Snare

Description:

Long rounded stick, grooved on one end with remnants of rawhide thong attached. Noose for spruce grouse written on one side.

References:

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:

“What’s this? It looks like a snare for catching gray jay? Whiskyjack’s snare. Something here that looks likes a loop. It’s like this, you put the bait here. The bird steps into it and trips this loop and traps his feet. Uishkatshan tapikuan (whiskyjack’s trap).” Tshishennish Pasteen

“This looks like uiskashan nekuan (whiskeyjack snare). I wonder if this is the one for snaring whiskeyjack? They are similar, the uiskashan (whiskeyjack) and the partridge snares. Pineu nekuan (partridge snare) is hung longer than that, while the whiskeyjack snare is like this. It is caught on its claws.” Uniam Katshinak

Other Info:

MacKenzie lists uishkatshan as “gray jay” and nakua(ka)n or nikuan as “snare.”

“The collection contains two snares, the most complete of which is a spring pole snare used for Canada jays. This type…consists of a juniper sapling sharpened at the large end and grooved at the other. A hole has been drilled 24.5 cm from the large end and a section of babiche passed through it and tied about the groove at the narrow end. A short stick…wedged the babiche in place and prevented the bent end of the sapling from straightening. A noose made in the free end of the babiche was draped over the stick where a piece of meat for bait was secured. The jay, resting on the stick, dislodged it when attempting to remove the bait and, as the pole straightened, the bird’s foot was caught in the noose… A spring pole snare was also employed to capture hares.” VanStone (1985:13)