Cleveland High School - Beacon Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

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.j!i:5A.' .AKQALQB aria! ,Q1fLc!1f1.5Ifrg Most of us, when we think of Alaska, think first of mining. There is a great deal of gold mined in Alaska, but her greatest contribution to the world is fish. The first and foremost of the fish is the salmon. There is a sort of fascination in the life story of a salmon. It is a very strange thing, but the salmon comes home to die. When his time comes, the salmon goes exploring along the seashore looking for the mouth of a stream up which it can go and spawn and it always happens to find the same stream in which it was born. The moment the salmon reaches fresh water it begins to die, but first the salmon lays its eggs. When the most important thing in the life of a salmon is completed, it ceases all exertion and floats downstream to land on the first low gravel bar, there to die. There are other fish besides the salmon in the Alaskan waters, such as herring, halibut, and whales. There are many large canneries in Alaska, giving employment to thousands of people. In the canneries, Indian girls are employed, but the workers are largely Spanish speaking Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Filipinos. Large canneries have from sixty to eighty privately owned fishing boats fishing for them. The fishermen who work on these boats are half natives and all fishermen must be Amer- ican citizens. They are paid per fish. The canneries also have fish traps from which a large amount of their supply of fish comes. Fish traps are very useful because after the season closes, canning can continue because these traps hold large amounts of fish. There are certain seasons set by the fish commissioner and if anyone is caught fishing out of season, the boat is confiscated and the cannery closed. According to law, the salmon must be canned within 24 hours after they are taken from the water or from the traps. The fish are washed into the cannery by water pressure and then sorted according to species. Each operation is different. One group of people does the cut- ting off of the heads, another group cleans out the insides and still another does the final cleaning. They are then thoroughly washed and cut into strips just the length of the can. They are packed raw, salted and then are cooked by the case for an hour and a half at 240 degrees. One king salmon may fill several cases and a single case may bring over 310. CAROL HEIDELBERG. M f D 3 A 4 ' ry

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.A 4E6LlfLg8l 0lfL5 .!4!6L6L6LlfL UCClfLl96Lfl:0IfL In Alaska, the Whaling season lasts from about March to June. The Spring whale hunt is very dangerous and much praying is done before and after the journey. Until a generation ago the Eskimo women prayed to the male moon, Alignuk, for the success of their husbands. When a faint silver crescent appeared in the night sky, each captain's wife would take a little wooden bowl and fill it with clean, clear water from a certain lagoon. Late at night she would slip out of the house and hold the bowl toward the moon and say, Alignuk, drop a whale into this pot so that we can kill one this spring. Now, however, they pray to the Christian God for deliverance. To determine whether the whale hunt will be a success, a ceremonial dance is held. At the end of the ceremony, the dancer hurls a wooden top out of which rises goose feathers. If the top spins smoothly and the feathers sail off into the air, the hunt will be a success. If not, someone sitting at the ceremony will die. Before the actual whale hunt begins, a feast is held where the people of the village eat slabs of frozen whale meat from last year's killing. This is considered a delicacy. After this festival, boats are prepared, paddles, harpoon shafts, great cutting lance shafts, and boat hooks are cleaned. Knives and gear are also cleaned. By tradition, the Whale can- not see the gear, but if he does, it promises him sharp cutting knives which will not hurt in the butchering. For the Eskimos think that the whale does not die, but he merely has his parka removed. Two or three days later, the boat is put on a sled and pulled over ice to the open water and the hunt is on for the bowhead whale, called Agavik. When a whale is finally stuck, each of the other boats races to the scene, for each boat gets a portion of the whale, depending upon the order of its arrival. Then one of the boats paddles over the whale's back and the harpooner drives the harpoon shaft deep into the whale's blubber. Sealskin floats are attached to the harpoon line, and these floats sink as the whale emits deep sounds from the sting of the exploding har- poon bomb in his back. As the wounded whale rises, the floats bob up and warn the hunters. The Eskimos drive boats over the victim's back and vital spots are jabbed by lancers. After the whale is killed, the boats line up in accordance with their arrival upon the scene and tow the whale home. 26