Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 92.djvu/691

 Trapping Salmon in the Far North

The people of the North spear thousands of salmon in dammed streams

Bv Christian Lodoii

���The salmon are caught in stone traps after which they can be speared with the Eskimo Kakimaks or three pronged forks. The Eskimos catch thousands of fish in this way

��AMONG many Eskimo tribes, sal- r\ men fishing is one of the most important means of existence. The natives along the West Coast of Hudson Bay fish for salmon the year around, only varying their methods to suit the chang- ing seasons.

In the Summer, the salmon in the ocean, just beyond the rivers, are caught in primitive nets. During the Autumn when the salmon leaves the salt water the Eskimo builds several stone walls across a river, leaving one stone out in each di- vision, except in the wall highest up. This leaves a free passageway for the salmon as it goes up the river with the incoming tide. When the tide turns, the Eskimos close the openings in the lower walls, and at the ebb, they wade out into these small compartments and spear the trapped salmon with their Kakimaks or salmon- spears: This slaughter of salmon takes many days. They get many hundreds —

��sometimes thousands — of salmon in one river.

Later in the Winter, when the ice has formed on the lakes, holes are cut in the ice through which to angle for the salmon. This is done by attracting the salmon with a little piece of walrus ivory carved to look like a fish. The decoy is kept mov- ing by the help of a line of deerskin sinew. When the salmon approaches to examine the little imitation fish, he is speared with the Kakimak that the Eskimo holds in his right hand.

In Spring, when the poor salmon gets rather hungry, it is easily caught with a bait and fishhook. Then, even the women go out and angle for the harassed fish, through the holes in the ice. It is fortunate for the inhabitants of that in- hospitable region that salmon are plenti- ful there at all times, at least sufficiently so for the simple wants of the Eskimos, otherwise times would be very hard.

��Those of us interested in science, engineering, invention form a kind of guild. We should help one another. The editor of the POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY is willing to answer questions.

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