Spearing bass, and some lessons

My people are known as Mississauga Ojibway Indians/First Nations. Our entire culture revolves/revolved around the water. We were highly mobile, compared to our neighbors- the Iroquois. Whether relying on wild rice, ducks, geese, frogs, beaver or fish, the majority of our food came from lakes, rivers and marshes. As with many other eastern woodlands/Great Lakes tribes, we employed a lot of methods for catching fish, including weirs, basket traps, bowfishing, netting and spearing. Though some tribes in the Americas did use hooks and lines, I have not seen any evidence of the Ojibway nations doing so. 

Spearfishing for the most part is highly illegal in present-day Ontario, except for one exception; if you are a First Nation with hunting and fishing rights within the province, or within a certain part of Ontario. My community -the Mississaugas of Rice Lake, also known as Hiawatha First Nation- had no hunting rights for the past century or so. I'm not going to make this into a political discussion, so suffice it to say, back in December that was finally resolved and my community was granted hunting and fishing rights back into our traditional territory. This might explain one of the many reasons that I have not had the chance to post as frequently as I did a year ago. Been hunting, fishing, trapping and gathering as much as I can!

So tonight, my cousin came over and explained that we were idiots for not focusing on spearfishing this past spring. We missed the pickerel run, mostly due to my school schedule, but also to the severe weather we've had in Ontario this spring.. literally 4 ft high waves on Rice Lake during a large portion of the pickerel spawning run (which makes for really crappy spearfishing. We had talked a lot about it over the past month, and finally decided tonight to just go out and try the new spears we made back in March. Josh (the cousin) couldn't find his, so we ended up with just mine. 

My spear is made from a young white pine sapling that is approximately 8ft long, two steel prongs, and lashed together with codline (I believe this is often called Bankline south of the 49th). The prongs were made by me with a miniature forge of firebricks and a gas-torch. I used standard steel rods that were 3/16ths of an inch thick. I bought the rods from Home Depot. The ends were bent at a 90-degree angle while under heat, and then the rods were annealed. Once annealed, I cut very small barbs into the rods, and tape the tips to a fairly fine point. These I plan to make larger later when I get the new forge built next Friday. After that is all done, its' time to harden and then temper the prongs. This is where it gets interesting, as the tips of the prongs must be hard enough to hold a sharp tip, yet soft enough that when you strike a rock (not IF you strike a rock, but WHEN you strike a rock) you don't snap the tips of your prongs. Basically what I like to do is keep the entire prong fairly soft in temper, except for the very tip (which I keep about the same hardness as a knife). So first I bring them up to temperature where the steel is no longer magnetic. Once that is done, I quenched them in old motor oil. Then I scrape the steel clean with wire brushes, so that I can watch the tempering procedure. Using a gas-torch, I dance the flame back and forth, aiming for a light blue tone on the majority of the prong. However, I only aim for a light brassy tone on the last 1/2 inch of prong, towards the tip. 

Once the prongs are tempered, I drill a small hole into the spearshaft (at the thick end) about 3-4 inches in from the end. This hole is about 3/16" in diameter, and fits the bent ends of the prongs snugly. I add a slight channel from the hole to the end of the spearshaft, to help hold the prongs snugly. Once this is done, I shape the end to be a bit more aqua-dynamic, and then fit the prongs in. Afterwards, I lashed codline tightly around the prongs. This technique is what I learned from an old Chippewa Ojibway from Saugeen First Nation (over on Lake Huron). The spear end looks like this;



Alright, so onto the fun part...

We get into my Kawartha canoe, whose nickname is aptly "Tippy". We have no proper lighting, so we use two flashlights. With only one spear, and obviously wanting to control the canoe, I had Josh sit in the bow, while I paddled us at a snail's crawl. Two tips for anyone wanting to try boat-based spearfishing; get good lighting and a real stable canoe. We'll be building an English-style punt this summer out of pine and cedar boards, both for duck season, and for the fall pickerel run. Josh was hoping for pickerel, but I knew we were unlikely to find any. We ended up scouting the water out for at least 45 minutes. After a while of checking along the cattail edge and finding nothing, we turned back and went westerly along the north shore of Rice Lake, heading for the rock and stumps of the shallows. 

This was where we found luck. After missing twenty or more Large-mouthed bass, Josh had one close by. WHACK! And that was when the struggle began. Believe me on this, if you think a fish can put up a fight on a hook and line, you have not seen a 5lb bass get hit by an Ojibway with a spear! He held her to the bottom until she stopped struggling for the most part. Every muscle in his upper body was straining -to keep the fish on the spear AND to keep his butt in the canoe! Finally he flipped her in. 

Next lesson; kill any fish you spear immediately. We decided to not "bother" with that, though something told us both that we should. That was when we saw an 8lb mother of all bass cruise right for the spear tip... and that was when the bass Josh caught decided to spasm and slam into the hull of the canoe repeatedly. The 8er was gone in a flash, and it took us another 30 minutes to see any fish. This is why we decapitated the one Josh caught. No more splashing attempts.. We were turning back to head home (it was well past 1am at this point, and we started around 11pm), when Josh saw one that was less than a pound. "Don't bother Cousin, I don't think you can get one that small with that spea-WHACK!" Annnd that was when Josh learned that even a tiny fish on a spear can put up a helluva fight. Once he flipped her into the boat, I severed the spine immediately, so that we'd have no repeats. Josh got close to another half a dozen, but they always eluded his shots. I tried a few times, but gave up, as its' difficult to aim from the back of the canoe! When it hit 2am, we knew it was time to pack it in. The night air was just above freezing tonight, even though the water was warm. I was soaked, and my butt was asleep. Josh's ankles were burning from crouching to balance the canoe with every shot he took.

So here are our results! 



Not too bad!

We'll be building a better boat, and setting up a proper lighting system on it. As well, we'll be making some Australian-style fishing spears, with paralyzer-style prongs. I'll also be setting up my bow with a reel in a few days, as the carp are everywhere! 

Anyways, I'm tired, and we've got at least one successful night of spearfishing in this spring. Glad to be back on the forums, hope y'all enjoy the read!

Meat and preparing for the cold times.

Back in early November, my cousin got his first deer. A lot of emotions are brought up for a person when they see a large animal die right in front of them. Rabbits, ducks and fish are just as important, and I am not discrediting their deaths as non-emotional or anything like that. However to see something as large as a deer, or bear or moose die for the first time is for many of us extremely moving.

I remember getting my first deer (only a few years ago, even though I have been hunting for literally half of my life), and how messed up it left me for a long few weeks. I had caught, killed and cleaned many a fish and bird. I had butchered countless deer and moose. Death of a fellow moving, breathing creature was definitely not something new for me. However as I watched the deer (a young but very large buck) seem to suddenly freeze on impact from my slug penetrating his chest and abdomen, and then keel over as if his legs were made out of rebar rather than tendons and muscles, it effected me in a way that to this day I cannot fully explain. I was happy, but disturbed. I knew I had just provided for my family. Acquired a hide and brains for new material. I knew the bones and sinew would bless me with more supplies. But to see a life drain out of an anima with such sudden swiftness (he thrashed for but a moment) is truly emotional. I take the subject of catching any animal very seriously -regardless of size or species. But at the same time, it is joyful. I whoop. I shout. I even laugh. However during that, I do what my people have always done; I pour water into the animal's mouth, I offer tobacco in thanks, I sing a small song of gratitude. I make sure the being sees the western sky. These things are tasks many Anishnaabe men (and women) feel obligated to do for the animal whose life we extinguished. Its' a give and take. The animal has done their work (sacrificed themselves' for us), now it is our turn to make good on the deal: by making sure we honour the animal.

However, this does not mean jokes are taboo, or banished. We laugh, and joke; "Holy crap this deer's liver is big enough to belong to a Frat Boy!", or "That goose is small enough to be a duck!". This is not disrespect in our eyes. Its' having fun with the animal who is still present. Teasing is a sign of affection in countless Native cultures here in Canada, just as it is in many non-Natve cultures. However, for us, it is really the way of life. Joking, and comedy are what bond all humans, and to find something humorous in an emotional moment is really a beautiful thing.

In this video, myself and my cousin butcher the deer that he caught just the night before. We skinned her in the dark, as we don't use knives between the gutting and butchering process. We skin the deer immediately after it is hung up, as this cools the deer, and is much faster than if we left the hide on for too long. It is also much better for the hide, as decomposition can happen in mere hours in the right circumstances. You won't hear much dialogue other than the joking (which I mentioned a moment ago). But it shows almost every step taken after the skin and head are removed.

I want to say a few things about this deer. I cannot speak on behalf of my cousin. I do not know if he went through the same emotions as I have. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. I do know however that this deer was taken down with the most humane of a shot any hunter could ask for. She maybe ran 40 feet in total, if that. We tracked her immediately, and very early on we could tell she would be dead just around the corner. It was a clean kill, and she never suffered. We found her within two minutes of tracking, and she was already passed on. It was the perfect shot. I was there when she was seen, I was there when she was shot, and I helped with every step of the process once that deer was hit. I am very honest when I say that I am proud of my cousin, and was deeply honoured to be able to share that moment with him. It is a moment that I know will live on with him for the rest of his life.

While we are on the subject of meat, maybe I should discuss some further developments regarding acquiring meat. The goose we caught was a winged bird that another hunter had shot earlier in the day. We saw the young northern Canada goose hiding under a dock, and it was very clear that the wing was severely damaged. It was part mercy, and part need for food. I got in my canoe and when I tried to get him, he had paddled away! He was struggling to stay above the water, and even then got well over a kilometre from shore before I caught up to him. This shows the tenacity of wildlife when survival is on the line. I have seen a squirrel get hit with a broadhead from twenty feet away, and still run through seven different trees before finally succumbing to the injury. I have tracked a lung-shot deer for over two kilometres. Once I was within range, he was put out of his pain very swiftly with a twelve-gauge shotgun blast to the head. He was dead on impact. Once again, I took tobacco out and offered him thanks. I opened his mouth and let him have a drink, and while paddling back to shore, I sang him a song of gratitude, always keeping his head facing west.

Beyond meat that has already been acquired, I have a few projects underway. This weekend I will be purchasing some steel rods. I will be basement-forging them into special spikes made specifically for spearfishing. The Anisnaabeg are well known for their history as fishermen, especially with fish fences, and with spears. I will be making the shafts six or seven feet long out of cedar. This is because cedar is straight and light. Once done, two spikes that are seven inches long and barbed all the way up. We live where pickerel, bass, pike and perch all flourish, and our ancestors' way of life revolved around spearfishing.

The other project is the buckthorn bow. This project was originally a theory I had after spending a week with Mors Kochanski. The theory was that I could take a dense, yet elastic wood, that is an invasive specie that is overwhelming our forests, and produce serviceable and strong bows from it. Purging Buckthorn is a very invasive tree that overshadows other forest plants and goes to leaf earlier and remains in leaf longer than most of our native hardwoods. So my goal was to be able to give our native trees a bit of an advantage, be repeatedly cutting back the buckthorn, and using it for tasks (knife and axe handles, basketry material, bows and lodge poles) and leave our native trees be. So far the theory I had ha already been proven by a gentleman over at Primitive Archer, and even Quicky Bows I have seen made by Skeet Sutherland from Sticks and Stones Wilderness School. However, ever being the man trying to return to a traditional Anishnaabe diet and lifestyle, I have decided to produce an Ojibwa style Flatbow from this wood. If you want to see a good example of an Ojibwa bow, check out this video from my friend Mike at Boarrior Bows. This in my eyes is something very important and specific, as my people are currently struggling with the idea of self-determination through decolonization. In my eyes, we cannot go back in time. We must move forward, and with that, we must accept modern influences, or at least introduce western materials into our more "primitive" technologies. A good example is beer bottle glass arrowheads, such as the one produced in the video of Brian from TrackersNW. These are very popular and very very effective. I have also made knives, and spearheads from the glass from old televisions. I've been saving a good piece to later make into a clovis point, such as the one being made in this video with stone. My belief is that if we take traditional technology and philosophies, and blend them with the materials available now by recycling and reusing, it can be a lot better for all of us. Again, which would be better for our environment? Practising our traditional skills with materials that are already at risk (one of the best woods in this part of Canada is white ash, which is being targetted by the Emerald Ash Borer), or with materials that are invading or causing problems in our environment (such as purging buckthorn)?

So as we speak, I have several three-inch and four-inch diameter staves of purging buckthorn seasoning in my house for the winter. I stripped the bark, and dipped the ends in pine pitch to prevent cracking. By Baakade Giizis (The Hunger Moon/February), I will be able to start shaping them into traditional style bows.

I should have a video up sometime next week about the fishing spear making. Hope you all enjoy it!

An incomplete non-animal food list of the Ojibway People

This is an incomplete list of non-animal based food sources used amongst the Indigenous people known collectively as the Ojibway/Ojibwa/Ojibwe/Chippewa, or as we prefer to be called, Anishnaubeg. I have divded it into two sections; Plant, and Fungi. Though lichens are not exactly a fungi, I have included them in the Fungi section, as they are more related than plants.

This is incomplete, as my research has not lead to other plants definitively being use. As well, though there are many many more plants that could be listed as edible on this list (plantain, dandelion, etc), they were not native in pre-columban times. You may notice that the Fungi list is short. This is due to two reasons;

a) I do not have a strong experience with fungi. I learn what I can, but the list is short, because my experience is small.

b) many of the fungi in North America were used more for their medicinal and "magical" properties rather than their edible properties. For example, Miskwedo, a medicine used by our Midewiwin and other medicine people, has been identified as the Fly Agaric Mushroom (Amanita muscaria). This was a very potent medicine, used to receive visions (aka a Halucinogen). The Amanita family is full of very very deadly mushrooms, and should be studied with due caution.

I will include scientific names. Each of these food sources should be researched heavily prior to consuming, as certain ones are toxic unless prepared properly (such as acorns or Jack-in-the-Pulpit), or are toxic unless harvested in the right season (such as Mayapple). Though I do love the taste of mayapples, I cannot stress this enough: The fully ripe fruit is the only safe part. The unripe fruit was used by my ancestors to commit suicide. So be wary of all new food sources until studied fully. Anything with "*" beside it should be researched heavily prior to consumption.

Plant
*Acorns from Black, Red and White oaks (Nutmeat)
American chestnut (Nutmeat)
Arrowhead (Tuber)
Aspen (Cambium)
Beans (Fruit)
Bearberry (Fruit and leaves)
Birch (bark, cambium and sap)
Blackberry (fruit and leaves)
Blueberry (fruit and leaves)
Box elder (Cambium and sap)
Cactus, prickly-pear (pads)
Cattail (rhizomes, shoots, unripe seedhead, pollen)
Cherry, black (fruit) 
*Chokecherries (fruit)
*Cowparsnip
*Cowslip
Cranberry, highbush
Dropseed grasses (many varieties of Tallgrass prairie and Black oak savanna grass seeds have been found cooked and consumed, as well as the shoots)
*Elderberries (Ripe fruit)
Fern, Ostrich (fiddleheads)
Gooseberry (fruit)
Hawthorne (fruit becomes its' own preservant)
Hickory (nutmeat)
Horsemint (leaves)
*Jack-in-the-pulpit (tuber)
Juniper (fruit)
Labrador tea (leaves)
Lamb's quarters (leaves)
Leeks (Tubers, leaves and blossoms)
Lily, Trout and Wood (Tubers)
Lily, White water (Tubers)
Lily, Yellow Pond (Tubers)
*Locust (blossoms)
Maize (kernals)
Maple (Cambium and sap)
*Mayappe (Ripe fruit)
*Milkweed, common and swamp (shoots and pods)
Mint (Leaves)
Mulberry (Fruit)
Partridgeberry (Fruit)
Pumpkin (Fruit)
Raspberry, Purple-flowering, red common (Fruit)
*Solomon's seal, False (shoots)
*Solomon's seal, true (roots)
Strawberry, woods (fruit and leaves)
Strawberry-blite (whole plant, but especially the fruit-like flower)
Sunchoke, aka Jerusalum artichoke (tubers)
Squash (fruit)
Sweetgale (seeds/nutlet)
Sweet-fern (leaves)
Sweetflag (rhizome)
Thistle, Canada (inner stalk)
Wild Rice (seeds)
Yucca (flowers)

Fungi 
Chaga 
Morrels
Moss, Reindeer 
Old Man's Beard
Turkey-tail
Tripe, Rock
Puffball, Giant