38 
reasons for the lack of regard for the future. First of all, the Satudene is 
migratory by necessity and the essentials of his existence are not all pro- 
curable in one place. He fishes in the winter in one location, in the summer 
in another, and he hunts the skins for clothing somewhere else. Why, 
therefore, should he amass food beyond his needs, since he has no facilities 
for carrying such quantities when he travels? lie must have skins for 
clothing and his tipi, and when he kills the caribou for this purpose he has 
also the meat. But it would be foolish, if not impossible, to attempt to 
depend entirely upon game throughout most of the Satudene country, so 
he returns to some fishery. In the second place, the communistic aspect 
of Indian life would ill reward any individual effort. At the present time 
there are one or tw~o families who have taken it upon themselves to live 
with greater security by increase of effort, but in so doing they are in a 
sense ostracizing themselves and in order to prevent demolishment of 
their supply are forced to live apart, which is an unsocial tendency probably 
made possible only by the recent contacts of civilization. Finally, an 
Indian has an awareness that tomorrow he may be dead and any idea that 
deals with an enrichment beyond the possibilities of his personal enjoyment 
is relegated to the ridiculous. Thus he lives on very much from day to 
day, his particular problem of getting food accentuating his disregard of 
possible starvation; and he is not altogether discontented, either on account 
of lack of food or because he is almost universally considered lazy by the 
whites. 
The whole interior of the Mackenzie Fiver basin abounds in fish and 
game, and wild-fowl are plentiful in the spring and autumn. For the most 
part the people treat their struggle for existence lightly. They believe in 
a natural equilibrium of supply and demand. Now that there are fewer 
Indians, they do not think it strange that there is less game than formerly. 
Fishing. Fish is the principal food of the Satudene and of most of 
the tribes of the northern Athapaskans. Great Bear lake is a great fishing 
place holding an abundance of whitefish, herring, and trout. Besides 
these there are bluefish, loche, dorys, jackfish, and fullabees. The white- 
fish is the most important, and is commonly called by the word-root 
meaning “fish”. Its distinguishing term is thlue wa, wa meaning “ori- 
ginal” and thlue “fish”. 
The fish are taken principally in gill nets which are set in the ordinary 
manner with floats and stones. During the growth of the ice in the autumn 
it is impossible to use the nets for a certain time, which often causes hard- 
ship, but as soon as the ice is strong enough to support the weight of the 
fisherman, the nets are again set, and by the following method. A hole is 
made in the ice by means of the ice chisel and the debris cleaned out with 
an ice scoop. A needle of gargantuan proportions, made out of several 
spliced spruce poles, is then inserted under the ice, carrying with it a long 
line attached to one end. This needle is pushed along as far as possible in 
the direction in which the net is to be set. Then another hole is cut and 
the needle forced farther along by tugging the line first backwards and 
then forwards. This process is repeated until the line stretches between 
two holes separated by the distance required for the net. Finally the net 
is attached to the end of the line and drawn under the ice, where it is 
stretched by means of floats and stones as in summer fishing. It is taboo to 
