FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1907. £5 
and various racial traits on all sides among the laborers are the occa- 
sion of a variety of complications. An occurrence this summer gave 
evidence of the possibility of trouble that lies in failure to observe 
the customs governing the Indians in their fishing operations. A 
crew from the Sitka tribe fished for the Sitkoh Bay cannery in Redoubt 
Bay, a short distance south of Sitka, until early in September, when 
they stopped, giving the scarcity of fish as a cause. Upon this the - 
superintendent of the cannery sent over a crew of Killisnoo Indians 
to fish the bay. The Sitka Indians, however, claim the exclusive 
right to fish there and resented the coming of the Killisnoo crew, 
who, fully cognizant of their situation, refused to remain in camp on 
the bay, insisting on being carried back to the cannery with each 
trip of the launch. But for this and the lateness of the season, dis- 
order and possibly bloodshed could not have been averted. 
The Indian village of Uguiak, a few miles inside of the mouth of 
Alitak Bay, was raided in June this year, when, as usual during the 
canning season, the inhabitants were living in temporary quarters at 
the cannery at the head of the bay some 15 miles distant. The raiders, 
who were the crew of a Japanese sealing schooner, broke open and 
looted the houses, carrying off furniture, bedding, clothing, etc., and 
extended the outrage also to a Russian church in the village. Here 
they had gathered the church vestments and ornaments into a pile 
in the middle of the nave, preparatory to removing them, when the 
appearance of several canoes containing Indians from the cannery 
frightened them away. The schooner left before the Indians could 
learn her name, which is most unfortunate, as there are a number of 
Indian villages along the coasts of Alaska similarly deserted and 
unprotected during the canning season, and the success of the first 
raid may lead to a repetition of the crime. The safety of these vil- 
lages is a matter of interest to cannery men as well as to the Indians 
themselves. If the latter can not leave their property without fear 
of depredation, they will remain at home to protect it; and not only 
would their own earning capacity be thus seriously impaired, but the 
cannery men would be compelled to bring ina larger force of other 
labor, with all the difficulties and expense of transportation in addi- 
tion to the cost in higher wages. 
The location of possible future hatcheries was a subject to which 
attention was given during the inspection at favorable places, at 
Chilkoot Lake especially. The observations are reported at length 
in subsequent pages, with other notes regarding these localities. The 
question of fishing with gaff hooks by Indians who sell their catch to 
the canneries, a practice noted last year as existing in Chilkoot 
River, still obtains. It likewise is discussed later in this report. 
35670—08——_3 
