Fishing Net Weight

[Basketweaverz]

First time trying to attach a picture hope it works!!

This was collected on the Olympic Peninsula along the Straits of Juan de Fuca in NW Washington. It is a fishing net weight.

Basket

[Basketweaverz]

OK, picture is there, now how do I make it smaller??

[dr00bie]

You need to size the pictures using an image editor before you upload them. A good free editor is Picasa, picasa.google.com/

Drew

[lee]

Was the net weight shaped out of rock? Were these common amount the Indians for fishing? Are there a lot of the weights found and where?

[Basketweaverz]

Yes they were shaped from any heavy rock that was fairly soft. I have seen them much bigger than this one. This one was probably for a freshwater net that was used for trout. For saltwater nets, the weights were bigger as were the fish they were netting. These used to be quite common on the beaches of Puget Sound and the Straits of Juan de Fuca in Washington State. Hate to admit it, but I am talking about the 1950s and 1960s and 1970s. As they are no longer being produced, they are becoming more scarce. Native Americans still fish but they are using modern methods and modern nets. The traditional nets were made of cedar bark and the bottom of the net was held under the water with these weights made out of rocks. The middle of the weight was shaped or ground into the rock and the netting was tied around it. It was not easy to slip off the rock because of the indentation ground into it.

My name, Basketweaverz, comes from learning to weave the traditional cedar bark berry storage baskets and clam baskets. The art of basketweaving is dying out and the elders are willing to teach anyone who will continue the craft. I know some Lummi, some Makah, some Tlingit, some Tshimsham, and some Navajo basket techniques. And, no, I am not Native.

Now that I have written a book---hope that answers your questions. Come out to Washington and we can look for some. When I found this weight, I was looking for clam and snail fossils. Also, once a year or so someone finds a mammoth tooth. I never have and I want one before I die!!! Love to beachcomb and someday I will find one.

Basket

[hannaheself]

I think I have one of these. It's about the size of my fist. I always thought it was a tool used to grind corn or something like that but it looks just like the pic you posted.

[4cornersrocks]

I have found a few weights like that in creek beds as a kid growing up in texas. Most were small and not made from anything special, but always a great find. Cool!