The Cowlitz relied much on fishing and digging of the camas. Their tools reflected this diversity.
The women would take the bark of the cedar tree and make rope which had many uses. Many times the rope was used to make nets that were used to catch fish and birds. Some of the nets were used for the making of dip nets, and others for the use of gill nets.
The men would take small stones and drill holes through them using sand as the cutting edge and a piece of wood (similar to an arrow shaft) for the bit and handle. These stones were used as anchors for the gill nets that snared the salmon.
Fishing spears were important tools used by the Cowlitz.
In 1960, three fishing spears were found between the mouths of the Clear and Muddy Forks of the Upper Cowlitz River. These spears are the two-pronged variety, and in 1964 were in possession of the Packwood Ranger District Office, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, in Packwood.
The closest description of the kind of spear and its use is given by Dr. Verne Ray: “The two-pronged spear consisted of a fir shaft, fourteen to eighteen feet in length, to which were fastened the diverging foreshafts which held the points. Each foreshaft was about twelve inches long. The three pieces were beveled at the point of juncture so that then proper angles would result when the parts were bound together with spruce root wrappings and pitch.
“Each point consisted of three parts, a flattened point of elk bone or hardwood and two butt barbs of elk horn. The point barbs were beveled, fitted together, and made secure by careful wrapping fixed with pitch. The butt formed by the barbs contained a cupped socket which fitted the tapered end of the foreshaft. From the point to the main shaft loosely hung a strong cord made fast at either end.
“The spear was thrust, not thrown. When a fish was speared the points came loose from the foreshafts but remained attached to the main shaft by the cords. The fish was played by manipulating the shaft.”
In 1964, there were residents of Packwood who could remember seeing Indian fish drying racks at the mouth of the Muddy Fork of the Cowlitz River.
The gathering of vegetal foods and supplies formed another important part of the aboriginal economy.
While hunting and fishing were typical male enterprises, the gathering of vegetal products was primarily a feminine task. During the springtime, women went to the open prairies to dig and dry roots.
Equipment for the gathering of roots consisted of a basket tied to the waist and a digging stick. The digging stick was oak, eighteen inches to two feet in length, had a curved point and bore a short cross-grip at the top.
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Next week: Cowlitz Indian baskets.
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Roy I. Rochon Wilson was an elected leader of the Cowlitz Tribe for three decades and is the author of more than 30 books, including several histories of the Cowlitz Tribe. He is a retired ordained Methodist minister and current spiritual leader of the tribe. Wilson lives near Winlock.
