The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-06-30


de"d letter. A number of white men
of various nationalities had settled
upon the island of Ounga (near the
south point of Alaska peninsula), and
employed themselves in otter hunting.
In 1873 the Treasury Department gave
special permission to such whites as
were married to native women and in
tended to remain in the Territory to
hunt them, which permission put OF
ters at II discount and a premium.
But very little ceremony was needed
to give them full rights to both Otters
and women, which without it they
had owned
These sduaw-men by their steady
hunting, frequently with guns, are
greatly reducing the supply. At At
ton, where they were once abundant,
but seven were killed last year, and in
other resorts they are decreasing. A
skin worth So per square foot is worth
working for.
The method of hunting the otter, rs
practiced by the Indians of south
eastern Alaska, and | presume ii is
the same elsewhere, is asfollows: The
hunters go in companies of three ca
noes, each carrying ten paddlers, the
one in the bow being armed with Il
spear or bow and arrows. Lately mus
| kets have been introduced, which are
loaded with buckshot but this is ille-
gal, and tends to drive the animals
from their breeding grounds, which
are on rocky islands just to the north
ward of Cape Spencer.
The animals seek these islets i'm
May, and the hunters rendezvous at
| them. When an otter is seen APP
preaching they endeavorto form cir
Gle to seaward OF ii as quietly as pos
sible, and then close on it. When
alarmed the otter dives and endeavors
to make its way to sea. Although less
able to remain under than the seal, its
first dive will sometimes last for half
an hour, but if quickly discovered and
followed on re-appearing it soon be-
comes Tailed and falls to the lot of the
boat which first wounds it. Great
care is taken to hit it in the head, and
some of the Indians are very expert
shots.
Any dispute of ownership is referred
to old IIah- lsIo-doo- who listens
to all of the evidence and gives de-
cision which is never questioned.
Willoughby was present at one such
arbitration. The old man gave the
skin, worth $40, to one of the contest
ants, who was to pay to the other I
blankets, worth 81.
All captains of companies report to
this chief the number of their ottcrs,
and he keeps Il tally. This year l27
have been Tailed, worth probably at
least $4,000. The Indians say they
don't kill the female ut this spring
season, but the skins Of unborn sea OF
ter pups are frequently on sale. |
suppose that they do refrain, fully as
much as does the ordinary sporter of
the game laws in New York from kill
ing does when in the Adirondacks are
out of meat.
In fall there is another short season,
during which all adults are killed
without distinction, On nearly every
one of the Aleutian Islands in several
places in the Alaska peninsula and in
as many or more along the western
coast, the Alaska Commercial Co. and
the North west Fur Co. have agents
stationed who monopolize the market
in the vicinity.
Hoonah Dick admitted that some of
the Alaska hunters used guns. |
asked him why they did it, and he
said that the English Indians used
them. and unless they did also they
could not get near enough To kill the
otters by other means. He and Kah-
hoo-doo-sak have promised to break
up the custom.
1 -