|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Alert Bay Fishermen |
Tsimshiam salmon fishing |
Salmon smokehouse |
|
| Native peoples have traveled and fished the coastline of
British Columbia and Alaska for thousands of years. The
primary groups along the northern BC coast and Southeast
Alaska coast are the Haida, Tsimshian and Tlingit. Their
culture flourished, shaped by the rich bounty of the sea
and the temperate coastal rainforests.
|
 First Nations peoples used a variety of dugout canoes
for travel. Small one-person canoes or slightly larger
three-person craft were fine for fishing in rivers or
lakes, but warfare, trading expeditions with distant
groups, traveling to potlatch ceremonies or hunting
seals and whales required substantial ocean-going canoes
made from massive red cedar trees. Some of these were 60
feet (20 m) in length and could carry a couple of dozen
people intent on raiding enemy settlements or six to
eight tons of freight for trading all up and down the
coast. Later on, a long, sleek style of canoe evolved
specifically for racing. |
|
Today many native groups are re-learning the craft of
building canoes as part of their cultural revival.
Together they hew canoes, train paddlers and participate
in canoe gatherings, traveling hundreds of miles, just
as in earlier times. Native communities are also
celebrating their heritage by hosting traditional
potlatch celebrations and training their youth in
cultural activities such as Native dancing.
|
|
|
