352 ACCULTURATION IN SEVEN AMERICAN INDIAN TRIBES

tied on a six-foot pole was set. When the deer or caribou got
caught in the noose, the pole by catching in the trees delayed
its progress until the hunters could catch up with it.

Hunting was done with spear and bow and arrow, the bow
being sinew-backed, somewhat like the Eskimo type. ‘The moun-
tain-goat was run down with dogs and speared.

Fish were caught with nets in traps set at weirs or waterfalls,
and were speared with the multiple pronged harpoon. ‘The traps
were of two types, the typical conical shaped basket set either
in a narrow passage of a stream or behind a weir, and a basket
type set below a waterfall to catch the salmon on the rebound.
The bulk of fish were caught by such traps.

ECONOMIC CYCLE

Just before the heavy snowfalls late in December, the Carrier
migrated en masse to Bella Coola where they wintered until
February, returning to their own country to hunt the caribou.
With the melting of the snows late in April they all moved to
Long Lake for spring salmon fishing. This lasted about a month.
Then they all scattered again into the mountains, hunting moun-
tain-goats and ground-hogs until the end of the summer. ‘The
summer months were usually devoted to inter-village visiting and
trading journeys. The fall months were devoted almost exclu-
sively to hunting fur-bearing animals, particularly the beaver.

DIVISION OF LABOR

The sexual division of labor was never rigid. Women, if cap-
able and willing, were permitted to participate in the same eco-
nomic activities as men. Nevertheless, few women engaged ac-
tively in hunting and trapping. They codperated with the men
in fishing and in the large-scale codperative beaver hunts, but
devoted most of their time to food gathering and to the usual
domestic activities. Men did women’s work far less frequently
than the latter did conventional men’s work. Social status was
little reflected in the division of labor. Carrier society recognized
no leisure class; although nobles were exempted from most
portage work.