Speaking on our Salmonberry
A gentle reflection on salmonberry season, language, and the beauty of one of spring and early summer’s most recognizable coastal plants.
Our Berry of the Summer
Sharing about this relative is always a delight for me; I would like to clarify that ‘yetwán’ means Salmonberry, and yetwánáy means the salmonberry bush as a whole. Yetwán is a beautiful berry that heavily resembles a raspberry. This plant will grow in darker areas of the rainforest, usually under tall trees such as the douglas fir and red cedar. Their leaves and flowers begin to bloom in the spring months (right now!), and the berries will begin to grow from these delicate leaflets in late May or early June. Keep an eye out on your walks for the beautiful pink of the salmonberry flower!
What’s Unique about our Yetwánáy?
Yetwánáy is one of our tallest native plants in BC. They can grow up to 13 feet in height! Though the berry resembles raspberries, their colours can span from yellow, orange, red and even purple! The way to figure out if it is Yetwánáy or raspberries is through the bark or stems. Yetwánáy bark is brown, and flaky to the touch. Watch out for those thorns, though!
Songs of the Salmonberry Bird
A story that the Squamish people would share with their children was the story of the Salmonberry Bird, or the Swainsons Thrush. The Salmonberry Bird invited Raven over one day, and called out her children. She gave her children their woven red cedar baskets and began to sing to her children. As she sang to them, the baskets filled to the brim with berries, and to the Raven she gave them. Raven rushed the Salmonberry Bird to his home despite her hesitance, grabbed his children, and attempted to sing; though no berries ever filled their baskets.
This was a short, sweet story to teach the children about our Swainson's Thrush. It is a small, brown bird that will regularly eat the berries off of our Yetwánáy. It is said that her song is what sweetens the berries. If you see one, and especially if you hear one, look out for any Salmonberries around you, as those will be the sweetest!
Our Relationship with Our Berry Relative
Yetwánáy was and is a very important piece of flora in the BC area. This berry wasn’t ideal for preserving and was instead used commonly as a snack while foraging for more preservable fruit. However, the berries weren’t the only tasty part, as the shoots under the bark make for a fantastic snack called ‘Saski.’ The leaves, berries and flowers make for a delicious tea that was also traditionally used for treating anemia and easing labour pains!
About the Author
Jayden Aubichon is a Cultural Ambassador with Talaysay Tours. They are a member of the Yanyeidi (Wolf) Clan in the Yukon territory, and moved back to British Columbia in order to reconnect with their connection to the rainforest and ocean. They previously shadowed a behaviour consultant and a speech and language pathologist, however worked solely with indigenous youth as a wellness worker.
Image Credits:
Stanley Park, Vancouver BC - Ruby B
Riefel Bird Sanctuary, Richmond BC - Liz V
Stanley Park, Vancouver BC - Ruby B
Stanley Park, Vancouver BC - Ruby B
Pumpkin Patch Trail, Sunshine Coast BC - Richard T
