and bone for tools. Other fur-bearing animals are trapped to some extent, but until the advent of the
fur trade, such trapping is a minor activity. With the exception of berries and the sap and cambium of the
lodgepole pine, plants play a relatively minor role as food, though the sacredness of plants are appreciated by Dakelh people. The Dakelh are familiar with and occasionally use a variety of edible plants. Plants are used extensively for medicine. Winter activity is more limited, with some hunting, trapping, and fishing under the ice. Although many Dakelh now have jobs and otherwise participate in the non-traditional economy, fish, game, and berries still constitute a major portion of the diet. The Dakelh engaged in extensive trade with the coast along trails known as "grease trails". The items exported consisted primarily of hides, dried meat, and mats of dried berries. Imports consisted of various marine products, the most important of which was "grease", the oil extracted from
eulachons (also known as "candlefish") by allowing them to rot, adding boiling water, and skimming off the oil. This oil is extremely nutritious and, unlike many other fats, contains desirable fatty acids. Other important imports were smoked eulachons and dried
red laver seaweed. "Grease" and smoked eulachons are still considered by many to be delicacies and are prized gifts from visitors from the west. The route by which Sir
Alexander MacKenzie and his party reached the Pacific Ocean in 1793 in the first crossing of
North America by land was, from the Fraser River westward, a grease trail. Other examples include the
Cheslatta Trail and the
Nyan Wheti. ===
Ethnobotany===
Plants used in cuisine They use the berries of
Vaccinium vitis-idaea to make jam.
Plants used medicinally They take a
decoction of the entire plant of
Viola adunca for stomach pain. The Southern Carrier use a strong
decoction of the root of
Orthilia as an eyewash. A full list of their ethnobotany can be found at http://naeb.brit.org/uses/tribes/27/, http://naeb.brit.org/uses/tribes/28/, and http://naeb.brit.org/uses/tribes/29/. ==History==