﻿478 
  ANNUAL 
  KEPOET 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  ing 
  the 
  backbone 
  and 
  the 
  entrails, 
  and 
  cutting 
  off 
  the 
  fins 
  and 
  the 
  

   tail. 
  The 
  cleaned 
  fish 
  is 
  then 
  cut 
  into 
  long 
  slices 
  and 
  hung 
  on 
  a 
  

   wooden 
  frame 
  to 
  dry. 
  No 
  salt 
  is 
  used. 
  A 
  slow 
  fire 
  aids 
  in 
  hasten- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  drying 
  process 
  and 
  sometimes 
  is 
  continued 
  in 
  the 
  dwelling 
  

   houses. 
  . 
  When 
  cured 
  the 
  salmon 
  are 
  wrapped 
  in 
  bundles 
  covered 
  

   Avith 
  bark, 
  or 
  are 
  stored 
  in 
  chests 
  for 
  future 
  use 
  during 
  the 
  winter. 
  

   The 
  storage 
  boxes 
  must 
  be. 
  guarded 
  against 
  dogs 
  and 
  placed 
  out 
  

   of 
  reach 
  of 
  the 
  children. 
  

  

  Halibut 
  are 
  treated 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  as 
  salmon, 
  but 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  

   largely 
  used 
  for 
  curing, 
  as 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  caught 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  The 
  heads 
  of 
  salmon 
  and 
  halibut 
  are 
  

   highly 
  esteemed 
  when 
  they 
  have 
  become 
  putrefied. 
  The 
  heads 
  are 
  

   buried 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  left 
  there 
  for 
  days 
  ; 
  then 
  removed 
  and 
  eaten 
  

   raw. 
  

  

  Importance 
  of 
  fish 
  oU 
  in 
  native 
  diet. 
  — 
  Herring 
  and 
  olachen, 
  the 
  

   so-called 
  candlefish, 
  are 
  staple 
  foods. 
  They 
  are 
  caught 
  with 
  an 
  

   implement 
  resembling 
  a 
  scythe 
  having 
  several 
  teeth 
  placed 
  at 
  right 
  

   angles 
  to 
  the 
  shaft 
  with 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  shaft 
  blade-shape 
  so 
  

   it 
  may 
  easily 
  cut 
  through 
  the 
  water. 
  While 
  a 
  canoe 
  is 
  slowly 
  paddled 
  

   by 
  one 
  native, 
  another 
  manipulates 
  this 
  device. 
  He 
  thrusts 
  it 
  down 
  

   in 
  a 
  school 
  of 
  herring, 
  gives 
  it 
  a 
  sweep, 
  and 
  impales 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  he 
  

   can 
  on 
  the 
  sharp 
  teeth, 
  then 
  draws 
  it 
  up 
  and 
  dumps 
  his 
  catch 
  into 
  

   the 
  canoe. 
  

  

  Herring 
  are 
  valued 
  primarily 
  for 
  their 
  oil, 
  which 
  is 
  boiled 
  out 
  and 
  

   boxed 
  for 
  winter 
  use. 
  The 
  native 
  method 
  of 
  extracting 
  the 
  oil 
  from 
  

   herring 
  is 
  to 
  place 
  the 
  herring 
  in 
  large 
  copper 
  or 
  iron 
  pots. 
  For- 
  

   merly 
  a 
  large 
  basket 
  was 
  used 
  instead, 
  into 
  which 
  hot 
  stones 
  were 
  

   placed 
  and 
  the 
  grease 
  boiled 
  out. 
  The 
  grease, 
  after 
  it 
  is 
  skimmed 
  

   from 
  the 
  surface, 
  is 
  run 
  into 
  the 
  hollow 
  stalks 
  of 
  giant 
  kelp, 
  which 
  

   have 
  been 
  tanned 
  by 
  soaking 
  them 
  in 
  fresh 
  water 
  to 
  extract 
  the 
  salt. 
  

   They 
  are 
  then 
  dried 
  in 
  the 
  sun 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  smoke 
  of 
  a 
  slow 
  fire, 
  and 
  

   then 
  toughened 
  and 
  made 
  pliable 
  with 
  oil. 
  In 
  this 
  form 
  of 
  container 
  

   the 
  grease 
  becomes 
  portable 
  and 
  an 
  object 
  of 
  native 
  commerce. 
  

  

  Oil 
  is 
  also 
  extracted 
  from 
  the 
  olachen. 
  It 
  was 
  formerly 
  considered 
  

   the 
  most 
  desirable 
  kind 
  of 
  oil. 
  The 
  native 
  taste 
  has 
  shifted, 
  however, 
  

   and 
  the 
  present 
  generation 
  of 
  Indians 
  uses 
  lard 
  substitutes 
  and 
  

   bacon 
  grease 
  instead. 
  

  

  The 
  olachen 
  appear 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  for 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  weeks 
  only. 
  

   The 
  mouths 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  Skeena, 
  Nass, 
  and 
  other 
  rivers 
  teem 
  with 
  

   them 
  then 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  taken 
  out 
  with 
  dip 
  nets 
  and 
  dumped 
  into 
  a 
  

   hole 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  putrefy. 
  The 
  oil 
  is 
  more 
  easily 
  extracted 
  when 
  

   the 
  olachen 
  are 
  decomiDOsed. 
  When 
  sufficiently 
  decomposed 
  the 
  

   olachen 
  are 
  taken 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  hole 
  and 
  are 
  put 
  into 
  a 
  small 
  canoe 
  which 
  

   is 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  caldron. 
  Hot 
  stones 
  are 
  thrown 
  among 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  sepa- 
  

  

  