WEBVTT 00:00:09.509 --> 00:00:14.889 My name is William Wapachee, I’m from Nemaska. 00:00:14.889 --> 00:00:21.604 I’ll be talking about sturgeon and how to catch them. 00:00:21.604 --> 00:00:40.290 During the spring was when I saw the sturgeon spawn and is when I saw how it was fixed. 00:00:42.542 --> 00:01:01.061 I might’ve been 12 years old when I first saw how catching sturgeon was done. 00:01:01.853 --> 00:01:15.116 It happened during spring while canoeing over to Nemaska. 00:01:16.659 --> 00:01:29.255 While canoeing, I saw something moving around the shoreline in the nearby rapids. 00:01:30.715 --> 00:01:37.764 It looked like floating sticks along the shoreline. 00:01:39.057 --> 00:01:47.607 My late dad pushed the canoe out in the water and I pointed in that direction, 00:01:47.607 --> 00:01:53.947 he looked towards it and said to me as we slowed down “those are sturgeon”. 00:01:53.947 --> 00:01:57.033 I saw it’s scutes along the shoreline. 00:01:58.660 --> 00:02:03.748 I asked him if I could get off the canoe to go see them and he said yes. 00:02:03.748 --> 00:02:09.587 I walked over and saw many of them. 00:02:09.587 --> 00:02:20.890 All of them swam to the rapids close by and were there for spawning. 00:02:21.516 --> 00:02:29.399 I see one moving close-by with the waves, it goes directly to a shallow part. 00:02:29.399 --> 00:02:36.030 I thought about grabbing it and throwing it on land. 00:02:37.073 --> 00:02:47.083 I go towards it, I grab hold and walk back to the exposed rocks. 00:02:47.083 --> 00:02:51.254 I wanted to throw it towards the shallow part. 00:02:51.254 --> 00:03:03.850 I don’t trip, but stumble while swinging it, it flungs back and goes over my head. 00:03:08.271 --> 00:03:12.483 My dad calls over to me, tells me not to touch them, 00:03:12.483 --> 00:03:20.575 that we’ll be harpooning them in the morning and that he’ll make the harpoon. 00:03:21.784 --> 00:03:24.120 I didn’t touch them and went back to the canoe. 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:32.337 We then checked out the nearby rapids and he told me that they’re about to spawn. 00:03:32.337 --> 00:03:39.969 He tells me that in the morning, we'll harpoon them and that’s what we did. 00:03:39.969 --> 00:03:51.731 Fishnet would be used down the river where the river slows down. 00:03:54.651 --> 00:04:07.705 I was anxious when morning came because I’d see him harpooning them. 00:04:08.831 --> 00:04:13.753 My brother-in-law’s name was Albert Cheezo 00:04:13.753 --> 00:04:23.304 and the both of us canoeed towards the rapid to see them harpooning them. 00:04:25.265 --> 00:04:38.403 I kept watch and was then told not to go in front of them, that they’ll spread out if I startle them. 00:04:38.403 --> 00:04:51.291 I was told to be beside them when they schooled together, I was told to keep doing that. 00:04:51.874 --> 00:04:55.503 I watched them walk towards the river holding their harpoons. 00:04:55.503 --> 00:05:01.426 My late dad then tells me that if I ever do this kind of work, 00:05:01.426 --> 00:05:08.182 I’ll have to harpoon the very last sturgeon in the school. 00:05:08.891 --> 00:05:18.234 My late dad then harpooned it, holding it so the trap is in the bottom and the handle is on the top. 00:05:18.234 --> 00:05:23.990 As he harpooned it, he motions and gently pushes it away from the other sturgeons 00:05:23.990 --> 00:05:30.997 then finally he lifts it away towards the shore. 00:05:30.997 --> 00:05:36.085 Then my brother-in-law drags the sturgeon, 00:05:36.085 --> 00:05:45.261 hits its head and tosses it on land where it can’t go back on water. 00:05:45.261 --> 00:05:59.233 For the harpoon he tied together using two sharp metal points at the front of a long pole. 00:05:59.901 --> 00:06:13.664 The pole is long enough to be used for harpooning where the sharp metal points were tied together. 00:06:13.664 --> 00:06:22.256 To catch sturgeon, a fishnet is also used but is only done so further down the river 00:06:22.256 --> 00:06:26.344 and not where the sturgeon are located. 00:06:26.344 --> 00:06:35.353 It’s when they finish spawning and swim back downstream at the end of the river 00:06:35.353 --> 00:06:39.232 where you need to fishnet. 00:06:39.232 --> 00:06:50.868 The fish net is placed where there’s a point because it slows down going around a bay. 00:06:50.868 --> 00:06:56.833 The river current isn’t strong there and is where a fish net is placed. 00:06:56.833 --> 00:07:01.170 When you use a fishnet you use the river current. 00:07:02.797 --> 00:07:11.472 When the sturgeon spawns they go straight towards the rapids. 00:07:11.472 --> 00:07:21.441 Once they head back downstream, they swim using the slower calmer river current. 00:07:22.900 --> 00:07:27.405 The sturgeons are tired and need to rest up 00:07:27.405 --> 00:07:31.951 because it took them a long time swimming upstream to spawn. 00:07:31.951 --> 00:07:38.291 Once they head back downstream, they use the calmer parts of the river because it isn’t as strong. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:48.134 When these fish spawn, fish netting can be done on two rivers 00:07:48.134 --> 00:07:55.099 which are the Rupert River and the Broadback River. 00:07:55.099 --> 00:08:04.066 The sturgeon also goes to other lakes. 00:08:05.359 --> 00:08:12.867 In our trapline, there’s a lake called Julliette Lake. 00:08:13.701 --> 00:08:23.544 In Cree it’s called “where there were many caribou killed”. 00:08:23.544 --> 00:08:27.381 Maybe a long time ago, someone killed a lot of caribou around the lake 00:08:27.381 --> 00:08:31.385 and that’s how it had its name. 00:08:35.389 --> 00:08:51.948 A sturgeon is easily distinguishable when it’s swimming, its back, its skin is darker in colour. 00:08:51.948 --> 00:09:00.998 You can see the difference between a pike because it's bigger in size and has darker skin 00:09:00.998 --> 00:09:07.129 but has some light colouration in some parts. 00:09:07.964 --> 00:09:15.012 It looks black in colour throughout its backside including the head and tail. 00:09:15.012 --> 00:09:19.100 Throughout, it’s all black in colour. 00:09:19.100 --> 00:09:23.521 Someone could distinguish it that way. 00:09:25.106 --> 00:09:31.362 For winter, the sturgeons move around shallow sandy areas and stay there. 00:09:32.488 --> 00:09:38.327 They stay around where the pond lilies grow. 00:09:39.078 --> 00:09:41.831 Do you know what a pond lily is? No? 00:09:41.831 --> 00:09:53.426 It’s the plants that grow on shallow water and I don’t know what to call it, 00:09:53.426 --> 00:10:05.354 but they are almost roundish shape, it’s like a big leaf and they float up the water. 00:10:06.105 --> 00:10:16.991 They eat bugs that look like grasshoppers found in the bottom of the lake. 00:10:16.991 --> 00:10:23.706 These bugs go up the shallow areas and dry themselves in the lily pad where they eat them. 00:10:23.706 --> 00:10:31.464 Sometimes you can see the sturgeon's snout pop up from the water with it’s mouth stretching out 00:10:31.464 --> 00:10:41.682 and it does so because it wants to eat the bugs resting on top of the water lily pads. 00:10:43.017 --> 00:10:49.774 You see them swim along the shallow areas and it's where people usually fishnet them. 00:10:49.774 --> 00:10:59.700 As you look below, you can see that they’re around because they move the sand around 00:10:59.700 --> 00:11:03.120 because they’re looking for something to eat. 00:11:03.954 --> 00:11:13.297 People fishnet and kill sturgeon around those areas 00:11:13.297 --> 00:11:18.469 and it’s really good when you smoke dry them while it goes up the shallow water. 00:11:18.469 --> 00:11:25.685 The small ones and the big ones move together. 00:11:25.685 --> 00:11:36.821 While they spawn, people harpoon them. 00:11:36.821 --> 00:11:50.126 The smaller ones are first to swim upstream and downstream. 00:11:50.710 --> 00:11:57.425 They do this so they conserve their energy because they tire themselves. 00:11:57.675 --> 00:12:04.265 Once the smaller ones have left, then the larger ones start swimming upstream, 00:12:04.265 --> 00:12:11.731 that’s when they’re harpooned. 00:12:13.232 --> 00:12:19.572 Elderly women are who I remember cleaning the sturgeon, 00:12:19.572 --> 00:12:25.828 I always enjoyed watching smoked fish prepared. 00:12:25.828 --> 00:12:33.711 To preserve it, it would be sliced and cut up like this. 00:12:33.711 --> 00:12:38.591 There’s another way, it’s by slicing it open. 00:12:40.050 --> 00:12:44.221 It isn’t cut, it’s left a whole piece. 00:12:44.221 --> 00:12:48.434 It’s sliced like so on both sides for smoke drying. 00:12:48.434 --> 00:13:02.531 The whole piece looks like this, it’s folded back then stored, it’s folded back only exposing its skin. 00:13:03.616 --> 00:13:09.455 Also when it’s prepared like this, it’s only folded back so not exposing the meat. 00:13:09.455 --> 00:13:13.167 This is how you like smoked sturgeon. 00:13:13.167 --> 00:13:18.798 With this size, it's not usually sliced. 00:13:19.507 --> 00:13:23.719 The larger sturgeon are sliced differently compared to this one. 00:13:23.719 --> 00:13:30.059 Both sides are sliced across so that it’s flesh flaps like so. 00:13:30.059 --> 00:13:39.610 It’s a bigger piece and is not sliced like this. 00:13:40.736 --> 00:13:58.796 Also the cartilage located on both sides here and the fatty part over here are cut out. 00:13:58.796 --> 00:14:10.683 It’s done just like what you do with smoked fish. 00:14:12.935 --> 00:14:14.603 It's very tasty. 00:14:14.603 --> 00:14:18.440 The cartilage over on its back is scraped off. 00:14:18.440 --> 00:14:25.406 The smaller pieces over here might’ve had their cartilage cut off 00:14:25.406 --> 00:14:29.994 and you see they’re not here. 00:14:31.412 --> 00:14:39.336 Smaller ones have cartilages that are visible over here than that of the larger ones 00:14:39.336 --> 00:14:45.009 as the larger ones only have small bumps. 00:14:45.009 --> 00:14:50.681 It’s the smaller ones that have visible cartilages on them. 00:14:50.681 --> 00:14:53.851 This one was a big one, there's another piece somewhere around here. 00:14:53.851 --> 00:14:59.481 This here is it’s tail area and maybe it was around this long. 00:14:59.481 --> 00:15:06.238 Look over here, it’s cartilage isn’t there because it was scraped off. 00:15:06.238 --> 00:15:12.661 The lighter part over here has smaller cartilages which were scraped off. 00:15:14.246 --> 00:15:16.874 Over here were bigger cartilages that were also scraped away, 00:15:16.874 --> 00:15:20.127 which is why there’s no cartilages showing on them. 00:15:21.462 --> 00:15:30.930 This one here was probably this in length and there are others that are larger than this 00:15:30.930 --> 00:15:33.849 but it’s cartilages aren’t as visible. 00:15:34.099 --> 00:15:41.982 I can tell you a story, one time over here in old Nemaska, 00:15:41.982 --> 00:15:50.366 the sturgeon would be harpooned throughout the year. 00:15:51.367 --> 00:16:07.216 I’d participate when it was done, then one time me and Luke Tent harpooned them. 00:16:08.050 --> 00:16:17.559 The sturgeons were around a shoreline that was pretty deep, they weren’t in shallow areas. 00:16:19.311 --> 00:16:35.285 Luke stood in the deeper spot wearing hip waders and stood around the shallow area. 00:16:37.121 --> 00:16:45.879 Luke harpooned the sturgeons and slowly passed them along to me, 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:55.347 I harpooned them slowly and tossed them out on dry land. 00:16:56.557 --> 00:17:08.235 Once I got them off water, I tossed them up a steep slope. 00:17:08.819 --> 00:17:18.203 Harpooning the larger ones is exhausting. 00:17:19.121 --> 00:17:28.756 The person gets tired harpooning them and pushing them back to the shore. 00:17:29.465 --> 00:17:42.352 One time when we harpooned, Willie Jolly came along with us, he was up the slope 00:17:42.352 --> 00:17:47.858 and he’d knock out the sturgeon. 00:17:48.901 --> 00:17:53.280 Once it got knocked out, the sturgeon didn’t move. 00:17:53.280 --> 00:17:57.785 One time we harpooned a larger sturgeon. 00:17:57.785 --> 00:18:09.546 While I wanted to toss it over the steep slope, I couldn’t throw it over. 00:18:09.546 --> 00:18:20.474 When I tossed it and released it, it got caught mid-air and rolled back down. 00:18:20.474 --> 00:18:29.233 I couldn’t toss it hard enough, the sturgeon came rolling down. 00:18:29.233 --> 00:18:35.781 Thinking that I’d harpoon it again, I readied myself. 00:18:35.781 --> 00:18:42.955 Willie thought he was close enough to jump on it. 00:18:42.955 --> 00:18:48.043 He stopped it from rolling, stood in front of me with his back in front of me. 00:18:48.043 --> 00:18:55.217 I was just about to harpoon the fish, but almost harpooned his butt. 00:18:55.217 --> 00:18:59.012 What I wanted to do was harpoon the sturgeon. 00:19:03.684 --> 00:19:09.148 That was the last time I went harpooning sturgeon, it might’ve been the last time. 00:19:09.148 --> 00:19:14.778 That’s when I gave up harpooning sturgeon 00:19:14.778 --> 00:19:19.575 because I scared myself of accidentally harpooning someone’s butt. 00:19:25.873 --> 00:19:32.880 Annually we stay in Old Nemaska for about 1 to 2 week. 00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:37.968 People usually fishnet them and don’t harpoon sturgeon. 00:19:37.968 --> 00:19:44.933 It isn’t harpooned that much during summer, only done so during spring. 00:19:46.602 --> 00:19:59.323 Fishnet is used mostly during summer and that’s when kids can be taught about fixing sturgeon, 00:19:59.323 --> 00:20:10.167 using the fishnet, smoking fish, smoking sturgeon or slicing it to preserve it. 00:20:10.667 --> 00:20:17.883 When I was young I remember I really enjoyed participating 00:20:17.883 --> 00:20:29.061 whenever sturgeon harpooning was done along the Broadback River. 00:20:30.520 --> 00:20:37.194 There was a campsite where people gathered near a portage along the Broadback River. 00:20:37.194 --> 00:20:47.454 This was a long portage that went towards the Broadback River, it’s around 4 miles long. 00:20:47.454 --> 00:20:52.042 Halfway is where the summer gathering place was located, 00:20:52.042 --> 00:20:58.632 people who lived more inland and down the river gathered there. 00:20:58.632 --> 00:21:05.347 They’d sometimes gather there to harpoon sturgeon and cook it. 00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:16.733 Thinking about it, the two rivers, the Broadback River and the Rupert River had different spawning times. 00:21:16.733 --> 00:21:28.412 The sturgeons spawned earlier in the Broadback River than those of the Rupert River. 00:21:28.412 --> 00:21:34.876 First they spawn in the Broadback River then in the Rupert's River. 00:21:34.876 --> 00:21:41.466 The sturgeon wouldn’t be caught until we arrived in Nemaska 00:21:41.466 --> 00:21:45.887 from the gathering place in Broadback River. 00:21:46.555 --> 00:21:51.810 I encourage the people living out on the land to see how to catch the sturgeons. 00:21:51.810 --> 00:21:58.984 Or if they hear about springtime sturgeon harpooning 00:21:58.984 --> 00:22:09.953 or when using the fishnet that they go see how it’s done. 00:22:11.204 --> 00:22:20.589 I encourage them to participate so that they know how it’s done and how it was done a long time ago.