Roots, Bark & Boughs

Historically, aboriginal cultures had many uses for the white spruce. The long surface roots were chewed and used to make watap, a cord used to sew together birch bark canoes.

Young trees were used to make snowshoes and bows. The bark was also used to make cooking pots and trays for gathering berries.

Boughs were used for bedding and temporary shelter and rotten wood for smoking moose hides.

Resin & Pitch

The spruce resin was worked into the seams to waterproof canoes and could have been chewed as a natural chewing gum.

Pitch was heated and used as glue to fasten skins onto bows and arrowhead onto shafts and as a poultice for a variety of skin irritations.

Medicinal Use

Resin, watery sap and teas of boiled needles and twigs contain Vitamin C and other nutrients. This mixture was used as a general cure-all for treating tuberculosis, scurvy and coughs.