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This moss grows profusely all around Golovin on the tundra.
The light green to yellow plant covers the tundra with a
soft, spongy layer that is hard to walk on. Water soaks the
moss so much that when I gathered the sample for my
collection I had to wring out the excess water. This
property of the moss is why is was such an important part of
Eskimo life prior to Western contact.
There is some confusion about the name of the moss. I asked
my grandmother about the plant one day and she told me the
name might be uggruk. I asked her later, to confirm
the name and she wasn't sure. Ugruk is a bearded
seal; the names are very similar. Perhaps the name of the
moss is so close to the name of the seal because the plant
used to be used in stone seal oil lamp. A stone was carved
out down the middle to make a groove, in which this moss was
placed as a wick. Seal oil was burned as the fuel to light
and heat the sod houses that Eskimos lived in before contact
with the Western culture. This wicking property was also
beneficial for use in diapers and pads, as well.
After contact, the moss was collected, dried, and used in
the newer modern wooden buildings as chinking and
insulation. The log cabins had gaps between the logs that
were filled in with the moss. Even today, mosses are widely
used for this purpose when not glass insulation is
available.
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