Tooker] ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE HURON 63 



the catch of big fish (msihendo), they went to catch another kind 

 of fish (emchataon) . It was used to flavor sagamite during the 

 winter and much was made of it. The viscera of this fish were not 

 removed; the fish were stored by hanging them in bunches on the 

 poles of their houses (S 230). During another season of the year, 

 a fish similar to a herring but smaller {auhaitslq) was caught with a 

 seine net. People cooperated in catching this fish, and divided the 

 catch by large bowlfuls. It was eaten fresh or smoked. Many 

 other kinds of fish were caught (S 231). The fish that were cauglit 

 might be dried or smoked (JR 10: 101; 34: 215) to preserve them 

 (C 56). 



The fall was the season for fishing ; at this time of the year numbers 

 of people Mere engaged in it (JR 13: 115; 15: 57-59, 113, 125; cf. JR 

 8: 87-89). But fishing was also important in the early spring (JR 

 14: 57; 17: 197) and in the summer (JR 17: 51; C 166-167). One 

 method of fishing was to set the nets by canoe ( JR 23 : 95) . Another 

 was to place the nets at some small openings in a number of weirs 

 that almost closed the straits (C 56-57). Some fishing was done 

 while the ice was on the lake (JR 19: 173) by means of lines or a 

 seine net put through holes cut in several places (C 167; S 98). If 

 using the latter method, the Indians made several round holes in the 

 ice ; the one through which they drew the seine, some 5 feet long and 

 3 wide. They then set the net at this opening and, fastening to the 

 net a wooden pole 6 to 7 feet long, passed the pole from one hole to 

 another under the ice. The one or two men at each hole, putting 

 their hands through it, took hold of the pole to which was attached 

 one end of the net. This process was repeated until the pole came back 

 to the large hole. Then the net was dropped to the bottom ; it sank 

 because of the small stones attached to the end. When it was drawn 

 up at its two ends, the fish were captured in the net (C 167-168). 

 ■ Sagard's account of a fishing expedition to catch a large fish called 

 assihendo [probably the whitefish] describes a procedure probably 

 often followed. Sagard with four others left in a small canoe during 

 the month of October and went north on Lake Huron (S 185). This 

 lake contained many islands on which the Indians camped when going 

 to fish or when journeying to tribes bordering on the lake (S 189). 

 After a long sail, they stopped at an island suitable for fishing and 

 put up a house near several others that had already been built there 

 for the same purpose. On the evening of their arrival, they had a 

 feast of two large fish which had been given them by a friend of one 

 of the Indians as they had passed an island where he was 'fishing : 

 it was their custom to give presents of a few fish when visiting friends 

 during the fishing season. After the house had been erected in the 

 Algonquin fashion, they chose their places in it, the four chief men 



