Fish Skin Bag, "Notchidl"

This fish skin bag was found in the Deg Hit' an region of Alaska located in the midwest.   They traded with the Yupik so the Yupik also made bags and clothing out of fish skin.  Fish skins are waterproof and was made into bags to keep clothing dry on hunting trips.  The women used the bags for storing clothing for traveling from summer camp to winter encampment and storing food for the winter. In the original Deg Hit’an Athabascan culture  they believed that when they respected all animals, by utilizing all parts of the animal they killed, the food source would return the next year.  I found the fish skin bag very interesting because when I ate fish the skin was soft and I never imagined that it could be strong enough to make a bag.  Following this belief one smart person figured that if a fish can survive under water it’s skin must repel water.