Soctomah, Donald. 2003. Hm·d Times at Passamaquoddy 1921-1950: Tribal Life and Times in 

Maine and New Bnmswick. Passamaquoddy Tribe - Indian Township. p. 127 

Hard Times at Passamaquoddy 

1921 1950 

Tribal Life and Times in Maine and New Brunswick 

By 

Donald Soctomah 

With Assistance from: 

Many People Who Love The History 

Of The Passamaquoddy People 

EPA 8EC'JON ~ t lf\f-: "RY 

JH<. f tDERf:L ._ 1. 

BO :~ fON MA O. · )3<:? 11 

All Proceeds will be used in the funding for a 

Passamaquoddy Cultural Heritage and Resource Center 
. ,: :.'!' .• 

May : 18'; 1948 Passamaquoddy Fish1n·g. at Salmon Falls ·· · :. · ,. 

The Passamaquoddy came there when there was a run of fish and camped on the Canadian side of 

the river. There was high ground there and that's where the huts were placed. It was said that a cellar was 

dug recently in this area and native bones were found. The river was literally full of salmon, crowding 

side by side to get over the falls and onto the spawning grounds in the lakes above. The tribal fishennan 

used no hooks or lines. The fact is that the salmon would not take anything in their quest to go up stream. 

But here was a lively scene. Naked men and women and children lined the banks of the St. Croix River, 

and if there was a chance to reach in and grab a fish it was quickly thrown on the bank. When the tide 

went down, the older ones wou d wade into the pools with their spears and clubs, then the real fishing 

began. It was a pleasant time for the Tribe. There would be plenty to eat for some time now. Some of the 

spears were made only of sticks sharpened at the end, if stone·tips were used they would break too easily. 

Some people fished from the birch bark canoes. Then came the eating. The Passamaquoddy were not a 

silent people. If a man happened to slip or step into a deep hole while fishing and went under, he got the 

merry "Ha Ha". If a large fish was speared it was admired by all there. Around the fires were merry times 

as the women cooked the salmon; they had not cooking pans so they roasted the fish. The Passamaquoddy 

were not fastidious feeders. Very little of the fish was thrown away, very little. The Indians around here 

had to be hunters and had to roam over a large area to get their food and when they got any they made the 

most of it. But here on the banks of the St. Croix River was a merry time. Food was plentiful for a while, 

and that was enough for the Tribe. They moved up to Grand Falls for a repeat of the fish action. Some 

went down to Porter Mill Stream and picked up some Gaspereau for a change. They had to go from place 

to place wherever they though there was something to eat and tribal memories told them where to go. 

How big were the salmon? Perhaps ten to twelve pounds on the average. 

(There were some people, mostly older men, who would fish regularly for the whole community and 

distribute the fish, probably by sale or barter, but fish would always just be given to people who were 

poor, 1 mean "poor" in the sense of not having the same access to the resource. People were always 

looked after in that way. As kids, we would always go down to the shore to meet any fisherman coming 

in; a good meal would sure to follow. The men would often come in with a whole boat or canoe fulL If 

the pollock hadn't come in past Kendall's Head to the Bay, they would go out over to Head Harbor to 

fish. WN) 

May 27, 1948 Philip Neptune 

Committal services for Cpl. Philip J. Neptune, first American Indian to visit the American Red 

Cross Service Club, where he said, 'Tve changed my opinion of Great Britain since coming here to fight 

by the side of the Red Coats. It's time we Americans forgot such things as tea parties and stamp taxes." 

The First World War ll casualty from the Quoddy area, Neptune's body was taken to the home of his 

uncle, William Neptune, Tuesday, accompanied by Elton McGowan, Brooklyn, N.Y. A requiem High 

Mass was celebrated in St. Anne's Catholic Church at 8 a.m. Wednesday by the Rev. Joseph Gallagher of 

St. John, N.B. followed by a full military service at the grave under the direction of Ralph A. Ray Post, 

Veterans of Foreign Wars, Eastport. Neptune, a resident of Baltimore at the time of enlistment, became a 

member of the 29th Division overseas. He was a member of the National Guard ofMaryland and went 

into Federal service with the activation of the National Guard before Pearl Harbor. He comes from an 

Indian family of considerable renown. His great-great-grandfather fought in the American Revolution as 

an Indian scout and his grandmother was queen of her Tribe for many years by virtue of her extreme age. 

Surviving is a son, Philip J. Neptune Jr., Hartford, Conn., a half sister, Mrs. Mary Newell; a brother, 

Horace J. Neptune, arid an uncle, William Neptune, all of Pleasant Point. 

June 9, 1948 Wallace Brown's Collection 

Another landmark is fast disappearing, the Wallace Brown store at the Union Street comer. Mr. 

Brown was a leading man in Calais in his day. His knowledge ofthe older Calais was extensive and his 

writings are still being used. It seems too bad that his collection of Indian crafts and many other Indian 

things of the Passamaquoddy Tribe could not be kept together. 

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