Fishing was the main occupation of the Indians. Rivers and fjords coast "abounded different breeds of fish (cod, halibut, herring and salmon in particular). Principal value had salmon, which constituted the basis of nutrition Indians. Salmon are raised in the river coast in such numbers that, as noted by one of the first colonists' on their backs could walk. "great economic importance was also fish-candle ( Thalichthus pacificus ), which was so oily, that in the dried form of burning flames. Indians from it boiled fish oil. stored in large quantities, it was the favorite condiment jko any other food, and in great demand not only on the coast, but also among the mainland tribes. There were special "fat" the ways in which oil was brought to the mainland Indians.
In large quantities, hoarding eggs. It was collected on spruce branches, affixed to the bottom of a river bank before spawning and kept dried. Highly regarded as halibut harvested not everywhere and is the subject of a lively exchange between the tribes. Caught as saffron cod, flounder, trout.
Fishing equipment from the Indians made little perfection in relation to differentiation in fishing gear and techniques and adapt them to different kinds of fish and a variety of fishing conditions. On salmon weir arranged different types, depending on the width of the river and the speed of flow. Some of them were very complex design and construction of them had great difficulty. In small rivers, salmon were caught on hooks (wood or bone). In the late autumn beaten fish spear. In the mouths of the rivers used nets stretched between two boats. Candle-fish caught networks or special rake with bone teeth, then replaced with iron nails. On halibut and cod had special hooks. The boat was an essential tool of production of Indian fishermen. Developed by Indians fishing methods were very efficient and provided them with large catches.
Aboriginal fishing techniques are the basis of modern fishing equipment on the beach. Indians themselves still have a reputation for being most skilled fishermen and the fishing industry of British Columbia, is widely believed that the "Indian in all conditions will produce fish" 1 .
According to researchers the area, the Indians caught the fish in large quantities, storing for the winter to thousands of salmon family.
On the number of the stored fish oil can be judged according to Krause, who noted that, in 1882, have been stocked chilkatov 1800-2000 liters. fat man 2 . In fisheries Indians have reached a level of development of production, in which, as Engels pointed out, "human labor power is capable of producing much more products of than is necessary for the existence of the producer" 3 . This was the main condition for the possibility of using slave labor, stockpiling food, greatly exceed the needs of the producers, and the development of a lively exchange.
Hunting
Fishery products is largely replenished by hunting for geese, ducks, partridges, elk, deer, bears, mountain goats, as well as seals, whales, beavers and otters. Hunt delivers not only meat and fat, and hides and furs, tsenivshiesya as material for clothing and as equivalent to the inter-tribal trade market. The hunt for the otters, beavers and seals became important only with the advent of the Europeans on the coast-fur buyers. Prior to that, she was a hereditary privilege of certain families, as well as the hunting of whales (Nootka tribe), which was certainly derezhitkom totemic representations of Indians. There are, for example, indicate that the Tlingit and kvakiyutley ohotd for a particular type of animal was the privilege of giving birth, I think this is their totem animal. Auxiliary power source serving berries and wild fruit, various roots and bulbs, seaweed, clams. Women gather in large numbers in the summer. '
Agriculture has received on the coast of development and was limited to the cultivation of tobacco. Dried leaves him crushed in a stone mortar perezhzhennymi sinks, and a mixture produced cakes which. Sucked or chewed, later in the festivities began to smoke tobacco in pipes. There are also references to attempts care sites dikora-. Stuschego clover, whose roots have been one of the favorite dishes. After appearing on the coast of the white settlers were trying to teach the Indians to farming. At first, some Indians began to grow potatoes, and from the 1830s, the Haida were on the market as suppliers of intertribal potatoes. But this culture has been abandoned. Kvakiyut-show whether the author of this article in 1930, a place overgrown with thick grass, which were once the gardens. Potatoes bought from the Finns, who lived on the island of Malcom, near settlements kvakiyutley.
In this particular area marked only in the north of the American continent breeding germs. Selishi Tlingit and produce special tsorodu dogs with long white hair, which is manufactured from yarn for woven garments. These dogs were kept separate from the game.
Labour Organization
In the fishing took part in almost all the population. Indians left the winter village and traveled to their fishing grounds, where temporary housing broke. Fishing and hunting were predominantly male activity, cleaning fish and its industry - business women. Canning food supply was at least important, than production: it was an indispensable condition for the preservation and storage of products. Therefore, women's work in the household occupy no less importance than men. Indian women know many recipes for preserving different types of food. Fish and meat jerked and dried in the sun, smoked in special smoking-huts, berries and fruits are filled with fish oil or zasushivali in the form of tiles.
Direct participation in the fishery is very shameful for the Chiefs job. They only observed the work of his relatives, wives, children and slaves. Their wives directing the work of slaves and relatives. Less shameful for the Chiefs was hunting, but frequent references to folklore specialist hunters, who were required to give the leaders of his prey. In Nootka, before the European trade, skins fur seal hunter had given to the chief of his clan.
Guns and Weapons
All tools and weapons (axes, knives, spears and arrowheads, scrapers, awls, needles) North West Indians started doing in stone ', bones and shells. Was known for cold forging native copper, but from it produced mostly jewelry. (Bracelets, rings, necklaces, earrings), a unique form of copper plates, which served as a means of accumulation sskrovisch and daggers, were considered expensive weapons.
Hunted with. 'Aid harpoons, spears, bows and arrows with stone bone and brass ferrules. Onions very quickly gave way to firearms Europeans longer keep harpoons and spears, but instead of stone, bone and copper iron tip there. Hunting guns and ammunition were Indians. An indispensable companion of the hunter and the warrior was a dagger, first stone, then copper and finally iron, hanging down on the neck strap. Bone and wooden maces were also weapons Indian warrior.
The desire to accumulate property and to possess slaves of prisoners of war has led to the fact that the war has become the north-western Indian way of dressing in n craft. The rank of the soldier became hereditary, and the war have become a kind of robber raids to capture slaves and property. Raids were tribes living on the river. Colombia, and the neighbors on the mainland. Had developed a kind of military equipment in the form of personal protection, as evidenced by a complex military Tlingit warriors costume, consisting of a shirt from several layers of skin, plate armor, helmet and visor, made from wood.This costume is well oppsan S. Sternberg based on collections of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography 1 . Were also developed techniques of collective protection: strengthening the settlements on the hard rocks, surrounded them with thick wooden fences, etc.
Crafts
Despite the primitive tools, the Indians highly developed their craft. Special excellence they have achieved in the technique ooraootki wood, examples of which are not equal in the Americas. With stone axes, they cut down the huge cedar trees, out of which were hollowed out boats, constructed dams. Indians split the logs into thick planks that make up the walls and roofs of houses. Thick, dug into the earth pillars that supported the roof gable and portals, covered with intricate carvings depicting tribal totems inhabitants. Especially good were the homes of the Haida. Nearly every house was beautifully ornamented totem pole (the other tribes of the pillars are placed only by the house leader). These columns gave the Indian village of original color.
One of the major means of production the Indians was a boat, so they Boat production reached great perfection. • Select the master boatmen, highly respected by the community. Boats hollowed out from a single trunk of large cedar was easy and fast. They were divided into five or six types, corresponding to the various economic problems: for fishing in rivers for fishing for cod and halibut in the shallows for sea hunting, trade and military expeditions. The size and capacity of them were different - from fishing, designed for two to three people, to large commercial boats, rises from four to fifteen people and to withstand loads up to 2 tons and more. The largest were the military boat for 50-60 people. "Although these boats odnoderevki - wrote YF Lisyan-sky - but some of them can hold up to 60 people. I have seen several of these boats, a length of about 45 feet [13.5 m], common also have about 30 feet [9 meters] " 1 . In Haida, famed for his skill, met the boat that holds up to 100 people. On the raised bow and stern of big boats often portrayed painted or carved totem kind of their owners, called on the totem and a boat. This indicates that larger boats were once the property of the family, but for the arrival of the Europeans, they were under private ownership of the leaders. Especially famous boat along the coast of Haida, Nootka and selishey.
Do all kinds of wooden utensils like dishes, cups, spoons, waterproof box for cooking and storing food; chests covered with paintings or carvings inlaid with sea otter teeth and shells, depicting totem animals. The chests were stored values: copper plates, jewelery medp and shells, wool capes, fur and ritual accessories. Particularly notable for the diversity wooden utensils kvakiyutley. Of wood is produced gravestones boxes (boxes), masks, rattles, staffs and wands leaders. All products are of the completed form and ingenious designs. Most adept at carving were the northern tribes - the Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, the southern tribes it was less developed and is not that different forms of purity and proportionality that the North.
All this is achieved by fairly primitive tool, consisting of a stone hammer, stone adzes, chisels with a bone blade, wooden wedges, a simple drill with a bone-tipped grinding stone sandstone finishing and a piece of shark skin polishing. Instruments for carving were concave pointed knives of flint, bone or jade. Widely used steaming wood for bargain it the desired shape.Roasting method achieved a smooth, flat surface manufactured items.
In the earliest period of European contact (the beginning of XVIII century.) Widely used iron tools, iron knives were made of the same shape, that of bone and stone.
Greater skill attained Indian women of the area in weaving. The roots of the split longitudinally Canadian pine bast produced in all shapes and sizes of baskets, bags, plates, hats. There are two types were weaving: bast and twisted in concentric circles. Products delicately ornamented weaving colored stems, and some painted.
Clothing and accessories
Indians wove bast simple cheap capes, who served the poor clothes. Bast is produced waterproof capes and hats, aprons, and short skirts, and floor mats, which were sleeping, sitting. Before the meal stretched special mats that are placed dishes with food. Of bast, dyed red broth from the bark of alder kvakiyutli and Nootka made necklaces, crowns and bracelets worn in ritual dances.
Along the coast was known weaving, the most advanced in the Tlingit-chilkatov and Macs. Particularly valuable to the coast capes chilkat. Tlinkitki wove their yarn made from down the mountain goats Lykova based one . Despite the primitive technique of weaving cloaks chilkat features good generation and a complex pattern of colored threads. With the characteristic of eye decoration on them represents ancestral totems. Woolen capes were very expensive, and they were only the leaders and the rich. Generally wool and woolen yarn is very highly regarded on the coast and played the role of commodity equivalents, along with slaves, shells, fur, etc.
Leather treatment was less developed than that of the mainland Indians only the rich wore capes of fur and leather. Indians did not wear shoes, only worn moccasins for winter cross-country skiing, racquet.
It was widely painting the face and body (the Haida - a tattoo), wearing necklaces and bracelets - copper, braided, shells, suspensions of dental ears. Rich tlinkitki worn in the lower lip kaluzhku 2 , which was a sign of high social status.
As the material in the north-west coast has existed craft specialization. Fish farm was so productive that it allows a certain degree of social division of labor, of the total mass of direct producers livelihoods are masters at working with wood, hammered copper-spstspalpsty ohotiiki, warriors, singers kompozntory, shamans. From among the women were also made skilful weaver of woolen rugs, korzinochnitsy n shaman. Through specialization Indian handicrafts reached as high perfection but finish quality products in various forms, and in their decoration. They can be called by right crafts.
Indian Art Northwest Coast developed in two directions: wood carving, bone, horn and shale and painting on wood and leather. This also determines the nature of the ornamentation of woven products. Carved totem poles covered, tombstones, dishes, spoons, boxes, masks, helmets, and took the soldiers, ceremonial staffs. Sometimes carvings painted, but usually applied to a painting smooth surfaces: on the walls of houses, to the boxes, boats, golf ceremonial hats. Images of animals, birds, people called up the main content of art. In the carved figures are more realistic than in the painting, and the ornament of woven products were the most stylized. For each image I ^ ivotnogo there is some system of symbols of its characteristics. In Indian art vividly reflected totemic representation.
Crafts were considered hereditary privilege of certain families. Bela Kula, for example, according to Canadian anthropologist T. Mack IL ^ - PETA, believe that a person's ability as a hunter, derevschika, songwriter, and so does not depend on his skills and the legacy of rights, which is approved by distributing gifts 1 . However, the original artists and carvers, singers, composers and other infrequently famous as a master of his craft, with no inheritance rights, while at the same time were "cutters" in families, who could not even keep the ax in his hands. They are often hired to perform the real masters of the work they had to do because of their ancestral inheritance duties. For example, the Tlingit and Tsimshian totem animal genus image had to do cutter kind of "fathers" and if he could not do it, hire a specialist carver, and he stood over him while working as a souchastvuya in carving. There were also the hereditary "singers" who could not sing. It is often hereditary title warrior wore a man who did not have the qualities of a warrior. Enjoyed special respect specialists, who's talent and ability were combined with hereditary rights. They were required not only knowledge of crafts, but also the associated ritual.Especially enjoyed the great honor forged copper. In kvakiyutley "Koval copper" was the most honorable taluk most prominent leader. The legends with iiiim binds heard about the incredible wealth of copper. In Tsimshian art copper processing was considered a gift of the sun a certain family.
Pay for work of a craftsman wearing more archaic character, reflecting one of the earliest stages of the exchange. Work offset gifts whose size depended not so much on the quality and quantity of labor input, but on the condition and position in society the person for whom the work was performed. Give greater gift was a matter of honor for every leader.
There was also a well-known specialty of individual tribes coast, to promote the development of a lively exchange. On intertribal market famous for their capes Tlingit, Haida - boats kvakiyutli-wooden utensils. Tsimshiane traded wool, horns and fish oil on the halibut, seal oil and seaweed. Nootka supplied to tribal market expensive shell Dentalium.
