The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-02-12
Indian Sea- Hunters.

Along the western coast of Washing
ton Territory from Cape Flattery and
separated from the Puget Sound country
by the Olympic range of mountains, are
various small tribes of Indians who have
little or no contact with the whites,
and who are brave and hardy race of
hunters. Their arms and equipments
are rude, and with the exception of the
use of fire arms and blankets, introduced
by few scattering traders, they retain
the primitive ways of their forefathers.
Their canoes, which are hewed from
single trunk of gigantic cedar, are
many of them of great size and strength
and beautifully nodded, and they are
handled with remarkable ease and skill.
In the seal fishing the canoe used is q
light one, with very sharp stem. The
crew will consist of three men, the boat
steerer, generally the owner of the
canoe and outfit, the boat puller, and
the sportsman or harpooner. The
equipment is simple-three days pro-
visions of bread. whale-oil. smoked
blubber, and dried elk meat, and their
weapons, consisting of seal spears,
skinning knives, and heavy hardwood
club. The spear used is curious affair
Ii consists of long, heavy handle of
about an inch and quarter in diameter
and some eight or nine feet in length,
made of some three or more pieces of
well-seasoned yew, dovetailed together,
and which acquires a fine polish by long
years of use. Some two feet or more
from the end it is split and forks to two
points, an inch OF so apart. Each of
these points is surmounted by sharp
spearhead Of bone or deer horn, with
barbs of the same material dashed on at
such an angle rs to afford secure hold
These spearheads are fastened to stout
line made of sinew or plated sealskin,
which passes through a ''becketn on
the shaft and is made fast on the canoe.
This line is some twenty feet long.
So equipped they start out on their
perilous expedition, launching their
canoe through the surf, and pushing
boldly out thirty miles to sea. The
seals are captured as they float asleep
on the top of the water, and the most
successful hauls are made in the calm
succeeding storm, when they are ex-
hausted by their long bout with the
waves and sleep SO soundly that they
can be readily approached, Arriving at
the place where there is a prospect of
finding seal, the spearman abandons
the paddle which he has been vigorously
plying and takes his station in the bow,
where, as tbs canoe rises on each sue
ceeding swell, he watches for the black
head of the sleeping seal. The instant
one is spied, a motion warns the boat
puller, who ceases his work, and the
canoe proceeds, propelled only by the
steersman under whose light and Gbso-
lutely silent strokes of the paddle they
glide slowly on the victim. The senses
of the seals are so acute that within any
reasonable distance the mere grating of
paddle on the side of the canoe is suf-
ficient to arouse them, when the hunt is
up, SO far as they are concerned As
the canoe silently nears the victim, the
sportsman, throwing aside his blanket,
stands erect, naked and motionless in
the bow, posing high the heavy spear.
At motion of bis hand the way Of the
canoe is stopped and he launches his
weapon, generally transfixing the seal
with one or both of the twin barbs. The
handle loosens and floats to the surface.
A steady pull ON the line brings the
struggling animal alongside, when a
sharp blow with the heavy club winds
up his career. Occasionally there is
lively tussle, as the seal is armed with a
fine set of teeth and is far from being of
a cowardly disposition when cornered,
and instances are not uncommon where
in the hunters have been severely Bit
ten. Usually three days is the limit of
Their stay at sea, when they return to
the beach, skin their catch, and sell the
pelts to the nearest trader, who salts
them down to ship at the end of the sea-
son.
In the last few years there has been a
change in the manner of conducting the
fishery, the traders finding that the work
of the Indians from the beach is too
precarious and unreliable, and a large
number of schooners are now engaged.
Indians are still employed in the actual
work OF taking the seals and their
method of hunting remains unchanged,
except that, instead of padding out to
sea from the beach, they are taken on
board the schOoners, with their canoes,
spears, food, etc., and, accompanied by
their wives, are taken off on a cruise to
the banks, where they remain for weeks
at time, leaving the vessel in their
canoes early in the morning and return
ing with the results of their labors late
at night. The women remain on the
schooner preparing the food for the
hunters and skinning the seals with
which they return. The Indians receive
no pay beyond small bonus given
them by the schooner owners at the
commencement of the season, but are
paid fair sum for each pelt brought in,
ranging from two dollars and fifty cents
to ten dollars, according to size and
condition. At these figures they make
good wages, and some of the more lucky
or skilful ones sometimes net for the
season as high as nine hundred dollars.
About six schooners from Puget Sound
take part in the seal fishery off Cape
Elattery every year, as many more from
British Columbia, and two or three from
San Francisco. This year, for the first
time, white men have been substituted
for Indians on some of the schooners
and shotguns substituted for spears. but
while they have been very successful the
change is looked on with diefavor by
the other traders. as IL is cloiuoad +ba