Hunting
Hunting was very important to the lifestyle of the Secwepemc. Animals were used for food and for the manufacturing of clothing, tools, and other implements. The Secwepemc hunted a variety of animals including elk, moose, caribou, deer mountain sheep, mountain goat, porcupine and squirrel. The Secwepemc used bows and arrows, traps and snares to hunt animals. Hunting parties would go out to hunt in the fall and winter season. They would hunt enough to sustain their families throughout the winter months. The Secwepemc had to be physically fit and were required to develop their hunting skills in, tracking, marksmanship, and tool-making abilities.
The
Secwepemc used bows which were fashioned from juniper or birch wood. Arrowheads
were made from several different types of stone such as basalt, obsidian,
jasper, agate, and quartz. Sometimes bone, horn or beaver teeth were used.
The arrowheads were generally leaf-shaped and notched along the edge. Bow
string made from stretched deer sinew was reinforced with glue made from
salmon or sturgeon skin and sometimes hemp.
Arrow shafts were fashioned from rosewood or saskatoon wood. The arrow
was grooved along its length to allow blood to escape, which made it
easier to track the wounded animal. The wood was smoothed with a stone,
then painted with red ochre. Bird feathers were attached to the shaft to
assist with accuracy. The feathers were painted red halfway down, a common
Secwepemc arrow symbol.
A bag, called a quiver, was used to carry arrows. These were made from
wolverine or fisher skins. Daggers were common hunting tools, most of
which
were made from bone or antler. Knives were fashioned from jade and fastened
to handles carved from bone or wood with sinew or hemp string. Sometimes
game calls were carried in the quiver, carved from bone or wood. Secwepemc
hunters could imitate animal and bird calls, as well as mimic the sound
of bucks rutting by rubbing antlers against branches. Secwepemc hunters
used snowshoes, traps, snares, barriers, dug out pits, spring traps, corals,
and deer fences to aid in their hunting. Animals were skinned and cleaned
on the spot they were killed. The meat taken was divided equally amongst
the hunting party.
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