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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