For all our relations and for all children.

  —SB and LT

  Text copyright © 2022 Samantha Beynon

  Illustrations copyright © 2022 Lucy Trimble

  1 2 3 4 5 — 26 25 24 23 22

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior permission of the publisher or, in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a licence from Access Copyright, www.accesscopyright.ca, 1-800-893-5777, info@accesscopyright.ca.

  Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd.

  P.O. Box 219, Madeira Park, BC, V0N 2H0

  www.harbourpublishing.com

  Harbour Publishing acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Canada, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council.

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Title: Oolichan moon / Samantha Beynon ; with illustrations by Lucy Trimble.

  Names: Beynon, Samantha, author. | Trimble, Lucy, illustrator.

  Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20220234329 | Canadiana (ebook)

  20220234884 | ISBN 9781550179927 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781550179934 (EPUB)

  Subjects: LCSH: Thaleichthys pacificus—Juvenile literature. | LCSH: Traditional ecological knowledge—British Columbia—Juvenile literature. | CSH: First Nations—British Columbia—Juvenile literature.

  Classification: LCC QL638.O84 B49 2022 | DDC j597.5—dc23

  Front cover and text design by Heather Lohnes

  Printed and bound in South Korea

  Typeset in Sofia Pro Soft, from Mostardesign Type Foundry

  and Metallophile Sp8, from Mark Simonson Studio

  Printed on FSC®-Certified Paper

  Sisters Learn Traditional Foods

  written by Samantha Beynon

  illustrated by Lucy Trimble

  The sisters always got so excited when they went to visit Grandmother and Grandfather that it took them a long time to fall asleep. Everything was so different from home. Grandmother and Grandfather were respected Elders and followed many of the traditional ways of their people, the Nisg̱a’a. The best thing was the yummy food Grandmother made using old ways. The sisters especially loved the tasty little fish called the oolichan, and they hoped there would be some on this visit.

  Little Sister fell asleep dreaming about oolichan.

  Little Sister was always the first one to wake up when they stayed with their grandparents. She was still thinking about oolichan. When Big Sister woke up, she said, “Do you think this is the time of year the Nisg̱a’a catch oolichan?”

  “I don’t know, but I hope so. I was dreaming about oolichan.”

  “Me too! Let’s go down and ask Jiji.”

  Grandmother was busy in the kitchen, but when Little Sister asked her if it was the right time of the year for getting oolichan, Grandmother smiled and stopped her chores. “I am so glad you girls like oolichan,” she said. “But you know, they are more than just a snack for hungry girls. Oolichan are very important to our people. Some Elders even called them the

  saviour fish.”

  “Why, Jiji?” said Little Sister.

  “Please tell us all about oolichan,” said Big Sister.

  “Why, I would be honoured. But there is a lot to tell, and you mustn’t interrupt.”

  “We won’t,” said Little Sister.

  “Yes, you will,” said Big Sister.

  Grandmother chuckled, wiped her hands on her apron and sat down at the table. Grandfather made tea, and the three of them sat down to listen.

  “One of the reasons the oolichan is called the saviour fish is that it is the first big batch of fresh food to arrive in the new year,” said Grandmother. “In the old days there were no stores with shelves of groceries and the people had to eat what they could gather or catch. There was plenty of salmon during the summer, but during the long winter months they had to live on dry fish they had stored, and sometimes they ran short. This was why they were so happy when millions of tasty little

  saak, or oolichan,

  came surging into the rivers in early spring.”

  “Did the ancestors call oolichan the saviour fish because it saved them from going hungry?” asked Little Sister.

  “That is one reason,” said Grandmother.

  “What were the other reasons?” asked Little Sister.

  “You’re interrupting,” said Big Sister.

  “It’s alright, Little One. I am so glad you girls are interested in the history of our people and I am happy to answer your questions.”

  “There were many reasons the oolichan was the saviour of our people,” Grandmother said. “Oolichan are rich in vitamins, and they are so full of oil you can light them like a candle when they’re dried. This is the good kind of oil and it helped our people to stay healthy for thousands of years. Our people fry, bake and boil oolichan when fresh, and they can be sun-dried or smoked and saved to be used all year round.”

  “Not only is the oolichan a wonderful source of food,” Grandmother said, “this amazing little fish is also a powerful

  medicine.”

  “Medicine?” Big Sister said.

  “Now you are interrupting!” Little Sister interrupted.

  “Don’t argue, girls. I’m glad you have questions because it shows you’re paying attention. Yes, oolichan oil is so full of vitamins it can be used as medicine.”

  “My mother used to give me a spoonful when I was feeling sick,”

  Grandfather added.

  “Wait…” Little Sister asked, “is that the oil you give us when we don’t feel well?”

  “Interrupting again!” Big Sister said.

  Grandmother smiled and said, “Yes, that’s right. A teaspoon of oolichan oil is good for flu or a cold.”

  “Jiji, may I ask a question?” Little Sister said.

  “In a minute. I haven’t told you the most important thing about oolichan yet.”

  “Wow, you mean there’s more?” said Big Sister.

  “Yes. The oolichan wasn’t just a delicious food, it was our gold.

  Liquid gold, the old people called it.

  We used some for food, but by far most were used to make oil or ‘grease’ to trade with other nations. It was a great source of wealth for our people.”

  “How does a fish turn into oil?” asked Big Sister.

  “Well, now that was quite a scene! Everybody got involved. Some people did the fishing, using nets and rakes to fill whole canoes with wriggling fish. Then they boiled the fish in big vats so the oil rose to the top. Then they skimmed the oil off into watertight wooden boxes called

  bentwood boxes.

  Some was stored for their own use, but most of it was traded to other nations. The Nisg̱a’a called oolichan oil

  t’ilx and it was the best.

  Everybody wanted some. They would give the Nisg̱a’a blankets, furs, boxes and even dugout canoes because t’ilx was so valuable. T’ilx was a key to the greatness of the Nisg̱a’a nation. Our people still make t’ilx but the great schools of oolichan that used to come to the river have dwindled to a trickle and what little we make we save in glass jars instead of big bentwood boxes.”

  “Jiji, can I ask my question now?” said Little Sister.

  “Yes, my sweet, what is it you have been so patiently waiting to ask me?”

  “What I want to know is: is this the right time of year to get oolichan?

  Because I really want some!”

  Grandmother and Grandfather both had a good laugh.

  “Yes, Little One, this is the moon of the oolichan. The last of a crescent moon at winter’s end signals a new year for our people. That's when oolichan begin to swim back to their home in Lisims, our great river. The arrival of oolichan brings our people such joy we have a celebration called

  Hoobiyee. It is the time of Hoobiyee now.”

  Grandmother fell silent and took a long swallow of tea. The sisters rose and gave her a big hug because they were so thankful to have heard her stories about the amazing oolichan. Learning so much about the old ways of their people made them feel good inside.

  The best part was still to come. There was a knock at the door, and it was Daada, their auntie, carrying a big bag full of something heavy and wet.

  Fresh oolichan!

  While the girls did a happy oolichan dance around the kitchen, Grandmother fried up a big batch and paired it with boiled potatoes. The five of them sat down to a wonderful lunch full of history, laughter and love.

  The end.

  Nisg̱a’a Vocabulary

  If you'd like to hear these words read aloud you can find recordings on the author's website, https://www.samanthabeynon.com

  grandmother

  nits’iits’ / jiji

  oolichan grease

  t’ilx

  little girl

  hlgutk’ihlgum hanaḵ’

  oolichan(s)

  saak

  a girl’s or a woman’s

  sister

  hlgiikw

  fish

  hoon

  auntie

  daada

  grandfather

  niye’e

  big

  wii

  a girl’s or a woman’s

  Big sister

  wii hlgiikw

  granddaughter

  huxwdaak’inim hanaḵ’

  A Fish Central to Nisg̱a’a Culture

  Oolichan spend most of their lives in the o

cean but, at the end of their life, return to the freshwater streams and rivers where they were hatched to spawn. For longer than anyone can remember, the Nisg̱a’a have harvested oolichan from Lisims—which is also called K’alii-Aksim Lisims or the Nass River. There are many names and spellings for this important little fish: eulachon, oolachon, ooligan, hooligan, candlefish. Biologists call it Thaleichthys pacificus. To the Nisg̱a’a it is saak, or the saviour fish, because it was the first fish that came in great quantity in the new year, just as winter food supplies were running out.

  Every year in early spring, for thousands of years, Nisg̱a’a have made camps along the banks of K’alii-Aksim Lisims. Thousands of Nisg̱a’a would spend months in Lax–Da’oots’ip (Fishery Bay), where the cold blue waters of K’alii-Aksim Lisims meet the Pacific Ocean, to harvest and process saak.

  Today, far fewer oolichan are returning to the rivers of the Pacific coast, and biologists are still trying to figure out exactly why. Climate change could be one reason. Most of the precious oolichan caught and processed on the Nass River are distributed among community members or traded with neighboring First Nations for shellfish, herring, seaweed and halibut.

  Oolichan Grease

  Oolichan was not usually eaten as a fish meat. The bulk of the catch was rendered for its edible oil or “grease,” which could be stored for many months. Oolichan was boiled in large cedar bentwood boxes until the grease separated and rose to the top. The grease was then skimmed off and stored for consumption throughout the year or for trading with other tribes. Across the Pacific Northwest “grease trails” formed where coastal nations travelled inland to trade with landlocked communities.

  Oolichan Fishing

  The Nisg̱a’a traditionally fished oolichan with either nets or an oolichan rake called a k’idaa. The k’idaa was a long pole with comb-like wooden teeth on the end that was used to “rake” the oolichan from shallow areas of the river.

  Sometimes a simple dip net was used to scoop the oolichan out of the river, and other times a long oblong-shaped net or hlist would be anchored with tall stakes in the river and allowed to hang in the current. Every few minutes, the net would fill with oolichan and people would empty it before setting it in the current again.

  References

  First Peoples’ Cultural Council. “Nisg̱a’a.”

  FirstVoices, 10 Feb. 2021.

  www.firstvoices.com

  Government, Gingolx Village. “Oolichan Grease.”

  Ways of Life: Ancient Villages of the Nisg̱a’a, April 2009.

  www.gingolx.ca

  Nisg̱a’a Nation. “The Saviour Fish: Protecting Nisg̱a’a Connection to Oolichan.”

  Coast Funds. www.coastfunds.ca

  Acknowledgements

  In memory of Jean Fitzgerald (Trimble). This book would not have been possible without her. With gratitude to our maternal grandparents, Jean Fitzgerald (1942–2022) and Brian Fitzgerald (1935–2002); Samatha’s uncle and Lucy’s father, John Heffernan (1947–2022); Samatha’s father, William Beynon the Fourth; our cousin/brother, Wal-aks Keane Tait, Nisg̱a’a language and culture teacher; former Coast Funds chief executive officer, Brodie Guy. Special thanks to the Nisg̱a’a Elders and Knowledge Keepers who shared their knowledge of oolichan with us.

  —SB and LT

 

 

  Samantha Beynon, Oolichan Moon

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