Description
Cutthroat Trout: Salmo clarki
These trout grow up to 30 inches and 41 pounds. They are both a salt water and freshwater fish. Very popular as a sport fish, small ones caught in saltwater are nicknamed “sea-trout”. Cutthroat range along the Pacific coast from Southern Alaska to northern California and inland from southern British Columbia and Alberta south to New Mexico and from eastern California to central Colorado. Spawning February to May (and as early as December in the Cowichan River on Vancouver Island) in fresh water the young go to sea in their second and third year. There are ten sub species of this trout, some of which are extinct. The peoples pictured within these fish represent the Tsimshian.
Tsimshian
These peoples lived along the Skeena and Nass Rivers, as well as the adjacent coast of B.C. This is the tribe responsible for the creation of the famous Chilkat blankets like the ones being worn by dancers in the upright trout. These blankets were woven from mountain goat wool (supplied by the Chilkotan in barter for fish) and the inner bark of cedar following patterns drawn by male artists. Artists and weavers evidently got into many heated arguments about interpretation of totemic designs. Each blanket took about one year to make. These blankets were traded and used by all the tribes along the Pacific West coast. Used in ceremony and celebration they were extremely expensive so Chiefs like the one pictured in the lower trout also wore colorful red button blankets
