Indian Fishing: Early Methods on the Northwest Coast

Hilary Stewart

(Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994. 181 pp. Illustrations, pictures, index. $24.95)

All books eventually go out of print, but every so often the really important ones are picked up again by another publisher and reprinted. This is the case for "Indian Fishing, Early Methods on the Northwest Coast," by Hilary Stewart. First published in 1977 this book was readily accepted by both anthropological as well as public audiences, and it went on to win a British Columbia Book Award. Now once again this wonderfully illustrated book is available to the public. No other book combines the power of illustration with direct observation and experience as does Stewart's book. Of the many resources available to the Native peoples of the Northwest Coast during historic times, fish have been the most important. These peoples devised a vast and sophisticated corpus of techniques and methods for catching and utilizing virtually all of the available species of fish on the Northwest Coast.

The Northwest Coast is home to a variety of land and sea mammals, great flocks of waterfowl, and above all, numerous amounts and varieties of fish, the foundations upon which Northwest Coast cultures are built. What we see revealed in this book is an incredibly varied and highly refined assemblage of tools, techniques, and knowledge resulting from the culmination of thousands of years of evolutionary development, leading to one of the most elaborate and productive fishing technologies ever created by a non-industrial society.

With professional attention to clarity and detail, Hilary Stewart illustrates hooks, lines, sinkers, lures, floats, clubs, spears, harpoons, nets, traps, rakes and gaffs, showing how each is made and used, totaling over 450 drawings and 75 photographs, drawn from materials in major museums and from knowledgeable tribal elders in coastal villages and fish camps. The book is divided into six chapters, with the first four detailing hooks, lines, nets, traps, and other technologies employed by the Northwest Coast peoples. The fifth chapter is devoted to explaining numerous traditional cooking and preserving techniques. Finally, the book concludes with a chapter on the spiritual aspects of fishing which are integral to Northwest Coast peoples lifeways, describing prayers and ceremonies offered in gratitude and honor to the fish, as well as some of the customs and taboos followed to show respect for this life-giving resource.

The artistry of Hilary Stewart's work is of particular significance because of its descriptive accuracy. Each of the illustrations of artifacts was made from an actual specimen and identifying information is provided. Illustrations of the working use of various devices are also included from observations, descriptions by anthropologists, explorers, Native people, information from old photographs, and from Stewart's own experience. Many of the objects Stewart discusses in the book she reproduced herself in order to guarantee that she properly described how they are made and utilized. She has made cedar bark twine, nettle fiber twine, kelp line, several types of fish hooks, and a host of other objects. Drawings of the uses of hooks, nets, and other objects are included to show how the objects functioned. The illustration of such things as halibut hooks and harpoons are more clearly depicted here than in any other available or comparable work. We also see for the first time illustrations of such nearly forgotten devices as the Salish reef nets, trawl nets, sturgeon harpoons and how they were actually used.

It is useful to note what this book does not include. For example, it is not meant to be a definitive study nor a strictly academic publication, although archaeologists and ethnographers will be informed by it. This book looks at cultures of the Northwest Coast ranging from Alaska south to the state of Washington, giving an overall view of the variety and sophistication of Northwest peoples fishing techniques. The distribution, frequency, and use of artifacts are not discussed on a tribe-by-tribe basis. Because of recent changes among Native peoples of the area, several names originally used in this book for specific tribes have changed. For example, the Bella Coola are now known as the Nuxalk, the Kwakiutl are known as the Kwakwaka'waka execpt for those of Fort Rupert, and the Nootka are now known as the Nuu-chah-nulth. Despite this, it is one of the most informative and instructive books to date on the subject of Northwest Coast peoples fishing technologies and techniques and should be considered a must read for anyone interested in the topic.

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