The Use and Cultural Importance of Suckers (Catostomidae Cope, 1871) among the Indigenous Peoples of Northwestern North America: An Ethnographic Overview.

Suckers (Catostomidae Cope, 1871) are a diverse family of freshwater fishes native to North America and East Asia. Ethnographic data indicate suckers were harvested by Indigenous peoples throughout the region and frequently of comparable importance to salmon. Suckers were taken at various times of the year through angling, netting, spearing, and other methods. Once harvested, they were, depending on local tastes and customs, consumed fresh and/ or dried. As evidenced by the existence of First Sucker Ceremonies, the taxon's presence in myths, and descriptions of suckers as being a source of spiritual powers, catostomids were also spiritually important to some Indigenous peoples. The variability in the dietary and spiritual importance, capture, and preparation of suckers that is evident in the ethnographic record underscores the dynamism of human-sucker interactions in northwestern North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]