Long before the European invasion, the Indian nations of what is now British Columbia hunted a variety of sea and land mammals. Among the sea mammals hunted were harbor seal, fur seal, sea lion, sea otter, porpoise, and whale. The sea mammals were often hunted from a canoe. Shown below are some of the Aboriginal hunting tools on display at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria.
Shown above are some Nuu-chah-nulth whaling harpoon heads. Nuu-chah-nulth whale hunters used a harpoon that was up to 18 feet in length with a detachable head of carved elk horn. An extremely sharp point from mussel shell was set in the elk-horn head.
Whales provided a significant range of important resources, including meat, bone, baleen, sinew, and gut. The most commonly hunted whales were the California gray whale and the humpback whale. Whale hunting was often felt to be a noble calling and among some tribes, such as the Nuu-chah-nulth, the whaler was always a chief.
The Nuu-chah-nulth whale hunting crew was composed of eight men. The harpooner would stand in the bow with the harpoon to his right pointing forward over the prow. Close to the feet of the first paddler was the first float and it was the duty of the first paddler to throw it overboard as the harpooner made his strike.
Shown above are harpoon heads used for the smaller sea mammals such as sea otters.
Bone and Antler Tools:
First Nations hunters used a variety of tools made from bone and antler. Shown above is a display of antler harpoons from the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria.
Stone Tools:
While the sea was an important source of food, providing the people with fish and sea mammals, the Northwest Coast First Nations also hunted land mammals to provide them with both meat and skins for clothing. The land mammals hunted by these people included deer, elk, mountain goat, mountain sheep, bear, martin, raccoon, porcupine, marmot, martin, mink, and beaver. Hunting of land mammals was generally done using stone tools.
Shown above are some of the flaking methods used to produce stone tools.
In order to produce a blade or a point, pieces are first flaked from a fine-grained rock. The bifaces shown above have been flaked on both faces or sides. These bifaces are unfinished and were uncovered at the Shuswap Lake site.
Shown above is a display of stone tools unearthed by archaeologists in the Thompson and Okanagan regions in the interior of British Columbia. According to the display:
“Tools could be made from many different types of stone, most found close to home, but some acquired through trade with people from other regions.”
Shown above are some arrow head or harpoon points from archaeological sites in the Victoria region.
Shown above are some interesting and unusual flaked tools or decorative objects.
Hide Preparation:
To prepare the land mammal hides for clothing, the hide had to be processed. After the animal had been skinned, the remaining flesh would be scraped off. Then the hide would be soaked to loosen the hair so that it could be removed. To ensure softness and flexibility, an oily paste prepared from brain and fat would be worked into the hide. The hide would then be soaked, dried, and stretched on a frame. To further soften it, the hide would be vigorously rubbed. Finally, it would be smoked. Working the hides was generally done by the women. The display shown above shows the tools used in processing the hides.
