Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Tlingit People Concerning the Sockeye Salmon Fishery of the Dry Bay Area
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TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE OF TLINGIT PEOPLE CONCERNING THE SOCKEYE SALMON FISHERY OF THE DRY BAY AREA Judith Ramos and Rachel Mason Produced through a Cooperative Agreement between the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe, Yakutat, Alaska and the National Park Service, Alaska Regional Office and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve 2004 TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE OF TLINGIT PEOPLE CONCERNING THE SOCKEYE SALMON FISHERY OF THE DRY BAY AREA A COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND THE YAKUTAT TLINGIT TRIBE FISHERIES INFORMATION SERVICE (FIS) PROJECT 01-091 Judith Ramos Yakutat Tlingit Tribe P.O. Box 418 Yakutat, Alaska 99689 and Rachel Mason National Park Service 240 West 5th Avenue Anchorage, Alaska 99501 2004 Report Summary Title: Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Tlingit People Concerning the Sockeye Salmon Fishery of the Dry Bay Area, a Cooperative Agreement between the National Park Service and the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe. Study Number: FIS Project 01-091 Investigators/Affiliations: Judith Ramos, Yakutat Tlingit Tribe and Rachel Mason, National Park Service. Information Type: Traditional Ecological Knowledge Issue: The East Alsek River in Dry Bay has undergone a drastic decline in sockeye salmon return, affecting an important subsistence resource. A four-part multidisciplinary study combining western science and TEK has been designed to understand this decline and potentially remedy. This study is the first part of the larger study design and will gather TEK from the Yakutat – Dry Bay area (northern Southeast Alaska) on traditional practices utilized the Tlingit clans of Gunaxoo (Dry Bay). Study Cost: $25,000. Abstract: The Yakutat Tlingit Tribe and the National Park Service have collaborated to document Tlingit traditional ecological knowledge about salmon ecology and fisheries management in the Dry Bay/Alsek River Delta. Historically Northwest Coast Peoples including Tlingit have managed fishing and fish populations. Each Tlingit clan or house managed and controlled specific rivers or in larger river’s sections of rivers in southeast Alaska. Traditional beliefs about reincarnation of animal spirits and a kinship with animals contributed to how Tlingit traditionally treated and handled salmon and animals. In recent decades, sockeye salmon have dramatically declined in the Dry Bay/Alsek area. It is hoped that this study, by showing how the Tlingits historically understood and managed sockeye habitat, population and harvest in the Dry Bay/Alsek area, will aid in developing a restoration plan. Key Words: Traditional Knowledge, subsistence salmon fishing, Yakutat Tlingit cultural and history, Dry Bay-Alsek River, harvesting and processing techniques, Traditional management of resources. Project Data: The Yakutat Tlingit Tribe, P.O. Box 418, Yakutat, Alaska 99689, will archive the tapes and transcripts of elders interviewed for this study. ************************************************************************ Cover photo: Tlingit women and children cleaning fish on beach, southeast Alaska, ca. 1907. Photo taken by Webster and Stevens studio, no. 468a. (University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Division) ii . Table of Contents I. Introduction......................................................................................................................1 OBJECTIVES ..................................................................................................................1 METHODS ......................................................................................................................1 The World Around Them ..............................................................................................3 RESULTS..........................................................................................................................3 Raven’s Universe and Early People in Southeast Alaska..........................................9 Dry Bay in Parable and Legend.................................................................................. 10 The Gunaaxoo Kwaan – Dry Bay People ............................................................... 11 Seasonal Migration and Trading Routes................................................................... 13 Russians in Dry Bay...................................................................................................... 15 II. Yakutat Tlingits’ Traditional Use of Salmon………………….…………….17 Local Knowledge of Salmon Distribution and Habitat........................................ 18 Tlingit Fish Terms........................................................................................................ 21 Historical Techniques of Harvesting Salmon......................................................... 22 III. Tlingit Philosophy, the Ecosystem and Salmon .................................................. 27 The Supernatural World ............................................................................................. 28 Reverence and the Conservation of Animals and Salmon................................... 29 Understanding Salmon through Salmon Legends................................................. 32 IV. Traditional Allocation and Management of Resources ...................................... 37 Definitions..................................................................................................................... 37 Clan Control and Management of Land and Resources ...................................... 38 Clan Leaders Monitoring and Management of Resources................................... 41 Stream Tenure and Fishery Management................................................................ 43 Customary Stream Ownership and Stream Tenure in the Yakutat area............ 45 V. Establishment of Federal Authority and Conflict over Fishing Rights ............ 49 Yakutat Canneries ........................................................................................................ 51 Commercial Fishing Regulation ................................................................................ 53 VI. Contemporary Management of Salmon................................................................ 55 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................... 57 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... 65 Appendix A: Important Events in Yakutat-Dry Bay History.................................. 66 Appendix B: Letter from Dr. De Laguna (first two pages) .................................... 70 Bibliography....................................................................................................................... 72 iii Table of Figures Environment Map...............................................................................................................3 Alsek Glacier .......................................................................................................................6 Lake Alsek Map ...................................................................................................................6 Lituya Bay Women..............................................................................................................9 Lituya Bay 1786.................................................................................................................10 Tlingit Fish Terms ............................................................................................................ 21 Excavation of Lost River Fish Trap.............................................................................. 24 Women Cleaning Salmon .............................................................................................. 37 Historical Native Subsistence Areas Map .................................................................... 45 Yakutat Streams Map....................................................................................................... 48 Current Native Subsistence Areas Map ...................................................................... 53 Sockeye Salmon Returns on the East Alsek River ..................................................... 59 Glacier Bay National Park Map ..................................................................................... 61 iv I. Introduction This study is the result of a Cooperative Agreement between the National Park Service (Wrangell-St. Elias National Park) and the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe to collect, interpret, and report on Traditional Ecological Knowledge concerning the sockeye salmon fishery of the Dry Bay area southeast of Yakutat Alaska. Drastic declines in the East Alsek River (locally known as the East River) in Dry Bay affected an important subsistence and commercial fishing resource. The East Alsek River was the dominant sockeye producer in the Yakutat area during the 1982–1994 period (ADF&G 1995). The community of Yakutat is interested in assisting with developing a subsistence restorations and management program for the Dry Bay/Alsek River systems. This study is the first part of a proposed larger multidisciplinary study combining western science with Traditional Ecological Knowledge to understand the unique ecological and cultural dynamics of sockeye salmon and the sockeye salmon fishery in the Dry Bay area. OBJECTIVES 1. To document traditional Tlingit knowledge on salmon management and utilization strategies throughout northern Southeast Alaska. The chief area of study will focus