The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-28
PoRPoIsE HUNTING.
A Dangerous Sport the Passama-
quody Indians Follow, by Which
They Make a Living.

! In the northern part of Maine and in
Nova Scotia there are still many In
dams of the Passamaquody tribe, ano
these Indians follow a pursuit that is
almost unknown to the outside world
They shoot porpoises. Everybody ia
miliar with the sea has watched these
queer creatures. They are less shy
about showing themselves than any
other inhabitant OF the ocean; but to
see them tumbling over themselves in
their odd regular way is all the world
in general ever has to do with them;
the Passamaquody Indians, however,
not only shoot them, but make their
living mainly out of porpoise, and a
living well earned it is too, for there is
no occupation in the world that calls
for more bravery, skill and endurance.
The money is obtained by selling the
oil, and pure porpoise oil brings the
Indians about 80 cents a gallon; the
oil obtained from the paws sells
higher; it is tried out by itself because
of its superiority, and is valued by
watchmakers and others who want an
oil of very fine lubricating quality
The Indians eat the porpoise fiesh-it
is very much like fresh pork, and many
white fisherman around the coast like
fresh fish in exchange for it.
There are no game laws to protect
porpoises, and the hunting goes on the
year around, though the blubber is
something like two inches thick in
winter, against one and half in sum-
mer; but, then. the danger and suffer
ing to the Indian, not the fish, are far
greater in cold weather.
Make guess as to how long a big
nOrnOiC0 iS He does NOT lOOlx when
seen from shore or from steamers
deck, as if he were seven feet long;
but about that he frequently is, and
five feet about the girth, and with six
or seven gallons of oil in his queer
body.
Birch bark canoes still used by
the Indians for this oort, I'D the
way they handle them in tn. wide,
stormy waters of the ba.- of F ,,ndy is
revelation as to the seaworthiness of
these wonderful little craft. Boys
must begin their training as porpoise
hunters when they are 10 or II years
old, going out with an older man in
good weather first. The Indians
generally go two together, for. while
shooting the porpoise can be done
easily by one in smooth water, it is
not the shooting but the landing of
him that is the thicklish business. AT
ter he is shot, he is speared to finish
him, and then the Indian runs two
fingers in the blow-hole, takes hold of
his fin with the other hand, lifts the
great fellow until at least half his
length is above the canoes gunwale.
and then drags him aboard. Imagine
doing that in birch bark canoe on a
rough winter sea, Yet a man alone
in his canoe under such conditions will
often accomplish the feat, and not so
rarely he will fail, and lose his life to
boot The usual thing is for two to
work together, and then accidents are
rare. A man has to
stand up to shoot, if the water is
rough OF course he could not see his
game if he didn't. One of these Indians
can stand and shoot, and at the same
time adapt every movement to the
swaying of his boat, keeping her on
an even keel with q success that is
simply miraculous.
There are many sharks in these wa
ters. and there are perfectly authenti- |
Gated stories of sharks cutting por-
ooises in two just as the Indians were
hauling them aboard, but they don't |
seem to mind the sharks at all, driv-
ng them off with their long. spears |
when they are too encroaching, with |
perfect GOODNESS.
PASSPORT, Me, is the market where |
he Indians sell most of their oil.