Semën Urkachan talks about river fishing

5:17-7:38

"Yes, the elders always knew what they were doing. They closely observed nature whenever they went fishing. First came the Arctic char, which they used to make fermented fish. They built weirs in the river and set fish traps. That's how the trout were caught. But some of the fish were meant to return to the sea later. That’s why they only took as many as they needed. They hung the fish up to dry – but never just as many as they could. It was to make sure they didn’t take too much. Sometimes they scolded us, saying: ‘Don’t take more than necessary, so that nature will be plentiful again next year – and so that there’s something left for tomorrow if we don’t need more today.’ While the fish were hanging to dry, they waited for more fish to swim upriver. They brought fish in dugout canoes and on horseback to the elders who could no longer fish themselves – and shared with everyone. There was never a time when there wasn’t enough for all.” (Subtitles ☸︎ + cc)

Recorded by Erich Kasten. Lesnaya, 2010.