NATIVE TRIBES. 33

Fish-spears consisted of long, light cedar shafts with sockets at one end,
wrapped with cedar-bark fibre to prevent splitting. A foreshaft, 9 or 10 inches
long, fitted into this socket, to which, if used to spear salmon, two pieces of
barbed bone were firmly lashed, the lashing being covered with spruce gum. In
the case of seals these barbs were, if possible, made of old, flat files, eagerly bought
by the Haida from early traders. When the fish or seal was struck the foreshaft
came away from both shaft and head, though the parts were still connected by a
long cord of plaited sinew, kelp fibres, or Indian hemp. ‘The end of this cord
to which the barb was attached remained in the creature at which it was
launched, the other end being secured either to a float of bladder or held by the
fisherman in his canoe. When not in use the tips of these barbed spears were
kept in sheaths of cedar or spruce root.

PLATES VIL
(1) (2) (6) (3) (7)

Be,

=

(5) (4)
Courtesy of Provincial Museum, Victoria, B.C.

Fishing implements: (1) Fish-spear with double barb attached to wooden shaft.
(2) Halibut-hook, bone barb. (3) Double barbed (bone) fish-hook attached to fine
line of spun nettle fibre (Thompson Tribe). (4) Single barbed fish-hook, stone
sinkers attached by wild-cherry bark. (5) Slate fish-knife. (6) Fish-club.
(7) Fish lure, used to attract rock-cod within reach of fisherman’s spear; seen and
described in use at Nanaimo by visiting Spaniards in 1792.

Salmon were less frequently speared than caught in mets, trapped in weirs, or
occasionally “ trolled.” A “ gaff-hook,” i.e., a hook fastened to the end of a long
pole, was also resorted to; the pole being dragged along the bottom towards the
canoe in which the fisherman stood.

The outfit for catching halibut was so efficient that, writing in 1887, A. P.
Niblack stated ‘‘ the most modern appliances could not compete with the methods
familiar to the natives.’ He draws attention also to the degree of skill required
to land a halibut weighing from 50 to 120 lb. in these frail fishing-canoes.
Various forms of fish-hooks were used, that most favoured being moulded by
steam to a V shape from a knot of spruce or yew. ‘These were usually set in
pairs, the bait of squid being fastened to the arm of each hook, of which the shanks
were frequently carved with figures supposed to ensure good luck. Halibut are
greedy feeders and keep close to the sandy bottom of the noted halibut beds; the

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