FISH

THE SMOKEHOUSE

Although the methods of cutting fish for snoking may differ
from Band to Band, the smoking process is relatively unchanged.
The typical smokehouse is a wooden building about nine feet
square. it has a hole in the roof to allow smoke to escape and a
place for the fire on the floor. Sometimes a circle of bricks or
concrete, about three feet in diameter, contains the fire. Wooden
poles, about one inch in diameter, hold the food. Placed hori-
zontally, the poles are five feet above the fire.

A hard wood such as cottonwood or alder provides the
smoke. The fire is not large; its purpose is to smoke, not cook,
the meat. Hung on the rack, above the fire, the fish or meat
must be turned daily. The time required for smoking will vary
with the type of food being preserved, the amount of smoke the
fire produces and the degree of smoking desired.

Fish and game may be half-smoked or fully-smoked. Half-
smoked food has a smoke flavour but is still soft. It can be
eaten immediately, if cooked, but if it is stored for the winter
it must be preserved by canning or freezing. At the fully smoked
stage, food is dry with a pronounced smoke taste. It may be
stored without further processing in a cool dry place for the
winter.

SALMON

Salmon continue to be very popular and are the staple food
of many coastal and interior Bands. Food fishing is carried on
as long as the salmon are running, and in coastal fishing villages
most summer hours are spent either commercial or food fishing.

In the interior, families often leave their homes for weeks
during the salmon runs and camp near the rivers. The winter
supply of salmon is caught, cleaned, and preserved on the
river banks.