When Will the Harpoon Harvesting Tool Be Sold Again?

Traditional Line-fishing Methods

For over 1000 years Inuit have been catching a broad multifariousness of marine life in ingenious means. Traditionally, they fished using their hands, weirs and iii-pronged line-fishing spears.

Harpoons and spears were important items in the fishing arsenal of the Inuit. Harpoons take a detachable projectile head attached to a hand-held line. Carved from walrus ivory, traditional Inuit harpoon heads disassemble in the deep muscle tissue and bone of an animal or fish.

In wintertime, spear line-fishing involved boring holes through the water ice and exercising a great deal of patience before wielding kakivait or harpoons with deadly accuracy.

Nets were woven from thinly sliced leather or brute sinew – the tough fibrous tissue uniting muscle to bone. They were strung across streams and rivers during arctic char runs. Nets were also set in winter between holes in the ice. The Inuit excelled at creating highly realistic fishing lures from bone, shell and antler. These homemade spinners were dragged through the water with a hand line to attract arctic char. Fishing hooks were made of wood, os, antlers and claws as well as sharpened goose bones and the jaw basic of large fish.

For the Inuit, fishing has always been a means of harvesting food. Today there are few harvest restrictions for the Inuit, who continue to catch fish by traditional means likewise as by rod and reel. One of the most popular means of harvesting fish among the Inuit is by casting and snagging with large weighted hooks. The concept of recreational sport fishing is a new idea to the native civilisation of Nunavut – withal many communities enjoy spring fishing derbies for lake trout, cod or sculpin featuring friendly competition and generous prizes for the fastest-caught and the largest fish.

Fish Weir

*Saputi (Inuktitut) or Haputi (Inuinnaqtun)

Inuit oftentimes fished by using stone weirs at the mouths of Nunavut's rivers.

Weirs were constructed past piling stones in a crescent shape from the shore out into the flow of the river, and gradually building the stone wall up until it could trap fish. People sometimes walled in the opposite edge of the crescent to keep the fish from escaping, or simply waded in, trapping the fish in the weir and spearing or hooking them with hooks on long handles.

Often a narrow channel was left open in the edge of the weir, floored with stones until only a shallow stream of h2o flowed over the stones. A watcher on shore could easily see fins and tails as fish began to use the passage. This watcher alerted all others, ran out to close off the channel with stones, and the fishing began.

The fish were speared with pronged spears (singular: kakivak; plural: kakivat). The central prong pierced the fish, and the two artillery spread out, the barbs catching in the side of the fish and holding it. A fish needle (mitqun or nuvit ikaalukmut or qupirut) was used to string the fish together on a thong.

The needle was passed through the fish just behind the operculum, through or nether the spine. Every bit the stringer grew heavier, information technology was pulled ashore and the fish were laid out on the side of the river.

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Fish Enshroud

*Pigu (Inuinnaqtun) or Qinnivik (Inuktitut)

The Inuit synthetic rock boxes in which they could store food or tools and gear. The drawing of the cache below is specifically designed to store fish, especially frozen fish. These caches were unremarkably built at the side of a big stone, and were usually rectangular in shape, to more efficiently agree the fish. Caribou skins were not used in these; rocks were placed directly on the frozen fish.

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*The Inuit linguistic communication includes Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut. Inuktitut is spoken in eastern and fundamental Nunavut and Inuinnaqtun is spoken in western Nunavut. Both languages have varying dialects depending on geographical location.

Myths and Legends

The Legend of Sedna, Mother of the Body of water

It is Sedna who rewards the people of the land with nutrient from the sea. Without Her blessing, hunts fail and the people starve.

Sedna is known as Niviaqsiaq, Talilajuq, Nuliajuk and by many other names. She is the Ocean Goddess who drives the walrus and seal to the Inuit and ensures a bountiful hunt. Sedna'south story is one of the most pop Inuit Legends.

The Sedna Tales tell of a willful, strong immature woman and a great tempest. Long, long ago, when Sedna was a young daughter she refused suitors from her ain clan, instead Sedna chose a mysterious lover who turned out to exist a sea bird in disguise. On hearing what had actually happened, her male parent set up out to rescue his rebellious daughter.

Finding Sedna in the nest of the Sea Bird, he spirited her away. Father and girl began the long journey domicile in a skin gunkhole. The angry and abased sea bird fabricated a neat storm to stop them. Fearing the power of the bounding main bird, the father decided to rid himself of his daughter and threw her into the sea.

Trying to salve herself, Senda grasped the sides of the boat and pleaded with her begetter to pull her back into the boat. The selfish father, fearing for his own life, swung his knife and chopped off her fingers. Sedna fell in to the water and soon sank below the waves and was gone. When Sedna's fingers savage into the water, they became whales, seals and polar bears, and the nails became whalebone. As the young adult female sank into the sea she was transformed into the mystical being known as Sedna, Mother of Oceans and ruler over all life in the Body of water.

The blessings of Sedna are still sought by the people of the North, who know it is She who sustains them.

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Qailertetang, Sedna's Companion

Qailertetang is a female deity who cares for animals, fishers, and hunters, and controls the atmospheric condition. She dwells with her companion Sedna at the bottom of the sea, in the company of seals, whales, and other ocean creatures. Qailertetang is depicted as a large adult female of heavy limbs. Before hunts, Inuit shamans ritually served both Sedna and Qailertetang on behalf of their people, recognizing the immense sacrifice humans ask of these two powerful sea-mothers.

An Inuit Daughter'southward First Catch

When young Inuit girls grab their first fish they are encouraged to drop the fish down the front end of their parkas. Information technology is believed that, when a girl has her kickoff child, this will help to ensure a fast and problem-free delivery. Information technology is a do that continues to this solar day. Rankin Inlet's Denise Kusugak says that when she was seven or eight her begetter insisted she follow the tradition and push her starting time fish through her parka.

"I was so mad because all I could smell was fish for the residual of our camping trip. But now I'grand thankful he did that. My start child was born from first contraction to delivery in one hour and 47 minutes," said Denise.

Denise Kusuguk – Rankin Inlet

Agloolik, Fisherman's Friend

Agloolik is a guardian spirit who lives underneath the ice and protects seals and their pups from damage. In addition to keeping predators from their young, Agloolik is said to hunt down fish and provide them as nutrient to seal families. It is as well believed that Agloolik helps human being fishermen by catching fish and attaching them to anglers' fishing lines.

Isugajuaq

Co-ordinate to stories told beyond Nunavut, a huge beluga whale-sized fish of indeterminate age, known to elders as Isugajuaq, is said to lurk in one of the thousands of lakes across the Arctic. The legend is alive and well in communities like Hall Beach, where Inuit speak of a giant Lake trout living in the depths of nearby Hall Lake.

Traditional Preparation and Recipes

It'southward hard to amend on perfection, the Inuit nonetheless enjoy eating freshly-caught chill char raw, as they have done for thousands of years. The eyeballs and liver are favorite parts and cooking arctic char is a relatively recent practice in Nunavut.

Drying Rack

*Pipsiliuvit/Pittiliuqvik (Inuktituit) or Qimiqqun (Inuinnaqtun)

In warm weather, fish meat had to be preserved by drying.

Ii or more than continuing stones supported long poles or skin thongs which ran from an anchor rock over the top to another stone. Tension was controlled by adding stones to tighten the thong equally the weight of the fish was added. Carve up fish were hung over the poles or thongs. The meat was not smoked, but dried in the sun and wind. When dry out, it was stored in stone boxes, or meat caches.

Today, people continue to dry fish (pipsi or piffi). This "country food" is yet an important role of the diet in many chill communities.

Copyright – Nunavut Parks

Arctic char is also hot and cold smoked, made into hasty and candied. Fresh and frozen char can exist prepared in innumerable ways.

Cooking with Char

The unique qualities of Arctic Char create a gourmet production that is undeniably linked to the culture and tradition of Canada's North.

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Source: https://travelnunavut.ca/things-to-see-do/fishing/nunavut-fishing-traditions/

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