The most important fish is the salmon, which is caught in abundance
during the summer. When the lakes begin to break up the salmon descend
to the sea, following the narrow lead between the land floe and the
water. In some places they are so plentiful as to fill the water
completely. Here they are speared with the kakivang (Fig. 453). This
instrument consists of a handle which widens towards the end; in the
center it has a prong of bone or iron, and two larger ones at the sides,
made of deer antlers or musk ox horn. These latter diverge and are
furnished with a bone or iron nail on the inner side. The elasticity of
these side prongs is increased by thongs or strings holding them tightly
together. If the salmon are very plentiful no bait is needed and the
natives cannot spear them as quickly as they swim along. When the ice is
gone they are caught in the shallow rivers falling from the lakes into
the sea. The natives stand on the bank or step into the water. A small
ivory fish (Fig. 454) (eχalujang), tied by two or three holes in the
back to a plaited string of deer sinews, is used as a bait. Frequently
bear’s teeth are used for bait. They are attached to a separate line
which the hunter continually moves up and down to attract the attention
of the fish. When the salmon comes near the bait it is speared with the
kakivang. In the left hand the fisherman holds an instrument for
stringing the fish (quqartaun), some illustrations of which are given in
Fig. 455. It is made of ivory. A thong fastened to the hole of the
instrument has a thick knot at the opposite end. As soon as a salmon is
caught it is taken out of the nippers (kakivang) and the point of the
quqartaun is pushed into the gills and brought out again at the mouth;
thus the fish remains sticking until it is dead. Sometimes it is killed
by pushing the ivory point of the instrument into its neck. When dead it
is pushed on the thong.
[Illustration: FIG. 455. Quqartaun for stringing fish. _c_ (Museum
für Völkerkunde, Berlin. IV A 6831.)]
At some places wears are built, above which the fish are caught. These
consist of dikes of stones about one and a half or two feet high, which
are piled across a creek some distance below high water mark. The salmon
cross the wall at high water, but are cut off from the sea at half tide
and are speared while there. In other places the forks of rivers are
shut off by dikes, above which the salmon gather.
In autumn salmon are caught when ascending the rivers. Sometimes they
linger too long in small ponds and, as the rivers quickly dry up at this
season, are prevented from getting out of the pools. Here they are
caught until late in the season. Some of these ponds freeze to the
bottom in winter, and the natives, when visiting them in the spring, cut
holes in the ice and take out the frozen fish.
[Illustration: FIG. 456. Salmon hook. (National Museum, Washington.
10142.) 1/1]
[Illustration: FIG. 457. Salmon hook. (Museum für Völkerkunde,
Berlin. 6847.) 1/1]
In the early part of the spring salmon are caught with hooks (kakliokia,
Iglulik; niksiartaung, Oqo), holes being cut through the ice of the
lake. Formerly the hooks were made of deer antlers. Another device
consists of a nail, crooked and pointed at one end, the other being let
into a piece of ivory or bone (Fig. 456). A third one is represented in
Fig. 457.
The fishing line is made of plaited deer sinews and is either held in
the hand or tied to a short rod. Along with these hooks baits are used
similar to those mentioned in the foregoing description. If the carving
represented in Fig. 458 is used, the hook is tied to it by means of two
holes on the lower side of the fish, while the line passes through its
back. The fish, in coming near the bait, is generally caught by the hook
in the back or side. In this manner salmon, trout, and all kinds of sea
fish are caught.
[Illustration: FIG. 458. Bait used in fishing with hooks. (National
Museum, Washington. 34108.) 1/1]
I myself have never seen any nets for fishing, but Klutschak found them
in use among the Utkusiksalik tribe, and Petitot (Les grands Esquimaux,
p. 278), among the natives of Anderson River. The Labrador Eskimo also
use nets.