Mapleleaf mussel (Quadrula quadrula) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 9

Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge

Dr. Nicholson (pers. comm.) believes Manitoba First Nations used mussel shell for simple tools (i.e. spoons) based on encountering isolated shells rather than aggregations from archeological sites. Information provided by Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources, Inc. (CIER) indicated that freshwater mussels were not an important food source for Manitoba First Nations, but are important as a food item for other animals that are important to First Nations People (e.g. muskrat). So, indirectly, mussels may be important. There has been no information from Ontario First Nations, to date.

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