More More of Johnny Jack’s memories of the old Tlingit ways of obtaining food. As told to P. Stewart “~& lot of people ask me how, a long ti me ago, the Indians never got scurvey. | think | know why. Every animal we ate, right down to the birds - like spruce grouse, willow grouse, ptarmigan, blue grouse, ducks and geese - lived on vegetation. So when the people ate those things, they got vegetation from them. In the summertime we dug wild roots, which grew around the riverbanks, from I6 in. up to 4 or 5 ft. long. You could dig them out, wash them, and cook them in with meat like a vegeta- ble. They had a sweetish taste, something like parsnips. You had to watch out for grizzly bear, though, because they really liked them, and so did porcupine. We called them ‘Saawts’ (writer's spelling), or to the white people, bear roots. -There’s a certain time of the year, just like with clams, when the roots are poisonous. Even the grizzly bear knew ‘that, by instinct, so we avoided them when the bears did. In the springtime we would peel the bark off spruce or Jack Pine trees, with a knife or other sharp object. | used to like the young trees, about 6 in. in diameter. The strips of bark would come off like shavings, about I/I6 in. thick and | % in. wide; they were sweet and delicious. | used to think that just the Indians knew about that. Then one day, to my surprise, | noticed that some bark had been pulled off a tree, and the only sign around it was bear tracks. When | got home | told my father-in- law about it, and he laughed. He said the bears were after the sap, or in Tahltan, ‘Geynay’, (writer’s spelling). A mother bear would pull the bark off, and the little cubs would come and lick the sap.”’ Wild rhubarb, also favoured by: grizzly. bear, grew on the riverbanks or in the creek beds. It was sweet and tender in May; later on, in June, .it would turn woody. It was very unwise to eat rhubarb and stoneberries at the same time; the result was severe stomach cramps and some- times even death. The Indians had several methods of preser- ving berries for the winter. They put up large quantities of blueberries, mossberries, Saska- toon berries, high-bush cranberries, and all the berries that grow on vines. But not raspberries or strawberries; they were too difficult to keep. Blueberries could be dried to resemble raisins. The women picked the berries when ripe, then put them on a moose or caribou hide stretched . lengthwise on a_ frame, hammock. The berries were turned and mixed up period- ically; meanwhile some smoke was kept going under the hide, to prevent blueflies from laying eggs in the mixture. This smoke was very impor- in the shape of a tant: otherwise the blueberries might have to be. thrown out. 4n a few hours the berries became sticky; in a day or so they started drying and shrinking up, like raisins or currants, and could then be put away for the winter. - A second method of preserving blueberries was in the form of a dried loaf or cake. The Indians crushed the berries into a layer 2 or 3 inches thick and spread them out on a little scaffold made from willows, with smoke under it. Soon the loaf would become sticky; you could lift it up and turn it over. It-had to be turned over twice a day. ‘In a week or so it would be just like a great big chewing tobacco, very handy if you were going out hunting or travelling. But you must remember how much to take. A little bit, if soaked, would fill up a whole bowl. You'd never lose the taste of the berries: it was dried right in them. The last one | ate was made by my grandmother in 1918.” This method worked for Saskatoon berries also. They were no good for drying like raisins, but when crushed together this way, all the sweet taste stayed in. One handful of this con- centrated cake was more than enough. From BiShROR®* SPORTS Fall, and put into a dried moose stomach. Bear= oil was poured in to keep the berries fresh, and= the whole thing was put away for the winter. The women also picked mossberries late in= eee’ Oct. or Nov. and brought them home to the= p winter headquarters. They dug a hole, up to a : foot deep, in the needles under a spruce tree, SCUBA LESS ONS lined it with SPCC heaton bark whicnshad been= Scuba Lessons will be held the last two weeks gathered early in the Spring, put the berrles eos June. The instructor is Mr. Harry Lowry from in and covered them up first with bark and =Whitehorse, Y.T. For a number of years Harry ° of Oo ° « ° ° eo then with needles. Whenever the berries were= as a commercial and salvage diver. He is a° taken out and thawed, they were just as sweet as =qualified P.A.D.1. Instructor and those who cer- the day they were picked. =tify under Harry will become members of the “The kids used to like eating rosebuds. !Eprofessional Association of Diving Instructors. liked them myself. We didn’t put rosebuds up, a : no way to keep them. We just ate the outsides: they tasted something like tomatoes or ketchup. Before civilization and hunting parties came to Telegraph Creek, there were lots of bears. You'd The certification is world reknown. In order to have the necessary equipment for. the course; you should order no later than May 7, 1977. Equipment needed for the course is wet suit, weight belt & weights, bouyancy see little kids eating rosebuds in one place, and E compensator, mask, snorkel & fins. just over the hill a family of bears eating rose- buds, too. Nowadays you don’t see those things anymore.” Another type of fruit preserved for the winter was one the Indians called stoneberries. These grew on the side of a hill and were red with lots of seeds inside. ‘‘We’d mix bone grease and ‘stoneberries together. They would freeze, so when travelling you could cut off a chunk for lunch,” The bone grease Johnny mentioned was ob- tained by cutting moose bones open and boiling them. The grease rose to the surface and could be skimmed off and allowed to harden. It was like candy to the children; they loved it for between-meal snacks. Did Johnny’s ancestors make bannock? ‘‘We never had such a thing as bread or flour before the white man came. When the Russians first came to the North, up the Taku River around 1700, they gave the Indians some brown bread. They tried it on the way home and threw it away: ‘Just like eating rotten wood!" ”’ Wild onions were plentiful around Johnny’s home town of Atlin. These were long and thin, much like our green onions... Wild. rice: is. still by boat. peas, and the Indians had a kind of greens which they added to the soup. Salt was not part of the Indian diet, neither I = For information on prices, equipment and the course, contact Tom Penner - 778-7224. 2 Cassiar Clippers = Swim Club The Cassiar Clipper’s Swim Club will be re- Eforming for another season of club competi- =tion. Also in conjunction with the Swim Club = there will be a Springboard Diving Club. Coaches are: Swim Club - John Inch, Tom Penner, John Morrison. Diving Coach - Tom Penner. Since there are funds needed for travel ex- =penses for “‘swim & diving’ meets and pool =equipment, the Club will hold a Cycle-thon; = Saturday, June 4 at 1 p.m. Starting point is =at the Rec Hall. Also later on in the season a . =Swim-A-Thon will be arranged. Anyone interested in joining the Swim Club =or Diving Club can contact John Inch at 778- = 7635 or Tom Penner at 778-7224. _ More about the Cycle-thon will appear in the abundant there, in an area which must be reached 3) ""° area UA CISTEEI a There was also something similar to= Cassiar Bool Activities for Summer of 777 were pepper or sugar. But there was peppermint, = 1. Scuba Lessons - last two weeks of June which ‘“‘grew pretty well everywhere. It grew 4 or 5 in. tall, and when you chewed it it would burn your tongue. We didn't eate it; we’d chew on it and spit it out. It gave you a nice fresh taste in your mouth.” What about wild mushrooms? ‘“‘They used to mistreat the poor squirrels! The squirrels knew by instinct which mushrooms were safe to eat, and would take them up to their nests. When the people spotted them they'd shake the tree to get them down! Mushrooms were put in the soup or fried in grease. The old Indians warned against picking mushrooms from the ground,. because you never knew what you were running into.” : Smoked salmon was very common and. very delicious. They would spread the fish ‘like a necktie’ from the tail down and hang it over a stick to be smoked. Sometimes the fish would be cut up into thin strips first. The fish had to be turned continually, so it wouldn’t tear apart. Once the smoke got into it and it started get- ting dry, it could be handled fairly easily. Some families would have as many as 1500 salmon prepared for the cold season. The principal means of storing food for the winter was by digging a cellar. A cellar was never dug on level or low ground because the melting snow would drain into it. It was always on a hillside or high knoll, and was built at such an angle-that the winter sun, when high, shone right to the bottom. The entrance had an eve on the roof, and bark shingles on each side of it, for snow and rain run-off. The sides and bottom were lined with bark, and the food was placed-on the bark. Some people had bad luck: if their cellar was not solid enough and caved in, their food froze down, making things hard on the family. : It seems obvious that the Tlingit never lacked for variety or nutrition in their diet. In another issue Johnny would like to tell us a few of the --ancient. legends of his people, some’ historical Aigh-bustr, cranberries «'were’. -pickéd inthe “and some, simply, good story-telling, 0.0. ~ 2. Canoeing & Cold Water Survival Classes 3. Skin Diving Classes ‘ 4. Springboard Diving Classes 5. Red Cross & Royal Lifesaving Classes 6. Swimming & Diving Club For more information please contact John Inch or Tom Penner in Cassiar. Fri.: 5:00 p.m. - Sat.: 1:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. a 778-7442 THE VARIETY STORE OF CASSIAR MURDOCH'S 20h: WATSON LAKE MAKERS OF FINE GOLD NUGGET JEWELLERY Specializing in Custom Design Nugget Jewel ieee _ FINE CHINA, CRYSTAL, BULOVA WATCHES, FURS, DIAMONDS, NORTHERN SOUVENIRS : IRISH BELLEEK-——-.. GIFT WARES Manageress: Joyce Stubenberg Cindy Neve ™” —_ Feri millen Next to the Bank of Commerce . BOX 284 536-7407 “The burning permits cover all industrial fires, Pie ean ones YJ eae jis / hone AND SO WATSON LAKE MAY 14 Complete Show Starting At 6:00 P.M. (Watson Time) At the Airport — Annual Snowbird Dance will be held . at The Belvedere. CASSIAR MAY 13 Snowbirds at 2:00 P.M. Skyhawks at 7:00 P.M. Landing in the Ballfield Burning Permits VICTORIA, B.C. -- Burning permits will be ~ CHURCH NEWS required for outdoor fires in British Columbia as of midnight, April 14, the B.C. Forest Service * Mothers Day Tea and Concert announced today. , Sunday May 8th at 2:00 p.m. Officials of the Service’s Protection Division All Saints Church said such permits can be obtained free of charge from any of the province’s 100 Forest Ranger stations. - : i They are not required for campfires. ERIE IA AS RAR RAR AS If you are a mother, were a mother, have a y% mother, had a mother, are going to be a mother, ¥ or need a mother, then YOU ARE INVITED. Free goodies and entertainment. and the outdoor burning of rubbish and other All Saints welcomes Mr. Brock Lupton. Mr. debris in areas outside city or municipal bound- % LUPton is a theological student at Vancouver aries. The permits are issued on a ‘project #9Choo! of Theology, and will be gaining ex- _by project’ basis, and there are penalties (nor- %Perience and ministring in the parish for the mally fines) for failure to comply with terms jSU™mmer. outlined in the Forest Act. k * We have added a nursery class to our Sunday ‘ The Forest Service is responsible for fire %°Choo! program so that parents can bring their protection in all forest land,’ observed B.C.’s abies and have them cared for while they wor- chief protection officer Don Owen, ‘and it is #shiP. The supervisor is Mrs. D. Dupont, and is important we have control over all outdoor assisted by Miss Lauri Kamlah and Miss Stella burning operations.’ LOW: In times of dangerous fire hazard, he said, Bs the Forest Service may refuse to issue such BDO TOR BECIEME INGOD? permits. The permits also advise holders of 8 byRev: Danis : their responsibiliti j i ‘ y . argen Hee Wee ibilities and outline precautions Se. Do; yourbelieveliniGod 2Moseohaawllan: Xswer: “Oh yes, | believe in God, everybody’s got oO believe in something.”” or “There has to be some power that makes the world go around and ykeeps the thing together."’ But that was not the ¥question. The question was “Do you BELIEVE %in God?” You see, belief is more than intellec- ¥tual assent. It is more than agreeing with some- thing. Even if everyone in the world believed ythat the world was flat doesn’t change the fact xthat it’s not. “ % Let metry to illustrate what belief really is: Two men were ona Journey, and part way along that journey they came to a deep ravine, at the bottom of which was a roaring river. yWhen they looked down they saw Jagged vicious- ¥%looking rocks jutting up all around. Now run- _¥ning across the ravine was a-rikity old rope bridge. It looked rotten, and decayed, and ready - Volo: = Janitorial f Service Spring cleanup? See us for all your Janitorial Needs! ’ CARPETS pe decided to’ look for another way across, saying, “There must be a surer way.”’ The second man however got onto the bridge " ’yeand crossed.’ vos cgi hs ee oh a and interested in building up business . in Cassiar FLOORS to fall down at any moment. : UPHOLSTERY | STRIPPING Well they didn’t know what to do; but while WAXING y%they were standing there, someone called to : %€ them from the other side of the bridge, and said, ¥% ‘Come across, the bridge is safe, I cross it every Box 371 | Ke? Promise you won't fall.” “‘Do you believe ne WATSON LAKE | |@x Both the men said, “Yes | believe you.” Phone 536-7970 a The aN the other side then left them alone. er debating th Have been in business for one year, Paine bron lem one or tie Bees EERE EERO BOERS \ SNOWBIRDS SKYHAWKS ) Weekday Eucharist will be at 10:00AM or at 7:00PM when ne * We Dae Le | ae FORCES GREECE RRR IE AR RR AEA ARIA AE AC A HE IE IE A I EK I CHURCHES - due preperation. fr Salted ata atta a ane eee Te eee Now who would you say really believec If you are to believe you must live.by whi you believe. And only then will your faith £ justified.” Jesus has made a lot of promises. He ‘say: “Whatsoever you ask in prayer, If you believe.. you shall receive it.’’ He promised us help, love Himself, eternal life... Do you believe Him7 “God so loved the world that He gave Hi: only begotten Son to the end that all who be- lieve in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”” e e Saints Anglican REGULAR SERVICES Sunday Worship... 0. eee 11:00AM Sunday School ...............- Are ERUE a 11:00AM We have a nursery for the littie ones during services. Wadnendlay 2) sof sic ei iorcer sen sed aut Ake 7:30PM “Christian Education for Adults’’ A (This is an opportunity to esk questions, and discuss religion, the Bible, faith, life, death...or anything.) Thureday............. pete sinaote pane Yo ct ane lap sits 8:30PM “Bible Study, Prayer and Praise” (an informe! time of caring and sharing.) _ For information, or just to talk, please call us:778-7239 _ Our Lady Of Lourdes REGULAR SERVICES SERVICES AT CASSIAR Sunday Eucharist....(Mass) Saturday - 7:700PM Sunday !l‘00AM announced. Religious Education of Children: noah Sunday at 10:00AM GOOD HOPE LAKE Sunday Eucharist...(Mass) ° Sunday 5:00PM Religious Education - 4:00PM RECEPTION OF SACRAMENTS: The Sacrament of Reconcilistion can be received before the Celebration of the Eucharist and any other time upon The Secrament of Septism and Marriage will take plece after Please notify the Priest for any illnesses in the family at home or in the hospital. + vy 4 Sage ’ } VPS He ska OIE KKKKK KKK * KK KK x KK KKK KKK KKK K kk So oie Sie te se ale she she she te Ke SK OK KKK KE KK PEE bp Sig ge —~ 1 imap ue Sat BARS esse a Sean A e+ Jee