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Densmore on spearing at night with a torch

Spearing at night with a torch: The larger fish were speared and were best secured at night. The torch used in night fishing consisted of a stake about 4 feet long which was split at the end, strips of birch bark about 6 inches wide and 18 inches long being placed in this slit and fastened in such a manner that, the stake (or pole) being upright in the canoe, the birch-bark strip extended over the water and threw a light on the water. By this the occupant of the canoe could see the fish and spear them while he himself remained invisible. Extra strips of bark were carried to replenish the torch.
from
Frances Densmore, Chippewa Customs (St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1979) 125-126.

The Ojibwe People's Dictionary is developed and maintained by:
Nora Livesay, Editor
John D. Nichols, Founder and Linguistic Editor

with support and collaboration from the University of Minnesota's Department of American Indian Studies and University Libraries.

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