Historical Use of Lake Sturgeon by Indigenous Peoples

Fish, including sturgeon, were the main source of sustenance to Indigenous communities along the Nelson River and in the Hudson Bay lowlands. Ancient gathering sites dating back over 2000 years have been located at Lake Sturgeon spawning sites where the fish were harvested on an annual basis. Large Lake Sturgeon were an excellent source of food and raw materials and often shared with elders and those in need.

Traditional uses of sturgeon included:

• Sturgeon were highly prized as food and, unlike other fish, were not fed to sled dogs. The eggs were considered a delicacy and were mixed with flour, lard, salt and baking powder to make Wa-koy-kunow. Dried sturgeon meat was pounded between stones until it became a dry powdery mixture called ruhiggan. This was a nutritious portable food supply that could be kept in sturgeon skin containers for long periods without spoiling. Sturgeon pemmican was produced by adding fat and berries to the ruhiggan.
• Sturgeon eggs were used as a softening agent in the hide tanning process.
• The oil obtained from the intestines was used as an additive to pemmican, a liniment for joints and a cure for sore throats (Samson Dick 2007, in FLCN 2008).
• The sticky substance from the airbladder (isinglass) was used as a glue to fix canoes and as a colour fixative in paints.
• The heads and notochords were used in soups (Mary Neepin, in FLCN 2008).

Traditional Harvest

Although the spring spawn was the most intensive period for sturgeon fishing, communities procured a steady supply of sturgeon throughout the year. Sturgeon were harvested using a variety of methods including nets, spears, hooks, weirs and traps. Several fish weirs were operated on the Nelson River, the lower of which was located downstream from the last fall in the river. Shamattawa First Nation also reports that a weir was located on the Echoing River downstream of Sturgeon Lake. Weirs were built in fast water and were comprised of a combination of fence and trap. Fish were scooped out of the trap with a dip net. Hook lines (boonnakissan) were also used to harvest sturgeon, mostly in the winter (Anderson 2007, in FLCN 2008).

Trade with European Settlers

Following contact with Europeans in the late 1600s, Lake Sturgeon also became an important commodity that could be traded for other goods. The Lowland Cree would trade substantial quantities of fish to European traders; a trade for 25 sturgeon at York Factory in 1781 was noted as a “noble supply of fresh provisions as both English and Indians are tired of salt food”.