Aboriginal Fisheries in BC NAME:

Fishing since time immemorial

1. Salmon were received by First Nations peoples as __________________ __________________, and were treated with great respect.

2. Out of respect, when the first large sockeye was caught, a First Salmon Ceremony was conducted. This was the WSÁNEC way to greet and welcome the king of all salmon. The celebration would likely last up to ten days. How were these celebrations beneficial to the salmon?

3. What types of diversity do salmon stocks display?

4. Why did processing techniques, such as drying and smoking, needed to be closely adapted to individual runs?

5. A variety of fishing gear enabled fishers to target different _______________________ and runs of salmon at the same site, as well as across sites that differed in their ecological and physical conditions.

6. One anthropologist estimated the annual pre-contact level of salmon consumption at 1,000 pounds per capita; with an immediate pre-contact Stó:lō population of 20,000 to 60,000 people, between 4 million and 12 million salmon would have been consumed annually, and this does not include fish harvested for trade, or for ceremonial purposes. Given these large harvests, why did depletion not occur?

7. Why was there little danger of title-holders hoarding resources for their individual benefit?

8. Reckless levels of industrial seining at the mouths of bays prevented the schooling fish from ascending the rivers. What affect did log drives have?

9. Why were credit and cash advances readily available at the cannery store?

10. In the years following 1890, how was Indigenous fishing described by Fisheries officials? As a right? or as a privilege granted by the government?

11. In 1917, new amendments stipulated that food fishing permits would be subject to the same closed seasons, area, and gear restrictions as the non-Native commercial fishery. The ________________________ of the fisheries was now complete.

12. Who was Ron Sparrow?

13. Who was Dorothy Van der Peet?

14. _ __ is the basis of the agreement, not “race,” because simply being “Indian” is not enough. An aboriginal person who is not a member of the treaty group can no more participate in a treaty fishery without permission than a non-aboriginal person can.

Fishing since time immemorial

2. Out of respect, when the first large sockeye was caught, a First Salmon Ceremony was conducted. This was the WSÁNEC way to greet and welcome the king of all salmon. The celebration would likely last up to ten days. How were these celebrations beneficial to the salmon?

14. _______________ ________________ is the basis of the agreement, not “race,” because simply being “Indian” is not enough. An aboriginal person who is not a member of the treaty group can no more participate in a treaty fishery without permission than a non-aboriginal person can.

14. _ __ is the basis of the agreement, not “race,” because simply being “Indian” is not enough. An aboriginal person who is not a member of the treaty group can no more participate in a treaty fishery without permission than a non-aboriginal person can.