Among the fish the relied upon were Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), Cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki)
Mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsonii), Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), and Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). As salmon did not come into Lake Coeur d’Alene (see Coyote and the Falls), anadromous fishing took place along Hangman Creek (as it entered below Spokane Falls) or, after traveling to Spokane Falls or Kettle Falls, fished at these great gathering centers.
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Listen, as Alfred Nomee, Director of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's Department of Natural Resources, discusses the importance of, and the Tribe's initiatives in the management and preservation of the residential fish of Lake Coeur d'Alene, such as the bull trout, cutthroat trout and white fish. (interviewed and edited by Rodney Frey, September 2002; additional video footage from Dan Kane, June 2001)
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There were a variety of techniques used to fish for smlich (salmon) and other qikhwlsh (fish), including use of wooden or bone hooks and lines of Indian hemp, and a three-pronged spear. In addition, dip nets of hemp twine and willow-constructed traps and weirs were extensively used. Night fishing from canoes, with torches, and ice fishing during the winter were also practiced. To fish the salmon, weirs and spears of either a detachable, elk-bone harpoon or three-pronged type were employed. Construction of the weirs was under the direction of a fish headman, who used prayer and ritual smoking to entice the fish into the weirs.
© Coeur d'Alene Tribe 2002
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