To Musqueam, a sturgeon is more than simply a sturgeon. It’s an entry point to aspects of language, territory, health, technology, and our society, and the respect and responsibilities that accompany them. It is part of a larger web of mutually dependent knowledge.
A sturgeon harpoon describes a relationship between elk, eagles, Douglas fir, and moles, our need to access our territory, and the way we to come together as a family to pass on knowledge. When a link in this web is broken, it’s a loss to the whole web of knowledge and to our relationships.
- Jason Woolman
xʷməθkʷəyəm | Musqueam First Nation
Take a look at the 2D visualization of the knowledge web.
Explore the nodes of the web below.
p̓aq̓əs
MUSQUEAM
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Eagle feathers transmit the feel of the riverbed, or a sturgeon, up the harpoon to the person holding it.
Videos courtesy the Museum of Anthropology - UBC
q̓əy̓iʔəc
MUSQUEAM
Elk
Cervus canadensis
Elk antler is used to hold the slate harpoon tips. Elk bone can be used instead of slate for the harpoon tips themselves:
Elk sinew is also used to tie the pieces of the harpoon together.
Videos courtesy the Museum of Anthropology - UBC
c̓sey̓əɬp
MUSQUEAM
Douglas fir
Pseudotsuga menzies
The shaft of the harpoon is made from Douglas fir or yellow cedar. Douglas fir is denser and more neutrally buoyant in the water.
xʷk̓ʷəl̕ə
MUSQUEAM
Scouring rush
Equisetum sp.
Actually a spore-producing plant more closely related to ferns, scouring rushes, or horsetails, contain silica crystals in their cells, making them abrasive. They can be used to scour pans, or as a fine sandpaper.
xes
MUSQUEAM
Steller sea lion
Eumetopias jubatus
The end of the rope closest to the points contains sea lion intestine, whereas the majority is cedar bark.
Image courtesy the Museum of Anthropology - UBC
qʷta:yθən
MUSQUEAM
White sturgeon
Acispenser transmontanus