FREQUENCY OF TRADITIONAL FOOD USE BY 3 YUKON FIRST-NATIONS LIVING IN 4 COMMUNITIES

This study documented the frequency of use of traditional food species among 122 adults from three Yukon First Nations. The informants resid ed in four communities: Haines Junction, Old Crow, Teslin, and Whiteho rse. Food patterns were examined in two ways: (1) estimated frequency of household use of traditional food species over a one-year period, a nd (2) frequency of traditional foods in four daily diet recalls of me n and women, collected once per season. On average, Yukon Indian house holds used traditional foods over 400 times annually. Moose was consum ed on average 95 times yearly, caribou 71, chinook salmon 22, Labrador tea 20, cranberries and crowberries each 14, and blueberries 11 times yearly. According to household estimates, traditional foods were cons umed almost as often in Whitehorse as in Haines Junction. Teslin surpa ssed both these, while Old Crow had the highest frequency. Daily diets of adult individuals indicated that traditional foods were consumed o n average 1.14 times per day. Traditional foods were reported twice da ily in Old Crow diets, once and 0.5 times daily in Whitehorse diets. M easured by frequency of use, traditional foods-especially moose, carib ou and salmon-remain extremely important in contemporary diets of thes e Yukon Indian people.