A Study of Traditional Use of Birds' Eggs by the Huna
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A STUDY OF TRADITIONAL USE OF BIRDS’ EGGS BY THE HUNA TLINGIT EUGENE S. HUNN DARRYLL R. JOHNSON PRISCILLA N. RUSSELL THOMAS F. THORNTON Technical Report NPS/CCSOUW/NRTR-2002-02 NPS D-113 National Park Service Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit College of Forest Resources Box 352100 Seattle, Washington 98195-2100 i The NPS Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (NPS PNW CESU) is located in the University of Washington (UW) College of Forest Resources. The NPS PNW CESU is part of a larger partnership involving 7 federal agencies, 12 universities and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The PNW CESU was created in October of 2000 to provide research, technical assistance and education to enhance management of natural and cultural resources on public lands in the Pacific Northwest. The applied social science program associated with the NPS PNW CESU has been operating out of the UW College of Forest Resources since 1970 when it was a part of the Cooperative Park Studies Unit (CPSU). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cascadia Field Station (previously known as the USGS University of Washington Field Station) also traces its history to the NPS CPSU established by cooperative agreement between NPS and UW in 1970. In 1997, the CPSU was transferred to the U.S. Geological Survey and administered out of the Biological Resources Division (BRD), Forest Rangeland Ecosystem Center (FRESC) located in Corvallis, Oregon. The mission of FRESC and that of Cascadia Field Station is to work with others to provide the scientific understanding and technologies needed to support the sound management and conservation of our nation’s biological resources. Cascadia Field Station programs are developed to provide the appropriate depth and breadth of objective science to meet the information needs of resource managers who encounter complex environmental problems driven by myriad biological, physical, social, and economic forces. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by NPS, USGS, or any of the other agencies or institutions associated with this research. The contents of the report do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the USGS, NPS or any of the agencies associated with this report. Copies of this Technical Report are available from: Technical Information Center Denver Service Center National Park Service P.O. Box 25287 Denver, CO 80225-0287 Phone: 303-969-2130 Cover Photograph: Seven-year old Phyllis Mills on South Marble Island in 1959. “Mom’s little helper” is holding two gull eggs. Photo courtesy of the Pat Mills family. ii A STUDY OF TRADITIONAL USE OF BIRDS’ EGGS BY THE HUNA TLINGIT EUGENE S. HUNN DARRYLL R. JOHNSON PRISCILLA N. RUSSELL THOMAS F. THORNTON With Assistance by KATHY FALK Technical Report NPS/CCSOU/NRTR-2002-02 NPS D-113 September 2002 Cooperative Agreement No. 1443 CA-9000-95-0019 Subagreement 1, Modification 3 National Park Service, University of Washington This research was supported by Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, the USGS/ BRD/ FRESC Cascadia Field Station and the NPS Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. The USGS Cascadia Field Station and the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit are housed in the University of Washington, College of Forest Resources. iii iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLES............................................................................................................................ X MAPS ...............................................................................................................................XI PHOTOGRAPHS ......................................................................................................... XII LETTER OF ENDORSEMENT FROM THE HOONAH INDIAN ASSOCIATION ........................................................................................................................................XIII LETTER OF ENDORSEMENT FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE ............................................................ XIV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... XVII I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 1 Administrative Background of the Project...................................................................... 1 Project funding............................................................................................................. 7 Project personnel ......................................................................................................... 7 Research Objectives and Questions................................................................................. 8 II. RESEARCH METHODS......................................................................................... 11 Researchers' Interaction with GBNPP Staff and the Hoonah Community................ 12 Selection of Consultants................................................................................................ 14 Semi-structured Interviews............................................................................................ 14 Interviews and Transcriptions ....................................................................................... 15 Two fieldwork periods................................................................................................ 15 Interview transcriptions ............................................................................................. 16 Consultants' review of transcriptions......................................................................... 16 Analysis of the Data ...................................................................................................... 16 Limitations of the Interview Data.................................................................................. 18 III. A SKETCH OF HUNA TLINGIT SETTLEMENT PATTERNS AND SUBSISTANCE PRACTICES PRIOR TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK ............................................................................................... 23 Who are the Huna Tlingit? ............................................................................................ 23 A Sketch of Huna Tlingit History ................................................................................. 32 Huna Tlingit Subsistence in Glacier Bay: An Historical Perspective.......................... 35 Huna Tlingit Subsistence Patterns................................................................................. 40 v Seasonal Harvest Patterns.............................................................................................. 45 Bird Egg Harvests and Traditional Land and Resource Rights..................................... 49 “Traditional Egg-Harvesting Practices of the Huna Tlingit” ........................................ 53 IV. SUMMARY OF THE BIOLOGICAL LITERATURE CONCERNING THE POPULATIONS AND DISTRIBUTION OF RELEVANT BIRD SPECIES WITHIN THE HUNA TLINGIT TRADITIONAL TRIBAL TERRITORY ........... 55 CHARADRIIFORMES................................................................................................. 60 LARIDAE: GULLS AND TERNS ............................................................................... 60 Glaucous-winged [Larus glaucescens] and Herring Gull [L. argentatus].............. 60 Mew Gull [Larus canus] ........................................................................................... 66 Black-legged Kittiwake [Rissa tridactyla]............................................................... 66 Arctic [Sterna pardisaea] and Aleutian Tern [S. aleutica]...................................... 67 CHARADRII: “SHOREBIRDS” .................................................................................. 68 HAEMATOPODIDAE.................................................................................................. 68 Black Oystercatcher [Haematopus bachmani] ........................................................ 68 ALCAE; ALCIDAE ...................................................................................................... 69 Tufted Puffin [Fratercula cirrhata] and Horned Puffin [F. corniculata] .............. 69 Marbled Murrelet [Brachyramphus marmoratus] and Kittlitz’s Murrelet [B. brevirostris]................................................................................................................ 70 Pigeon Guillemot [Cepphus columba]...................................................................... 70 Common Murre [Uria aalge]................................................................................... 71 PELICANIFORMES..................................................................................................... 72 PHALACROCORACIDAE: CORMORANTS............................................................. 72 Pelagic Cormorant [Phalacrocorax pelagicus] ....................................................... 72 ANATIFORMES........................................................................................................... 73 ANATIDAE: DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS........................................................... 73 Canada Goose [Branta canadensis] ......................................................................... 73 Mallard [Anas platyrhynchos] .................................................................................. 74 Other Duck Species.................................................................................................