Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Kirby Joe Diabo says that "fishing has been passed down from generation to generation. It is a part of who we are, our way of life."
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Kirby Joe Diabo says that "fishing has been passed...READ ON
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Kirby Joe Diabo says that "fishing has been passed down from generation to generation. It is a part of who we are, our way of life."
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Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo gets on his snowmobile and heads over to the spot where his customers want to get set up. A good 10-15 minute walk turns into a two-minute snowmobile ride.
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo gets on his snowmobile and heads over to the spot...READ ON
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo gets on his snowmobile and heads over to the spot where his customers want to get set up. A good 10-15 minute walk turns into a two-minute snowmobile ride.
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Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: "I am grateful to wake up and see the sun everyday. I am up with the birds. I don’t really sleep in," says Diabo.
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: "I am grateful to wake up and see the sun everyday. I...READ ON
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: "I am grateful to wake up and see the sun everyday. I am up with the birds. I don’t really sleep in," says Diabo.
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Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: In the bucket tool, Diabo keeps the pins for the tents to secure into the ice, a few spoons to clean the holes out, a drill, and a heater.
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: In the bucket tool, Diabo keeps the pins for the tents to...READ ON
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: In the bucket tool, Diabo keeps the pins for the tents to secure into the ice, a few spoons to clean the holes out, a drill, and a heater.
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Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo sets up the tent with a drill that he uses to put the pins into the ice. It is faster, especially when it gets very cold out, sometimes even up to minus 30 degrees Celsius.
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo sets up the tent with a drill that he uses to put...READ ON
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo sets up the tent with a drill that he uses to put the pins into the ice. It is faster, especially when it gets very cold out, sometimes even up to minus 30 degrees Celsius.
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Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo ties his rope from the tent to the ice in a pin. That prevents the doors and the walls from going in and out with the wind. It keeps it nice and sturdy.
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo ties his rope from the tent to the ice in a pin....READ ON
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo ties his rope from the tent to the ice in a pin. That prevents the doors and the walls from going in and out with the wind. It keeps it nice and sturdy.
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Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo uses a rope to put more pins to support the walls. When it gets windy, the tents tend to get damaged and need an extra support.
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo uses a rope to put more pins to support the walls....READ ON
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo uses a rope to put more pins to support the walls. When it gets windy, the tents tend to get damaged and need an extra support.
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Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Daibo’s friend Giovanni Cappellano drills a hole with an 20-centimeter auger. It is easier on the back than the 25-centimeter model. Usually, they drill over a hundred holes a day.
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Daibo’s friend Giovanni Cappellano drills a hole...READ ON
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Daibo’s friend Giovanni Cappellano drills a hole with an 20-centimeter auger. It is easier on the back than the 25-centimeter model. Usually, they drill over a hundred holes a day.
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Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: The line is down the hole at about four meters. As soon as the sinker hits the river bed it is when the fishers can begin waiting for the first bite.
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: The line is down the hole at about four meters. As soon as...READ ON
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: The line is down the hole at about four meters. As soon as the sinker hits the river bed it is when the fishers can begin waiting for the first bite.
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Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo and Kirrey Clute clean out the holes to get them all prepared. To do this, they check out the ice and scoop the holes.The blue spear, made by Diabo’s father Mickey Diabo, is a very important tool that helps to break the ice.
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo and Kirrey Clute clean out the holes to get them all...READ ON
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: Diabo and Kirrey Clute clean out the holes to get them all prepared. To do this, they check out the ice and scoop the holes.The blue spear, made by Diabo’s father Mickey Diabo, is a very important tool that helps to break the ice.
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Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: The ice huts are out for rent. They have wood stoves, electricity, and lights to make the participants feel at home.
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: The ice huts are out for rent. They have wood stoves,...READ ON
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: The ice huts are out for rent. They have wood stoves, electricity, and lights to make the participants feel at home.
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Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: "That was a good day. The sun was out and the pike were bitting left and right. My father filleted them and we made pike nuggets. We had a cook out with friends on the ice," says Diabo.
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: "That was a good day. The sun was out and the pike...READ ON
Kahnawake, MT - March 8, 2020: "That was a good day. The sun was out and the pike were bitting left and right. My father filleted them and we made pike nuggets. We had a cook out with friends on the ice," says Diabo.
It is six in the morning when Kirby Joe Diabo, the co-owner of a bait shop in Kahnawake is getting all the stuff together - tip-ups, his auger, and everything else he needs to set up for the ice fishing tournament. He has not had his coffee yet, when he gets on the snowmobile, heading over to the spot where his customers want to get set up.
It is not just throwing your line in the water, there is much more work behind organizing an ice fishing tournament. Diabo’s grandfather used an axe to icefish, but nowadays he and his colleagues are drilling the holes with augers. Still, there is a lot to be done – setting up a tent, knowing how to chip in under the ice, and to bait your lines under severe weather conditions such as minus 30 degrees Celsius and windy – and Diabo and his partners rely on teamwork and a lot of patience.
Fishing has been passed down from generation to generation in the Mohawk Territory. All the tools that he is using to set up are built from scratch: “It is a part of who we are, our way of life,” says Diabo.
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