Tipatshimuna Description:
hin, bone needle, slightly curved, tapering to rounded point at one end (approx. 3 in.) from other, which flares in minuit fins, the bone is cut out, leaving narrow spike or needle in center. The needle is used for making fish nets.
References:
MacKenzie Shoebox dictionary 2003. Naskapi dictionary 1994. Lynn Drapeau. 1999. Dictionnaire Montagnais-français. Sainte-Foy: Presses de l’Université du Québec. James W. VanStone. 1985. Material Culture of the Davis Inlet and Barren Ground Naskapi: the William Duncan Strong Collection. Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History. Fieldiana, Anthropology New Series No.7.
Innu Narrative:
This is called muatshiskut (netting needle) – Sheshin (Rich) Rich.
This is muatshiskut (net needle) – Munik (Gregoire) Rich
This is muatshiskut (netting needle). This is used for making nets, and it is also for fixing nets when they break. Uniam Katshinak used it for fixing his nets. He would hang his nets, and tie them together with a string using this. He had one like that – Pinamen (Rich) Katshinak
umatshishkut – fish net needle. This tool was used for making a fishing net. It can be made out of an antler or a bone from caribou. [MacKenzie lists umatshishkut as “fish netting needle”] umatshishkut – fishing net needle. In the old days, the Innu people used to make two or three umatshishkut to use for making fishing nets. Usually two or three people would make one net and they were fast. Umatshishkut was also used to measure a square in a net. The nets had different sizes. A large squared size net was for salmon and a small net was for trout and suckers. Suckers – mikuashai (red sucker) and makatsheu (white sucker). Atikameku (white fish). When the Innu travelled along the Naskaupi River [Mishikamau-shipu], they used the salmon net, the big net. You would get a lake trout, salmon, big fish. The smallest net is for trout and suckers. You could get the same for white fish also. [they would take three sizes of nets into the country – one for salmon, one for lake trout, and a smaller one for brook trout, whitefish and suckers] – Shimun Michel.
Other Info:
“A gill net was constructed with the aid of a wooden netting needle, two of which occur in the Strong collection. They are flat, pointed at one end, concave at the other, and made of birch wood. A portion of the center has been removed to leave a narrow spike of wood extending from near the center of the needle almost to the tip” – VanStone (1985:14).
MacKenzie lists umatshishkut as “fish netting needle,” ashiniapi/ashinapiapin as “net sinker,” ashinapiapi as “rope to tie sinker to net,” anapiapi/aiapinapi as “line for making fishing net, net string,” and anapi/aiapin as “fish net, net.”
Naskapi dictionary lists umaachiskuut as “netting needle.”
Drapeau lists umatshashkuku as “navette à filet.”