Hunters of the Northern Forest
Designs for Survival among the Alaskan Kutchin
Second Edition
9780226571812
Hunters of the Northern Forest
Designs for Survival among the Alaskan Kutchin
Second Edition
Boreal forest Indians like the Kutchin of east-central Alaska are among the few native Americans who still actively pursue a hunter’s way of life. Yet even among these people hunting and gathering is vanishing so rapidly that it will soon disappear. This updated edition of Hunters of the Northern Forest stands as the only complete account of subsistence and survival among the Kutchin, capturing a final glimpse of a way of life at the crossroads of cultural development.
320 pages | 16 halftones, 11 line drawings, 2 maps | 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 | © 1986
Anthropology: Cultural and Social Anthropology
Geography: Geography--Reference
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
I. The Study
1. Introduction
The Topic
The Method of Study
2. The Setting
The Western Kutchin
The Chalkyitsik Kutchin
The Country
The Annual Cycle
II. Hunting, Fishing, and Gathering
3. Vegetation and Its Uses
White Spruce
Deciduous Trees and Shrubs
Other Plants
4. Summer Travel: The Logistics of Hunting
Introduction
Hunting Canoes
River Boats
River Travel
Camping
5. Fish
Introduction
Hook and Line Fishing
Fish Traps
Netting
Ice Fishing
Uses of Fish
6. Birds
Introduction
Waterfowl
Grouse and Ptarmigan
Other Birds
7. Moose
Introduction
Moose and the Seasons
River Hunting
Winter and Spring Hunting
Moose Snaring
Uses of Moose
Caribou
8. Bears
Introduction
Snaring
Den Hunting
Spring and Summer Hunting
Danger from Bears
Uses of Bear
9. Small Game
Porcupine
Snowshoe Hare
Squirrels
III. Trapping
10. The Trappers
Introduction
The Trappers
The Season
Traplines
Cabins and Shelters
Trapping Productivity
11. Winter Travel: The Logistics of Trapping
Introduction
Dog Teams
The Snowmobile
Pathfinding
Snow Conditions
Ice Conditions
Weather Prediction
Effects of Wind and Cold
Winter Clothing
Frostbite and Freezing
12. Mink
Introduction
Locating Trap Sets
Trap-setting Methods
Checking Sets
Uses of Mink
13. Marten
Habitat and Season
Locating Trap Sets
Trap-setting Methods
Uses of Marten
14. Lynx
Introduction
Locating Trap Sets
Trap-setting Methods
Checking Traps
Snaring
Uses of Lynx
15. The Minor Fur Species
Introduction
Wolverine
Wolf
Red Fox
Otter
16. Beaver
The Animal
Snaring
Uses of Beaver
17. Muskrat
The Animal
Trapping Methods
Hunting Techniques
Uses of Muskrat
IV. History and Retrospect
18. History, Environment, and Settlement Pattern
Traditional Settlement Pattern
The Fur-Trade Era
The Emergence of Villages
19. Retrospective, 1986
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
I. The Study
1. Introduction
The Topic
The Method of Study
2. The Setting
The Western Kutchin
The Chalkyitsik Kutchin
The Country
The Annual Cycle
II. Hunting, Fishing, and Gathering
3. Vegetation and Its Uses
White Spruce
Deciduous Trees and Shrubs
Other Plants
4. Summer Travel: The Logistics of Hunting
Introduction
Hunting Canoes
River Boats
River Travel
Camping
5. Fish
Introduction
Hook and Line Fishing
Fish Traps
Netting
Ice Fishing
Uses of Fish
6. Birds
Introduction
Waterfowl
Grouse and Ptarmigan
Other Birds
7. Moose
Introduction
Moose and the Seasons
River Hunting
Winter and Spring Hunting
Moose Snaring
Uses of Moose
Caribou
8. Bears
Introduction
Snaring
Den Hunting
Spring and Summer Hunting
Danger from Bears
Uses of Bear
9. Small Game
Porcupine
Snowshoe Hare
Squirrels
III. Trapping
10. The Trappers
Introduction
The Trappers
The Season
Traplines
Cabins and Shelters
Trapping Productivity
11. Winter Travel: The Logistics of Trapping
Introduction
Dog Teams
The Snowmobile
Pathfinding
Snow Conditions
Ice Conditions
Weather Prediction
Effects of Wind and Cold
Winter Clothing
Frostbite and Freezing
12. Mink
Introduction
Locating Trap Sets
Trap-setting Methods
Checking Sets
Uses of Mink
13. Marten
Habitat and Season
Locating Trap Sets
Trap-setting Methods
Uses of Marten
14. Lynx
Introduction
Locating Trap Sets
Trap-setting Methods
Checking Traps
Snaring
Uses of Lynx
15. The Minor Fur Species
Introduction
Wolverine
Wolf
Red Fox
Otter
16. Beaver
The Animal
Snaring
Uses of Beaver
17. Muskrat
The Animal
Trapping Methods
Hunting Techniques
Uses of Muskrat
IV. History and Retrospect
18. History, Environment, and Settlement Pattern
Traditional Settlement Pattern
The Fur-Trade Era
The Emergence of Villages
19. Retrospective, 1986
Bibliography
Index