Porpoises General
Hunting
Porpoise was reported to be hunted spring through summer by the Nootka (Nuu-chah-nulth) [6], Inuit [23], Micmac (Mi’kmaq) [2] and Eastern Abenaki [21].
Porpoise was hunted on open waters in smooth, quiet canoes to avoid noise on approach. Weapons included harpoons, clubs and spears [41]. Harpoons were often shafts made of antler and points made of mussel shells, bone or antler [42]. The Coast Salish hunted in teams of three using single-pronged harpoons with a trident end [13, 14, 16]. The Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka’wakw) used a two-pronged harpoon with a detachable head [38, 40]. Cultures on Vancouver Island used double-pronged harpoons, with one of the prongs twice as long as the other [30]. The Tlingit used barbed and tanged points made of bone, antler, copper or iron attached to a wooden shaft [9, 11]. The harpoons used by West Greenlanders were made of wood, antler or bone, with a knob of ivory and a removable head made of iron. They also used lances [24]. The Micmac of Richibucto used harpoons made of bone or walrus ivory [3].
In order to attract porpoise, the Northern and Central Nootka [19], Southern Kwakiutl [31] and Nuxalk [31] used sand or fine gravel thrown on water, which looked like small fish eating on the water’s surface. The people of Puget Sound [30], Southern Kwakiutl [31] and Nuxalk [31] are reported to have hunted porpoise at night. Occasionally, the Micmac of Richibucto collected porpoise stranded on the beach [3].
For the Coast Salish, the porpoise hunt was reserved for members of higher status, determined by the productivity of a man and his ability to share food with others [13, 16, 17].
Preparation
Different cultures had preferences regarding porpoise parts consumed.
Penobscot are reported to have consumed porpoise flesh on occasion, but they found it too greasy to eat on a regular basis [28]. Although the Tlingit consumed porpoise on occasion, they are reported to have usually avoided the meat, associating it with poverty and claiming that consuming it produced a foul body smell and nasal blood losses [9, 10]. In contrast, the Coast Salish and other coastal peoples considered porpoise a delicacy [13, 17, 43].
The Penobscot braised porpoise meat cut in slices [28]. The people of Puget Sound consumed the meat either raw or cooked (poached, roasted on ashes or spits, baked, or stewed) [29]. The Coast Salish [14], Kwakiutl [39] and Tlingit [10] boiled the meat in vessels filled with water into which they tossed hot stones. The Coast Salish vessel was a cedar box or an emptied canoe. They also recovered the oil from boiled meat or blubber in wooden vessels; this oil was then used as a dip for dried meat and salmon [14, 17].
Uses other than food
Porpoise oil had an important trading value: the Micmac [1] and the people from Puget Sound [29] used it in trades.
Beliefs and taboos
The Coast Salish porpoise hunt was preceded by rituals such as bathing and religious ceremonies [13]. They would invoke the killer whale spirit by means of a ritual song unique to an individual hunter [14]. When men were out hunting, their wives were required to remain silent and refrain from combing their hair [14].
Cultures on the British Columbian coast, including the Northern Coast Salish and Tlingit, are reported to have consumed harbor porpoise [45, 46]. The Tlingit are reported to have hunted and consumed ‘white porpoise’ [11], which may be a reference to harbor porpoise. The Salish worked in pairs of dedicated hunters using canoes and harpoons with trident ends and removable heads. Floats attached with a long line were used to distinguish hunters [45]. Some cultures reserved the best parts of the catch (namely the chest meat) for people of higher rank [46].
The Nuxalk are reported to have occasionally used Dall’s porpoise as a source of food [47]. The Tlingit are reported to have hunted and consumed ‘big porpoise’ [11], which may refer to Dall’s porpoise.
References
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