Godwin, Bill, Part 3. Interview with Bill Godwin, Barr'd Islands.

• Main Authors: Pocius, Gerald L., Ferguson, Mark
• Other Authors: Godwin, Bill
• Format: Audio
• Language: English
• Published: 1989
• Subjects: Work; Social beliefs; practices and customs; Cod fishing; Fishers; Commercial fishing; Fishes; Fishing equipment; Fishing nets; Fishing boats; Knives (cutting tools); Folk beliefs; Luck; Salt-curing; Personal experience narratives; Snubbies (codfish); Haddock; Cod filleting; Cod liver oil; Codfish; Fish processing; Fishing stages; Flakes; Salt cod; Split cod; Splitting knives; Splitting tables; Stageheads; Trap skiffs; Trawlers; Godwin; Bill; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/ich_cn/id/980

Bill Godwin continues to discuss his life in Barr'd Islands; discusses various folk practices and beliefs (signs of good or bad luck, dots painted on doors); feeding dogs and pigs; fishing and processing the fish (cod liver oil; salting; drying; preventing flies, maggots); barter system; grading of fish (three grades: West Indies; Madeira; choice). 00:35 Snubby, put 'em on a string for good luck -- 00:55 Haddock are bad luck "Got the devil's fingers in its side." -- 01:05 They'd stab it and throw it overboard. -- 01:20 Also bad luck, "Putting out a cod trap on a Friday." -- 01:40 "A snubby is just a cod fish with a little crooked nose." -- 01:50 Hung up inside, not outside -- 02:00 Give 'em to the dog in the spring, dip 'em down in a blubber barrel -- 03:05 Floury water for the pigs, lumps -- 03:45 Fish tails or seal flipper hanging -- 04:30 White dots on the doors -- 05:00 Summer spent on the stage, life back then -- 05:30 Flour, hard bread, loose tea, everything bought at one time -- 06:10 Father was 27 years old before he saw any money -- 06:55 Different grades of fish: West Indies (college?), Medeira or tom cods (?) (number two), and number one = choice fish -- 07:30 Number two fish - maybe blood spot, or knife turned too fast -- 08:10 Worst fish - rain on it, or not enough salt, bone tearing out -- 09:15 Number one - beautiful fish - smooth, clean, no blood, properly split -- 09:50 Dad would average 500 to 600 quintals of fish a trapping season -- 10:35 Story about travelling with father in December by boat -- 11:10 Quality/quantity of fish -- 11:40 One throw of salt -- 12:00 In the pound for a week -- 12:15 Mother worked and then cared for four kids -- 13:05 Knowing how much salt to put on exactly, cleaning the stage, flies -- 13:45 Cleaning off the salt -- 14:25 Time spent on the green boughs or faggots, depending on the weather -- 14:30 Protecting the fish, boughs, seal pelts, bark, clapboard, little houses -- 16:10 Water-rocks (?) fish, drying fish -- 17:00 How many fish to a faggot - 100 to 200 -- ...