Fishing Techniques

http://www.sfu.museum/time/en/panoramas/beach/fishing-techniques/

Language

Clothing

Clothing was made from the soft thin bark of the cedar tree. When stripping the bark, care was taken not to take too much and kill the tree. The First Nations were much more interested in preserving the coastal environment than were the Europeans who followed them.

The bark was treated by soaking it in water and then beating it into soft shreds. This shredded and oiled bark created warm, waterproof protection from the rainy, chilly, and foggy climate.

Men and women wore cedar bark capes and blankets which were cleverly woven to further repel water. The cape was made with a hole for the head with soft fur around the neck for comfort. Rainproof hats were woven from spruce roots and women wore cedar bark skirts that looked very similar to hula dancer's skirts. A beautiful cedar bark and mountain goat hair cape, called a "Chilkat Blanket" was worn only by the chief . The blanket had long fringes around the bottom with an animal design woven into the blanket. Sea otter and other fur robes were only worn by people of high rank.



Cedar bark was used in the production of rope, mats and basketry-often combined with other elements of the cedar, such as the limbs, roots, or boughs, for strength or decoration. In the past, cedar bark was the main material used in the production of clothing for the Stó:lō people. Today, the soft material is often used in the making of regalia.

Transportation

Canoes

During spring, summer, and autumn, coastal peoples travelled a lot. They made trips to fish or gather food, to trade, to visit family, and to raid their enemies. Canoes were their main form of transportation. The thick forests, steeps hills, and jagged coastline made it difficult to travel by land. 

A coastal canoe was carved out of one cedar log. Long, deep canoes were used for ocean travel. Curved fronts and backs were often added on to the main canoe. A big ocean-going canoe held as many as 40 people. 

Both men and women paddled the ocean canoes. On long voyages, a drummer helped to keep the beat while the people sang paddle songs. 

All coastal peoples used shorter, shallow canoes for river travel. These canoes held about four people. Poles were often used to push along a river canoe.

Every community had simple canoes for work such as fishing and carved and painted larger canoes for special celebrations. 

Tools

Canoes were used to travelling along the coast, as well as up the many inlets and rivers. As the canoe ploughed through the ocean or river, water would often spill in side. The paddlers  had to scope out the water to keep the boat afloat and dry.

Here is a small paddle made from a single piece of yellow cedar. Can you see figures painted onto the surface? These represent bears and whales.

Why would these animal figures be painted on a paddle? They are important to Coast Salish people. These animals appear in the ancient stories of the Salish. They bring together humans and non-human people in a special relationship.  

Can you see how three different colours have been used on this basket? To make it, the woman artist split pieces of brown cedar root. Red and white cherry bark was also added.

This was a complicated pattern which the women created. Can you see cords attached inside to the basket? What would they have been used for? Cooking? How? The basket could have been filled with liquid and/or food and heated rocks were then added to make the contents hot.

Here is a picture of a hat. Hats were made from woven cedar bark. The bark is closely woven, that they are watertight.

Coast Salish Spindle Whorl 

Many Salish spindle whorls have sophisticated and powerful carved designs; human, animal and geometric. The whorl was placed on a wooden spindle to add the weight needed to maintain the spinning motion, and to prevent the wool from falling off the rod as it was being spun.

As the whorl turned, the designs would blur together, mesmerizing the spinner. This trance state was considered vital because it gave the spinner the ability to create textiles imbued with special powers.