Los relatos de Maurice Sparks

The other night I was watching a documentary about Alaska. In one of the episodes, they were talking about the run of the salmon and the different methods fishermen use. There were guys with big boats casting their nets and catching tons of salmon. But there was also a Native-American fisherman who simply used a wheel that he built himself out of wood and chicken wire. The wheel was powered by the river current and the salmon swam into a huge box attached to the wheel. All the fisherman had to do was simply sit by the river and wait for the wheel to catch the salmon swimming upstream. He would then gut the fish, cut them up in thin slices, and place them in his smoke house. This would provide enough food for him and his family during the entire Alaskan winter. “My method is the easiest one”, he said. “I love it here. I lived the other life”, he said, “and I didn’t like it.” And then he laughed. A boisterous, heartfelt, sincere and contagious laughter that looked a lot like happiness.