By Martha F. Case

Excerpted from Alaska Department of Fish & Game Technical Paper No. 132, June 1986

SEASONAL ROUND OF ACTIVITIES

Most seasonal harvest information in this section pertains to the 1983-84 study year. In addition; general contemporary seasonal patterns derived from key respondent interviews are incorporated into the description. Northway households in 1983-84 harvested nearly the same variety of fish, game and plant resources as described for the 1920-1960 period, pursuing most of those resources now from the community base and using a variety of modern transportation methods. During the 1983-84 study year, all of the major resources were harvested by the sampled households except marmot, ground squirrel, and Dall sheep. The latter recently has not been a yearly pursuit (three of the sampled households hunted sheep a total of five times in the last 15 years). Current seasonal scheduling of resource harvest activities resembles earlier patterns, but also reflects current hunting, fishing, and trapping regulations, as well as technological changes and factors such as employment and school schedules, as discussed below.

Fishing constituted the major summer resource use activity in 1983-84. After breakup in May or June rod and reel fishing began for grayling, pike, and burbot, and continued throughout the summer. In June and July fishing for whitefish began, and some Northway residents traveled to the Copper River to fish for sockeye and king salmon, usually spending two or three days and returning home to process the fish. In addition, plants are generally gathered at this time. Spruce roots (white or black) are dug, soaked and peeled, bark is cut, and basket-making commences, continuing through the summer, fall, and winter. Some plants are harvested in June and July, particularly wild rhubarb, mushrooms, some greens, and raspberries.

Wood is cut by some residents during the summer, although most wood cutting begins in September. Most berries are picked and edible roots dug in August and September. Occasional travel to the Yukon River at Eagle for salmon fishing occurs in August if the Copper River harvest has been small. Black bear are occasionally shot during the summer. Hare are sometimes snared for their fresh meat, and hides from moose harvested in previous seasons also may be tanned and smoked at this time. By August and September whitefish fishing generally becomes more productive, according to some respondents. They suggest that the fish continue running in the large rivers and deeper lakes later (August, September) than in the small streams, and are fattest later in the season. According to one respondent, a hurry-up-and-get-busy attitude prevails for fishing during August.

Hunting of moose and waterfowl occurred in the early fall. Local moose and waterfowl hunting seasons opened in September and most respondents concentrated on these two activities at this time. September also included some fishing for grayling, pike, and whitefish, as well as some early jigging (longline fishing) for burbot from the Nabesna River banks before freeze-up, trapping small pike ("pickles") at the edges of streams, and small game snaring or hunting. Some households engaged in fall muskrat trapping, although not to the extent that was commonplace in the recent past. The trapping regulations were revised for the 1983-84 season by moving back the opening date for muskrat trapping from November 1 to September 20, primarily to allow a fall harvest.

Some waterfowl and grouse hunting and muskrat trapping continued into October. By the end of the month when the rivers were thinly covered with ice, jigging for small pike, burtob, and grayling began and continued until late November. Fishing for burbot continued through the winter months.

Winter (November through March) harvest activities included trapping, hunting or snaring of hare, grouse, and ptarmigan, fishing through the ice, and caribou hunting. Trapping efforts focused primarily on red and cross fox, marten, mink, otter, wolverine, lynx, and wolf, beginning in November and continuing through February or early March. Beaver were taken from November through April, and muskrats were harvested until late May or early June. Some jigging for burbot continued through the winter until February or March. Hare, grouse and ptarmigan were snared or hunted all winter along traplines or around the community. Porcupine were sometimes hunted at their dens during the winter. Hunting for Fortymile caribou took place in December, January, and February in the Tanana Hills. In March 1985, ten permits were issued to Northway residents for hunting Nelchina caribou which were wintering in the area. Wood cutting was constant activity during the fall and winter months.

Spring (March to May) activities included muskrat trapping and hunting, and some pike, grayling, and burbot fishing after breakup. Bark was collected in April or May. Porcupine were harvested by clubbing or shooting; the meat was skinned and roasted and the quills used in jewelry and crafts. Migration routes of the Fortymile caribou have changed and the herd no longer moves en masse through the "valley" as it did in the 1920's and 1930's. Current hunting regulations do not authorize the taking waterfowl, moose, and caribou during the spring. Possible continuation of traditional spring waterfowl hunts was not investigated in this study.

The timing of yearly resource harvest activities in 1983-84 appears similar to that for the 1920-60 period: fishing and plant gathering dominated the summer months, large and small game was pursued heavily in the fall, trapping constituted a major activity in the winter, and muskrat trapping was the primary activity documented for the spring season. In contrast with former years, the scheduling of waterfowl, moose, and caribou hunting has altered significantly. Waterfowl were traditionally hunted in the spring as well as the fall, and eggs were collected. Moose were hunted earlier in the fall, in late August, when the meat could be efficiently dried. Caribou were hunted during the fall migrations, between September and December, usually in November, and again in the spring (May). Both moose and caribou were also hunted as necessary the year round.

CONSUMPTION AND DISTRIBUTION

According to key respondent interviews and the survey data, wild resources are commonly distributed in Northway between households. Most consumption and distribution of fish and large game, and sharing of labor and equipment, takes place within groups of related households. For example, a daughter and step-daughter cut fish for their mother (three households), receiving fish later in the winter "when they need it." This probably is a very common practice. Salmon from the Copper River may be obtained by Northway residents in exchange for help with processing. It is also simply given, as part of a continuous exchange of resources between Copper River and Northway households. Within Northway, fresh salmon is given resource, or who are close relatives (within two generations lineally or one step collaterally). In particular, elders are often receivers of wild resources. Sharing occurs among non-related households of the same generation, but less often. Distribution between "friends" occurs among households who are not related to others in the community. Large game may be divided between hunting partners, or fish from one net divided between several households. Labor is often volunteered in return for fish or meat. Resources are sometimes traded, such as garden produce for a moose hide. Extensive sharing is accomplished through visiting, with visitors partaking of meals or receiving packages of meat or fish.