Contributions to the Ethnobotany of the Cup'it Eskimo, Nunivak Island, Alaska

-Ethnobotanical information on the Native use of 47 spedes of indigenous plants on Nunivak Island, Alaska is presented. Changes in subsistence use among the Cup'it Eskimo of Nunivak, throughout the twentieth centuey, have resulted in the loss of traditional ethnobotanical knowledge. While previous studies have presented limited information on the importance of particular plant species to the local diet, additional data regarding the role of indigenous plants and subsequent changes in plant use have recently been recorded. They are discussed here in light of the adoption of western foods and medicines and increased contact of the Cup'it with mainland peoples. Current knowledge of traditional plant use and the importance of plants to local dietary, medicinal and utilitarian uses are summarized.