Culture element distributions. XXVI Northwest coast [Distributions des éléments culturels. XXVI. Côte nord-ouest].

Résumé

Speaking of the Northwest Coast he noted "The marmot (presumably hoary marmot) furnished a light but finely furred pelt, prized troughout the area for clothing. In days before European blankets, these hides were one of the chief articles used in potlactches. Marmot were plentiful in many localities in the higher mountains. The grounds were usually privately owned, and huts or cabins were built on them. The hunters with their families went up in the fall when fur had set but before time for the marmot to hibernate. The season was a short but rich one, for the animals were easy to catch, and the hunting parties came out with quantities of valuable furs." The primary technique for catching the hoary marmot was deadfall traps set directly in front of the burrows. The deadfalls were a smaller version of those used for bear, with a log weight supported by a lever arm held by a trigger. The Tinglit had a special carved trigger for the traps. On the northern coast of British Columbia, wealth was directly measured in hoary marmot skins among the Tlingit and the Gitksan of the upper Sleena River. He noted "Skins of the whistling marmot were regarded as very valuable, particularly among Tlingit, Hiad, Tsimshian, and the northern Kwakiult divisions. It seems that anciently a robe made by seewing sea-otter robe". To the Kispiox Gitksan, September was the "marmot hunting moon" when marmots were hunted on the uper Skeena River. The Opetchesaht of the Port Albetini area hunted marmots with deadfalls.