The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1882-06-06

have been realized, yet the voyage
was an Improbable orc and the
vessel was sold. Since that time
no other vessel has been engaged
in fishing on the banks of the
the Strait of Fuca. except occa-
sionally for pastime. 4 tue boat
will run off and take a few halibut
and rock fish. The whole busi-
ness on the American side is there
fore, confined to the fisheries of
the Makah Indians.
The halibut is a staple article Of
food for these Indians, and takes
the place Of the dried salmon of
the interior tribes. The season
commences in June, as sooa a<
the far seal fishing is over, aHi
continues at intervals till OctoDr;.
or, as late as the weather will per
NIT canoes to 60 to the fishing
grounds.
The villages Of the Makah tribe
are at Neah Bay, where is also he
official residence of the Indian
agent in charge, and the employees
OF the reserva ton, tEc whole o,
Cape Flattery being reserved hy
the government for the IndiaH~.
South of Flattery Rocks i The
Quillente river, where 4 band al
Indians of the same name reside.
These belong to the Malsah agency,
aud during the summer moaiis
some Of them reside at the "warG-
houses" for halibut fishing, add
ing to the number of fishermen.
But the Quilleutc tribe as . geucr-
al thing do not depend so much
On the Iialibut for food as the
Ma kahs do. The Quilleutes take
quantities Of samon in the river
and dry tons Of surf smcIt, which
visit that locality in myriad4 dar-
ing the summer months.
The Makahs usually 90 10 The
banks in large sized canoaS al iitr
commencement of the season.
These are the regular whaling
canoes, and usually carry SIX
Indians. As the season advances,
and the weather becomes more
settled, they 90 in smaller canoes
with TWO or three men in each.
Their usual time Of starting IS
early in the morning at the top
Of high water. They then ran
ont with the cbb tide, ana on
reaching the banks they fish until
the return Of the tide, and Is
soon as the current runs too strong
TO enable them 10 keep their lines
on the bottom they start for home,
and usually return late in the
afternoon.
Owing TO the strong currents
and tide rips at the entrance 20
Iuca strait, and The danger Of 10
ing to sea in an open canoe, ihis
fishing can only be pursued at such
time as the winds and tides ara
favorable; consequently the
amount of fish taken is not as
large as might be expected. nor as
large as would be the result if
schooners were employed capahic
of remaining on the banks ut
anchor to ride out gales or await d
favorable state Of the tide.
Daring the usual run, common
almost every season, the tribe
catch and cure enough halibut not
only for their own consumption,
but have large quantities to sell to
the Indians of other tribes. But
as they cure their fish without The
addition Of salt, they find no sale
among the whites.
The ancient method adopted by
these Indians for taking halibut,
which IS pretty generally ahered
to at prcsent,.is by fishing lines
made of the giant kelp, and by
hooks made of splints from hem
lock knots steamed and bert into
a shape like an OK bow, with a
barb of bone fastened on with a
thong to the under side of the bow,
and the line being made fast 10
TIM u,D,1op S;Jo