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Diqtoak is a shrub that may reach 2-3 feet high.
The light green leaves are palmate or look like a hand with
fingers. The bright, yellow flowers are 5 petaled and grow
until very late in the summer. This plant usually grows in
wet boggy areas but can be found on dry, bluffs and cliffs,
as well.
Diqtoak is collected for the use as tea. My Grandpa
Ralph said that in the fall, he used to gather the whole
plant, stems and all, and stack it up like fire wood. The
leaves would fall of and he steeped the stems in water. His
pile lasted all winter.
Maggie Olson told me that diqtoak , meaning
"something hard", was used for setting rabbit snares in the
ground. In the treeless environment of Golovin, finding the
right material to do simple tasks such as this is important.
The hard twigs, for which the plant is named, were poked
into the ground and held the snare in place, even when a
rabbit was caught.
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