Non-Traditional Plants
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This fiddlehead fern is a beautiful site on the lush, dark slopes of the cliffs near Golovin. The ferns like the shade and are found in the cool shade of alders. The leaves of the plant are feathery and reach 1-2 feet in length. The compound leaves are divided many times and seem to create a fan of green color. The leaves grow in a circular pattern, slowly uncurling with time; this is the characteristic giving the fern it's name, Fiddlehead Fern.
I asked several people about this plant and they said that it is eaten mixed with greens in the spring time but no name was known. This is due to the fact that only recently has it's use been common. It is not a traditional plant used in Golovin, but with the introduction of different plant books describing edible plants, people have started using it. This is one reason I decided to include some non-traditional plants. With the help of Maggie Olson, who learned to speak Iñupiaq from her grandma, who raised her, we came up with some good names for some of the plants without any. As the use of this plant increases, perhaps some of the Elders can get together and help give them names that are fitting.