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Eulachon
---- food for North Coast First Nations at end of winter |
Theme: cultured = from raw to cooked; and behind the culture is the land
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Making grease--- as seen on the WWW “Grease Trails” and forts Geography of Grease trails |
First Nations— making grease
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HR:
Sure you can tell the different grease apart, by smell. Some is strong, some
mild. It is all in how you make it. How hot the rocks are etc. “I like the
Kemano Grease best” |
Bella Bella Helitsuk technology -
rendering oil simple short-- much of value is in the 3 or 4 figs http://firstnations.com/articles/traditions.htm
Nass Fishery
The white train on frontlet Suggesting cloud seagulls heralding arrival eulachon---
http://www.civilisations.ca/membrs/fph/haida/haacp07e.html
Plus the BC Archives—photos
Here is a series dating from 1894 (?) of natives rendering, squeezing, drying “Oolichan” etc. also 034 035 036 037 all same time different aspects squeezing drying cooking - here an open box pit full--
Grease Trail
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First Nations traded with each other for Millennia. These elaborate trails had “bridges” and toll booths (forts) This illustration is from MacDonald. The article is more complete than this WWW one, In the book he dates the Kitwanga Fort (and thus Nekt) to 1700’s. Nekt was killed by 1st rifle on Skeena. |
Kitwanga—site
History fort model -- http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/fph/tsimsian/warfo01e.html The model was then shown to people living at Kitancool who suggested many refinements not put into the shown figure (like there were no entrance ways visible—an elaborate sliding door was hidden)
Geography of Trails
To me the NRC figure below, (found somewhere on BC Map Place) explains much about NW history.
The Grease Trails actually follow the easiest routes through the mountains, especially in winter. Compare the grease trail from Nass to Skeena with relief map below. (Modern day towns like Price Rupert, Hazelton and Smithers are marked with squares)
