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Northwest Coast Halibut Hooks: an Evolving Tradition of Form, Function, and Fishing

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Abstract

The Northwest Coast (NWC) halibut hook is both an indigenous fishing technology, and an iconic object of rich cultural history. This study utilizes biological, statistical, ecological, and ethnographic data to examine the function(s) of NWC halibut hooks, and how and why dimensions are changing through time. Analyses of measurements from 143 specimens, dated from 1867 to 2015, suggest a statistically significant increase in overall length through time. These findings support the hypothesis that as the use of modern fishing technologies became more prevalent, and traditional NWC halibut hooks largely lost their original function (i.e., catching halibut), dimensions changed to favor decorative or symbolic content over utilitarian/functional requirements. Archival data, peer-reviewed literature, and ethnographic interviews with contemporary carvers and fishers support the assertion that average dimensions of early NWC halibut hooks targeted fish between 20 and 100 lbs., thus promoting sustainability of Pacific halibut breeding populations. Whether the hooks were designed intentionally to promote sustainability or this size of fish was targeted for other reasons remains an open question.

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Fig. 1

Photo by author. Reproduced with the artist’s permission

Fig. 2

Photo courtesy of Katrina Garbisch

Fig. 3

Photo by author

Fig. 4

Photo by author

Fig. 5

Photo courtesy of the Gallery of Alaska, University of Alaska Museum of the North

Fig. 6

Photo by author

Fig. 7

Photo by author

Fig. 8

Photo courtesy of M. Catalano, Auburn University

Fig. 9

Reprinted by permission of the publisher, Douglas & McIntyre

Fig. 10

Photo courtesy of Kathy Dye, Sealaska Heritage Institute. Reproduced with the artist’s permission

Fig. 11

Photo courtesy of the artist

Fig. 12

Photo courtesy of Hamilton Gelhar. Reproduced with the artist’s permission

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Notes

  1. http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/programs/Language%20Resources/Tlingit_dictionary_web.pdf

  2. Due to limited time, my goal was to photograph each specimen in a way that would allow measurement directly from the image, i.e., from as close to perpendicular as possible (ninety degrees above the object), with a scale ruler in each image (raised to the level of the object to avoid issues of parallax).

  3. Measurements were based upon intuitively designated points corresponding to a labeled schematic: AB is a proxy for overall length; DH represents the distance between the sharp tip of the barb (D) and the base of lower arm (H); AB represents the length of the “lower” arm, because when submerged the halibut hook is inversed; AC represents the “upper” arm.

  4. http://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=244

  5. http://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=244

  6. http://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=244

  7. https://www.fishwatch.gov/profiles/pacific-halibut

  8. http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=halibut.main

  9. http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=halibut.main

  10. http://www.iphc.int/publications/techrep/tech0016.pdf

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Acknowledgements

For their generous collaboration and support I offer my most sincere thanks to Jon Rowan, Leslie Isaacs, Vaughn Skinna, Aldona Jonaitis, Robin Wright, Tommy Joseph, Donald Gregory, Arthur and Louanna Nelson, Ed. E. Bryant, Greer Zerboni, Candace Greene, Nancy Parezo, Emily Buhrow, Dave Rosenthal, Roger Topp, Angela Linn, Kathy Dye, Jan Timbrook, Greg Wilson, and Francis “Amps” Carle.

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  1. University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Jonathan Malindine

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  1. Jonathan Malindine
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Correspondence to Jonathan Malindine.

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This study was funded by The Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation.

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The author declares that he has no conflict of interest.

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Malindine, J. Northwest Coast Halibut Hooks: an Evolving Tradition of Form, Function, and Fishing. Hum Ecol 45, 53–65 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-016-9884-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-016-9884-z

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