Occupations of the Passamaquoddies in 1920

Natural woodsmen, they enter upon all kinds of lumbering, chopping, swamping roads, etc., and as long as the sap runs they peel pulpwood, July suns, black flies and mosquitoes notwithstanding. And they find it more remunerative than their olden occupation, that of gathering ash and making axe handles or even the manufacture of moccasins and snow shoes, which was about all the field open to their fathers, aside from hunting and fishing and guiding city folk through the hunting grounds, unless, they encroached upon their women’s vacation of basket making and beadwork. Geographically Pleasant Point is situated in the richest of fishing grounds in the locality. Sardine herring run strong in this region. Line and trawl fishing is very lucrative. In the past porpoise and seals brought in a good income. Sharks are not unknown, and the past summer schools of five and six short length whales were to float past. And a few years ago forty footer was shot on their very beach. In a canoe, no man living excels the Indian for strength and safety in paddling.