364 SALMON RIVERS 



with the "Bersimis" as a salmon river, and for 

 size of its fish only the "Moisie" can approach 

 it. In 1860 it was granted by the Government 

 with a certain amount of land, to the Montagnais 

 Indians, as a reserve. They are under no restric- 

 tions of any kind as to the fishing of it. Spear- 

 ing, however, is the favorite method of taking 

 fish, although a few do set nets in the early part 

 of the season when the water is high and fish just 

 beginning to enter. Towards the end of July 

 all the nets are taken up and spearing begins in 

 earnest. This is carried on all through the sum- 

 mer and till late in the fall, in fact right up to the 

 time that the ice sets in. Of course at this late 

 season all the spearing is carried on at the spawn- 

 ing grounds. During the first years of the Re- 

 serve it was no unusual thing for one canoe to 

 bring in forty to fifty salmon, the product of one 

 night's spearing. 



The Montagnais Indians have an annual feast 

 on the 15th of August, to which I have had the 

 honor of being invited several times. This is 

 a religious festival as well, and most of the wed- 

 dings take place on that day. On one particular 

 occasion, (1871), there were to be some fourteen 

 or fifteen couples united, and great preparations 

 were made. The old Chief of the Montagnais, 

 Jean Baptiste Estlo, had organized a spearing 

 party in which forty-seven canoes took part and 

 over nine hundred salmon were speared that 



