At one time obtaining fish was central to the Tlingit Indian's winter survival. Salmon was the chief part of their diet, but also important were halibut, eulachon and herring. They lavished great care on the development of fishing equipment and techniques, which proved superior to those imported by the first Europeans. Only one innovation was readily adopted by the 'Tlingit fishermen: the replacement of bone and stone points with iron.

Various traditional means were used by the Tlingit people for catching and using locally abundant fish. Fishing was considered men's work. Women prepared the catch.

SALMON
Five species of salmon - sockeye, king, silver, humpback and chum - run in late spring, summer and early fall.

The fish trap, the most common method used for catching salmon, was quite simple in theory. One variety was a wooden fence stretched across a stream or river, preferably at a rapids. Salmon swimming upstream passed through the openings and into specially woven baskets placed there by the fishermen. Another trap consisted of rows of posts placed closely together across a stream. These posts hampered the salmon on their upstream journey and allowed fishermen to spear them from wooden platforms.

The salmon spear was used in conjunction with the fish trap or when fishing from a canoe. An 11' to 16' shaft was topped with an iron (originally bone) barbed point attached with a leather thong. When a salmon was struck with a spear, the point detached it self from the shaft, allowing the fish to thrash without breaking the shaft.

The salmon hook was a relatively primitive means for catching salmon and was commonly used from the shore or a canoe in shallow water. It was a long pole with an iron hook pulled through the water with a raking motion. Obviously, it was most successful in streams congested with salmon.

The gill net, another traditional method for catching salmon, is very important today. A net with mesh designed to trap the fish by its gills was strung vertically across a stream.

Salmon were usually dried, flesh side out, on a framework, out of doors 9 protected from the elements, or in a special smoke-house. Once dried, the fish were stacked, tied in bundles and often stored in bentwood boxes for later use. When the winter supply was complete, remaining salmon were rendered into oil.

EULACHON
Eulachon, a member of the smelt family, has always been prized by the Tlingit people. Their rendered oil was used for seasoning and preserving.

They were caught with an eulachon net, a handheld sinew dip net made by the women. (Two eulachon nets are on display at the Sheldon Museum; an old sinew net and a commercially made net.) With the introduction of iron, the Tlingits designed a -rake for gathering eulachon. A long pole with iron spikes was propelled through the water like a sculling oar. It impaled the eulachon which were then thrown into the boat. Fish traps, similar to those used for catching salmon but with a small mesh, were also used for eulachon fishing.

The fish were allowed to ripen 10-14 days in a canoe half buried in sand. The canoe was then filled with water and scalding stones heated in a nearby fire. As the steaming mixture was stirred, oil rose to the top and was skimmed with large spoons. Residue was further pressed through woven baskets to reclaim all the precious oil. In later years, a container or pit was used in place of the canoe, but the process remained the same.

So highly prized was this clear oil used for seasoning and preserving, that it became an important trade item with Athabascan Indians in the interior. Trade trails from the coast inland became known as "grease trails."

Eulachon were also eaten dried, smoked or fresh, and were widely used as candles because of their high fat content.

HALIBUT
Halibut reach gigantic proportions in local waters, so to insure a manageable size catch, the Tlingit fishermen devised a special halibut hook which would only be taken by a 30-50 pound fish. A larger fish could sink a canoe. Moreover, this medium range halibut was considered superior for drying.

The wooden halibut hook was a V-shaped affair with an obliquely set iron nail. The wood was usually carved with symbolic figures, often heraldic or associated with the Shaman, such as the skeleton, devilfish and land otter. This would suggest that halibut hooks were to some degree sacred objects.

The hook was usually baited with fish and lowered with a fine of red cedar fiber, braided sinew or the strong stem of a giant kelp. Stone sinkers carried the he to the bottom and wooden floats carved in animal forms alerted the fishermen to a bite. The entire assembly was kept afloat with inflated bladders, allowing the fisherman to set several lines at once. Halibut were eaten fresh or dried.

HERRING
Herring, especially their eggs, has long been considered a delicacy by the Tlingits. In April and May great schools of herring made their way into shallow bays. They were often caught with the same rake used to catch eulachon, then were dried or eaten fresh.

Herring eggs, still gathered in the traditional manner, were caught on hemlock boughs laid on a known spawning beach during a low tide. The boughs, tied to the shore, were collected after the fish deposited their eggs. The eggs were dried or mixed with fat and stored for winter use.Billman, Esther. Tlingit Bulletin. Vol. 1. Sitka: Sheldon Jackson Museum Press. 1975.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Jonaitis, Aldona. Art of the Northern Tlingit. Seattle: University of Washington Press. 1986.
• Krause, Aurel. The Tlingit Indians. Translator: Gunther, Erna, 1956. Seattle: University of Washington Press. 1885.
• Barbara Waterbury, 1987