Avaqsaa Ulluliyarnat: All blueberries, went blueberry picking on a very beautiful calm day, near Naujaat, (Sirlua) 2017.

Other common name: Bilberry
Scientific name: Vaccinium uliginosum, Vaccinium alaskanese and Ovalifolium
Inuktitut name: Kitgutangirnait

Blueberries that are not ripe yet are called nanuq in Inuktitut, which means polar bear. They are so called because unripe blueberries are white, just like the animal they are named after.
Traditional Use
The Inuktitut word for blueberry is kigutangirnait, which means, “that which causes the teeth to be removed.” They were called this because they left little black pieces on the teeth (Ootova et al, 2001). Both Dene and Inuit used the leaves of the bilberry plant in teas, and of course everybody loves to eat blueberries freshly picked off the plant. Inuit also preserved blueberries in seal oil or fat to be eaten later.

We used to use berries for a pudding in the summer, especially when we were staying in a location where they grew. A mix would be prepared with berries. We used to feast on pudding. Then we could also use kigutangirnat, but each type of berries would not be mixed at the same time. One type of berries did not mix well with another type. Z. Innuksuk source

Blueberries, wild, frozen (Alaska Native) per 100 grams Proximates Water g 88.70 Energy kcal 44 Protein g 0.70 Total lipid (fat) g 0.00 Carbohydrate, by difference g 10.40 Minerals Calcium, Ca mg 15 Iron, Fe mg 1.10 Vitamins Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid mg 2.2 Thiamin mg 0.030 Riboflavin mg 0.100 Niacin mg 0.400 Vitamin A, IU IU 163 Blueberries, wild, raw (Alaska Native) a Proximates Water g 85.48 Energy kcal 61 Protein g 1.22 Total lipid (fat) g 0.76 Carbohydrate, by difference g 12.31 Fiber, total dietary g 2.6 Sugars, total g 6.46 Minerals Calcium, Ca mg 13 Iron, Fe mg 0.37 Magnesium, Mg mg 7 Phosphorus, P mg 29 Potassium, K mg 75 Sodium, Na mg 6 Zinc, Zn mg 0.20 Vitamins Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid mg 18.3 Thiamin mg 0.067 Riboflavin mg 0.414 Niacin mg 0.597 Vitamin B-6 mg 0.026 Folate, DFE µg 33 Vitamin B-12 µg 0.00 Vitamin A, RAE µg 6 Vitamin A, IU IU 115 Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) mg 1.69 Vitamin D (D2 + D3) µg 0.0 Vitamin D IU 0 Vitamin K (phylloquinone) µg 17.2 Other Caffeine mg 0 a The mineral and vitamin content of berries harvested in the wild and in specific regions of the country may differ from commercially produced berries.