Once it’s tanned and made into something anyone can have it I think, I’m not sure, there’s a huge demand for them to make regalia and hats and such, that I usually trade them with other tribal members. My aunt does a lot of sewing, so I usually take them to her and she deals with them, and gives me finished products in exchange. Which doesn’t hurt me at all, fleshing them is a horrible chore lol

Makes sense, their fur is similar in color and texture to a land otter (river otter, whatever you call them) but is anywhere from 3 to 6 times the size, and never loses its prime. I think a lot of the reason is that a land otter is a land animal that likes to swim, and does so in waters that vary a lot in temperature, so it makes sense they wouldn’t want a winter coat all summer or vise verse. Sea otters can’t leave the water, they have essentially flippers for back feet (think beaver but with absolutely no way to use their “foot” as a foot, and no pads/sole of their feet) so they’re in the ocean 365 days a year, and even this time of year it’s probably about 44-46 degrees all the time

Thanks AK. Hope I'm not being intrusive. I just find all of the stuff surrounding our ethnicities fascinating. My kid whose mother is Mexican had his DNA tested and found that the biggest contributor to his native American side was Alaskan Athabascan! A real head scratcher, but then it turns out that Na Dene also include Navajo and Apache groups from the American Southwest. Makes it more understandable.

My kid from a few years back. You do detect all the Swedish from me right? Lol

Nice haul for sure

BP nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to those things, it’s common knowledge (to us) that people from my tribe canoed all the way to what’s now Peru and back many many many years ago. I can only imagine that journey. But that said, I wouldn’t be shocked if a lot of people in that area were carrying a very small amount of DNA that matches ours. If my ancestors made it to Peru it’s not unthinkable that athabascans could have made it to Mexico. Most Alaska native tribes are seafaring people

…. I’m gonna dress up like an Eskimo…. Ride up there club some seals .. shoot some sea otter and slap a grizzly bear around

It took me near 2 hours to fillet all that fish, and another hour to skin the otters. That biggest halibut weighed in at #122, not a monster of the deep, but about as big as I like to catch. I’d rather fill the boat with 25-60 pound fish, they’re better eating and they fillet a lot easier and faster. That one is floating the line, it’s small enough that it’ll eat good and it wasn’t horrible to work up, but anything over 150 pounds and I strongly consider cutting the line and leaving it for tourists to have a shot at, cuz I hate dealing with them

No brown bear or eskimos on this island, you might want to choose a different one lol. The seals and sea otter, I can get behind that lol. I don’t shoot many seals even though I can. They stink and they’re heavy, and I personally have no use for them. I occasionally pop one to save some fish from the water wolves

A Quinault that I went to school with had a harbor seal jacket that was beautiful. I don't think non-tribal can have them though unless it is considered art work.

I asked my aunt, since that’s kind of her thing. She said once it’s significantly modified it can be sold to anyone in the United States, but not internationally, even if it’s a completed garment. And significantly modified doesn’t mean tanned, it means made into something useful, beautiful, or more likely, both.

…. Send me a significantly modified sea otter vest with walrus foreskin trim

You’re hilarious, and therefore probably fun to drink beer with, you are welcome to come up fishing anytime. As for the vest, my aunt makes all kinds of stuff out of them, I’m sure she’d be happy to. I won’t lie, they aren’t cheap. All harvested, skinned, fleshed, tanned, and sewn by hand right here locally like it has been forever. Gonna have to rain check on the walrus foreskin, we’re a little light on walrus around these parts lol.

lol …. I’d like to make it there with yall good people sometime

…keep to the old ways and resist change

… Texas ain’t what it used to be unfortunately

Offer stands

Sure appreciate it partner…. Once I get these kids raised I may take up on a trip like that

…. Y’all are living right up there

In the meantime… keep these good post like this coming

Can’t help you with the foreskin trim but I could do you up with some walrus oosik buttons!

I'm jealous great day on the water.