First Nations

Dance of the Animals
Thunderbird Park, Victoria, 1953
I-26813
The First Nations people of British Columbia were living here long before European explorers sailed around the world in search of new lands. First Nations people of British Columbia share a rich and diverse culture, with many different languages and customs in different parts of the province.

First Nations people fishing, using
a fish weir, Fraser Lake, 1909
F-00654
First Nations people adapted to the different environments offered by the various landscapes and climatic conditions on the coast and in the interior. They used the land and resources to survive.

Sam Mitchell of the Interior Salish people describes how his ancestors hunted:

"A long time ago, our people shot deer with a bow and arrow. Saskatoon wood was used for the arrows as these sticks are naturally quite straight. To keep the arrows from getting warped, the men would bite the sticks with their teeth to break the grain of the wood."

"An arrowhead was fastened at one end of the saskatoon stick, using sinew from the deer's backbone. On the other end of the arrow were three grouse feathers. They were tied on with sinew which was then coated with glue made from cottonwood tree buds. A notch was cut in the end of the arrow."

"The bow was made from Rocky Mountain maple wood which was wrapped with deer sinew to give it added strength. The bow-string was made from deer sinew."

"Deer were also caught by means of snares and deadfall traps."

"Hunting dogs were trained to track deer and herd them down to the water where they could be shot or clubbed. Some of the dogs were so fast that they could outrun the deer. When the dog was a young pup, the hunter put the stomach of a freshly killed deer over the dog's head. This made it a good hunting dog."

"Not everyone could be a hunter, as it required special training. Before going hunting each man cleansed himself by sweat-bathing and rubbing himself with tree boughs. This helped to remove his human scent."

"After the hunter killed some animals he told the other people where they were, so that they could pack them back to camp."

"Deer had many uses. The meat was eaten fresh and smoke-dried. The heads were barbecued and the brains were used when tanning deerhides to make buckskin (the flesh on the hides was removed with a deer-rib scraper). Root- digging sticks were made from the deer's antlers. Awls, made from the deer's shin bone, were used by the women when they were weaving baskets."

"The deer was our most important animal."

Provincial Archives of British Columbia. Sound Heritage. Victoria. Vol. VI, no. 1.

Tahtlan Hunting Party, 1926
E-01638





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