High in the Arctic .. .. Eskimo !

Hello from the Oldest continually inhabited settlement or village in all of North America.

Point Hope Alaska - Tikigaq

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We are a community of 800 Inupiaq Eskimos and our life revolves around the Bowhead whale. Subsistence living has been our lifestyle / culture and tradition for over 3,000 years on this one spot of land. The village was moved 2.5 miles to the east due to flooding in the 1970's.
Come along for a journey to sights that very few have ever seen or heard of or recorded.
Lets go out to the ocean ice and from the comfort of your own home or office.


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These people live under the harshest conditions known to man on the face of the earth.
They are happy people and never complain, Imagine: Cutting a trail into the ocean ice for 7 miles, to move equipment and supplies.. sleeping outside @ sub zero temps.
.. just to eat !!

It takes a whole year, just to get ready to go whaling and live out on the ocean ice pack, for two months.

The spring (April - May) is the time of the year that the entire communtiry moves 7 miles out on the Chukchi Sea in the Bering Strait of upper Alaska 200 miles above the arctic circle in the Northwest portion of the state.

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These hunters sleep outside with no tents for two months, just to gather food.
Everyone is out here, embedded in the ice, gathering food,
come along for a journey that will amaze you and astound you, in a different world, a different planet so to speak. a frozen world of nothing but ice in all directions for miles.

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The ice cracks, the lead opens and the animals begin to migrate along this 10 mile gaunlet along the ocean ice pack. Entire familes survive out here @ 50 below zero for two months, no one gets any pay for this.. .. only the right to eat.


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This is a typical whaling camp, midnight in mid May. Jaek Koonuk, Umailiq, Whaling captain is standing on the ice pressure ridges for hours, searching for any signs of animals migrating.


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This is home for two months 24/ 7 right here. The women are on much safer ice, They have tents to do all the cooking and all the other chores necessary to survive out here.

18 whaling captains are spaced out 1/2 - 3/4 a mile apart. Some familes stick together. As the typical crew consists of the Captain - 8 hunters & a boyer. Plus 3 - 5 women to do all the cooking 4- 5 times a day, out here, in the middle of frozen no where.
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Going into the wind - straight into that strong north wind- @ 50 below with 50 mph winds, it is brutal, It is a myth that these people are used to it. They get just as cold as you or I. But there are many tricks employed to stay warm(er) out here, things you have never heard of or will never believe.

I am about to tell you things that sound so preposterous, but they are all true indeed.

For instance: It is night time, out on the ocean ice, the women are exhausted and they go to sleep, in the tents, Now hand your lighter and your matches over to a three year old child, and lie down and go to sleep. This is a "boyer".

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This is his job, HIs responsibilty. Keep that woodstove going all night long, stay awake, alone. His chores are: Chop wood, cut sicpan with very sharp knives. Melt snow to make water for washing thermoses, make fresh hot coffee, tea, & hot chocolate and fill the thermoses and get them down to the lead opening for the hunters, He must keep a sharp eye out for fresh cracks in the ice. This ice pack can crack / break at any time, Anything can happen out here, and usually does in many bizzare and unpredictable ways. The boyer has access to rifles in case of a polar bear attack, He must keep notice of the wind, in case it shifts it is time to wake everyone up and run in a mass panic to get off the ice.

I have met many such boyers on the 5 different sacred whale hunts I have been honored and privliged to attend and photograph.

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Wow - thanks for posting this incredible look into a totally different life than what many of us are used to. Welcome to the site, and I look forward to more!

Amazing photo documentary. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And to think most of us complain when we have 20 below 0 windchill. I just can't imagine surviving under those conditions. Those kids sure have to grow up fast.

Thank you very much for sharing this. It's truly amazing and a real eye opener.

Welcome to our site! Thanks for sharing your pictures and the very interesting information. I am looking forward to seeing more pictures in the future, Jeff

Welcome to PR. I hope that you will continue to grace us with images like the ones in this post. Great to see how another society lives and works.

This is an amazing thing to see and you taught me a lot by your pictures. Remind me of something you would see in National Geographic.

Great post, and good photos. And I have to agree its is "something you would see in National Geographic"

Wow, great shots and an incredible story. Welcome to PR and thank you very much for sharing. Hope to see more :thumbsup:

Aaron

Wow!! Outstanding photos and story!! Thank you for sharing. I'm curious if you have any problems with you camera gear at those temps?

Awesome! I love the snomobile pulling the sled image; :thumbsup:

mbb

I'm loving these.

Welcome to the site, I'm also curious about what you're shooting, film or digital, love your tones.

And loved loved loved your post in the rule of 1/3's thread. :D

WOW!!!!

Welcome to the site.

Awesome photo documentary Majik! I sure hope you continue with the tale.. I am quite interested in what happens next!

Welcome to the PR.com family. :)

Great...love the shots and the information.
I, too wonder about your photo gear.
Also I have read articles about native villages having a hard time because the ice melts too soon now and the water has risen enough to force them to relocate. Does this village have that problem?

Welcome to the Forum. A great series of images, and a great story to go with them. Looking forward so seeing more.

So sorry for my absence.. thank you all so much for all of your wonderful comments.!!

I promise you spell binding text and amazing photographs of a world no one rarely is admitted to and even if they are, you will never see an intimacy with people such as are with the images that I am about to post and explain.. a story that will keep you riveted to the edge of your seat. this I promise you and I can guarantee you. first let me answer a few questions and provide some input.

These images are with film: 100 asa vericolor type S using a mamiya RB 67 and a Pentax k1000

these cameras worked flawlessly, slow sluggish for sure.. major sluggish, but they worked, at times, they were encased in ice frm the bitter north wind and temps which would plummet at night to - 80 below or colder with wind chill. .out on a tripod. 24 /7 for months !! NO DIGITAL camera made can take that abuse.!!

I don't have room for cases and cases of batteries. there is no place to put all of that stuff.. we are out here in the middle of ice. all around us. How do you suppose 700+ people obtain delicious fresh drinking water way out here in the middle of frozen no where??

Melt snow ?? yes ! but snow is only used for cleaning, or washing. snow tastes yuk !

nope.. we need TONS of delicous fresh drinking water every day. all day long. for cooking and drinking !! where does it all come from ??

Inupiaq Technology: time tested for many thousands of years. These are aged old traditions that work.

I am about to tell you some incredibly bizzarre stories that are true and easily verfied. I am going to open the doors of the arctic and introduce you to a lot of people that I have known and loved for 30 years time..

I was sent to this village for just 3 weeks, as an electrician to wire two construction camps.

When the job finished. I quit the company and stayed, I fell n love with these people, this land, the arctic the enviroment .. This was heaven on earth !! THIS .. .. is a different planet. one in which you could never survive. unless you know what to do.

the ocean ice is a very dangerous place and anything can happen out here, and usually does in many unexpected ways.

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The wind is always coming from the North which is blowing from right to left in this image. that ice on the other side of the lead opening is moving quickly, perhaps 15 mph. this strong wind is moving an ice pack that is bigger than most of the New England States !!

It is very easy to hallucinate out here on thie ice. All you have to do is watch that ice, moving.. do not watch that ice. they would tell me. why ? I constantly had these people in fits of laughter,, this dumb city boy from Boston out here on the ocean ice. I provided much entertainment for these hunters.

when you stare at that ice pack for too long, this is what happens. suddenly without warning, that ice pack stops on the other side. and you experience the sensation of moving in the oposite direction, I was constantly falling over out here. Much to the continued delight of these hunters.

It is very cold out. when hoods are up, it is because of the cold wind that is so bitter on your skin. when hoods are up and hats are on, it is only because of the wind. you will see very few images of people's hair. when you see children you will notice their hands are always hidden because of the cold..

All coastal villages above the Arctic circle have been in trouble with the erosion for many decades !! something must be done. we are losing too much land.

National Geographic offered me 5,000 bucks for the complete right to all of these images. I politely told them of .. um er.. another place.. .. to go to .. to photograph!!

I make that amount on a good weeknd.!!

I have thousands of photos and pages and pages of the most bizarre true, verifiable storeis that you will ever read on any forum in any post !~ I promise you.. the best is yet to come.!!

:blush2:

At night, (April) when that sun goes down, the cold creeps in quickly. The cold is numbing, I am freezing,. this sleeping outside @ 50 below is something I never though I would survive.

One woman on one thread asked. How do you change into clean clothes and socks, everyday ?? ha ha ha ha ha.. (chuckle) My first question to this person was..

Where? are you going to do this? at such territying temps such as these ?

I would literally scream, loud, when it was time to change a roll of film.. Oh I know what is going to happen, and it always did. I could never figoure out how to change a simple roll of film without experiencing the ultimate in pain, frostbite, and numbing un-moveable fingers.

It would take a long long time and much pain as my fingers would slowly warm up. I have three sets of protection for my hands. none of them or all of them put together could not/ would not keep my hands warm.. I have thin space glove liners, then the best gloves and a huge set of mittens to go over all of that.. these people sure laughed watching me go thruogh my daily routine of trying to keep warm.. jumping up and down.. (behind huge pieces of ice) I can not be exposed to the ocean. I must hide behind something. and never ever go to the left side of the umiaq I was always told that.. stay away from the left side.. that is the direction animals approach from.

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Food is very plentiful out here. The biggest freezer in the world, ,no electricty needed at all. keep food fresh for two months out here. no problem ..
Fresh caribou soup.. fresh duck soup.. dresh doughnuts !!! ???

yes. the women are 1/2 mile to 3/4 of a mile behind the hunters. these women are set up on much safer ice. This is a dangerous place and that ice can break / crack at any time, in any place. People have to have markers for their camps and watch them closely. .if we get caught on the wrong side of the ice. it is a major disaster.

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It is 50 below outsie of this tent. It is warm in here. but it is very drafty.. now how do you suppose this woman (Emily Lane) can get this dough to rise out here.? hmmm?

Once that dough is all mixed, it is put into a clean plastic bag, and it is put on her back and she puts her parky on, in the same exact manner as carrying a child.
The heat from her back is more than enough to cause that dough to rise quickly !!
fresh doughnuts all day /night long in every camp, each camp site is identical in each and every aspect. everything is put into identical places no matter which camp you visit.

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that is one of Emilies twin daughters. Minnie, children are carried in this manner in extreme temps of incredible storms. They survive quite well. Inupiaq clothing is very warm. we have many tricks to keeping warm(er) and stying warm.

Are you cold, out here ? then pick up that "hacksaw" !! Slice some thin strips of meat from that rack of Caribou ribs. It is here for people to use, when they are cold.!!! ???
slice many thin strips of this meat, make them small and swallow them.. do not chew them. just swallow, now fill your stomach full .. !!

This is what happens.. .. .. .. !! (chuckle) your body, your stomach has to work very very hard to digest all of that RAW, frozen caribou meat. This works with fish also. Raw, and frozen. the frozen part is easy out here.. no problem.!!
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When your stomach begins to digest this "quaq". your body will generate body heat the likes of which you have never ever experienced in your life.. DO NOT ATTMPT TO DO THIS and try and stay inside.. your gonna burn up bad big time..you will end up in the hospital !! @ temps of 30 below zero, we are taking clothes off, because we are just too hot.!! does that sound bizarre ? then look. and see. who has eaten in this manner recently !! ? !!

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John Tingook, well he is just too hot and had to take his parky off.. he has also been busy. The excitement out here, just can't be put into words, or described. This is just so .. .. awesome is not the word.. this is paradise.. !!

This is a peacefull place, so quiet, everyone is one with the conditions and people work together as one, rejoice as one and also mourn as one. This is a two month picnic of the "frozen kind:. you would never think people could look so relaxed and happy in these conditions. Here in is the proof.! You be the judge.

These are a proud people with a very old history dating back many thousands of years to this one spot of land, donig what they do each and every spring out here on the ocean ice. April - May.

Chopping that trail is no easy task. everyone has their jobs to do, even little children have chores, everyone works as one, all to gather food and create an enviroment we can live & travel in.

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What a fantastic thread! Keep up the pictures and thread

The ocean ice pack. it is just you, the wind, the incredbily bright reflections all over the place. this is a difficult feeling to describe, being out here. This is the order of the day, the Eskimo way. sit, wait, watch, listen. and be quiet. In about 10 hours your gonna have the best tan of your life, on your face and hands !! One side of your face is sweating, and the other side is being frost bit. The wind never stops. it is relentless. never ending, constantly biting your face.

Because we are exposed to 24 hour sunlight (Late april - ) we easily become solar powered . As long as you stay out in that sun, you can easily stay alert and awake for 3 days or longer. When you are tired, just lean back and lie down on that sled and rest. In a few hours you will be good to go for another 3 days or longer. no one is sleeping much out here. too much to do. and ..watch, ssshh, wait.!! The only sound out here, is the wind, the ice cracking and your thoughts !

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This the most favorite time of year. to go whaling. there are plenty of different animals here. lots, but the main prize is the bowhead whale. This is their favorite food,

It takes as much as 8 hours to set up a working functional whaling camp out here in the middle of no where. and there are times we have to evacuate the ice. when that wind shifts and turns to south wind. It is nothing but a mad mass panic of over 700 people runing for ther lives and everyone is out of there in less than 15 minutes, on the trials to get off that ice as quick as possible. if you don't have a ride just run.. someone will pick you up on the trail because they circle until everyone is off that ice pack. This is extremly dangerous when that whind shifts to south wind and it can hapen so fast. with out warning.. that means, that ice pack on the other side of the lead opening is going to run right over everything in its path and crush it all. with huge piles up to 50 feet tall or higher.

This is a dangerous place and great care must be taken to monitor our surroundings in every direction. This ice is not as thick as it used to be many years ago..

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when cracks appear they must be marked, watched and people make the necessary adjustments. move the tents or stay where we are. Each week the tent must be taken down and moved as the wood will sink into the ice form the heat from the stove.
All trash is carefully controlled, nothing is left out on that ice pack. This is home and it is treated as such, except with one minor exception. "going to the bathroom" out here is an experience that is just so cold to accomplish. and women must take extra precaution because men are men no matte which part of the world we live in.. and everyone out here.. has "binoculars". so find a huge piece of ice to go behind. and hide.. look around very carefully, make your "deposit" and leave that area. and of course it is a great distance away from the tent areas. but the cold bare experience is something that just can't be put into words.. it hurts.!! damn cold !!
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Walking around out here, gave me a way to generate body heat, as sitting in one lodcation for hours and hours each and every day was quite boring.. I needed to get warm. and thus I had to move around.

My problem was my fingers and my hands I just could not keep them warm and it hurt terribly when I had to take my glvoes off to try and change that film.. Oh no .. oh this is gonna hurt and it is going to take hours for my hands to return to some sort of normal.

I suffered greatly,.. .. only because I was stubborn and I just would not listen to what they told me to do. Yuk. .I am not going to do that.. and as such I was continually getting frost bite on my hands and fingers. 'This is why your nose runs so much,when it is cold out.. use it !! No !! .. yuk !"

Then the day arrived when that wind was so furious, we are out heer in the middle of a huricane. and this wind hurts so much. I had no choice. because I had no movment ablities for anhy of myu fingers, they were numb with pain and they just would not move or warm up. so I was forced to finally do what they kept telling me to do.. Use your kakiik that is the eskimo word for the multicolored stuff that comes out of your nose.

We call it snot. I call it a multi colored "clam" !!

Take your gloves off ??? and blow your nose into your hands, now rub it all over your hands and fingers.. QUICKLY, now put your gloves back on.............WoWoW !!! Instantly.. I mean instantly, my hands were warm, my fingers were moving and there was aboslutly no pain when they warmed up which was instantly.. .. .. and.. .. they can't get cold for the rest of the day.!!! Whoa !!! for the first time.. I got a huge smile on my face and I had everyone laughing again.

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wow what a great adventure and wonderful story can't wait to read more,so educational thanks ever so much for sharing with us.

Continue this and I'll be able to drop one of my magazine subscription. This is totally fascinating.

Thank you for your coments and I promise you, to keep you spell bound on the edge of your seat. I

These women work so incredbily hard all day - "all long day long " this is no easy task to cook for a whaling crew. The Captain 8 hunters, a boyer, and 3 - 5 women to do all of this work every day, no pay, just to eat... that is all your going to get out of this.. The right to eat. That is all these people want !! Leave us alone !
No agency, No commission, No person, No one has the right to tell these people you may not eat your food !!
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Japan last year harvested 1000 whales for scientific research. they kept all the meat, and threw the rest away.. (the important part).. this is a criminal actl despite the warnings and such from the International Whaling commission, nothing was done and Japan is at it again this year.

the people of Point Hope managed to harvest just 3 small whales to feed over 800 people and that is not enough to feed this village for the whole year..

What is wrong with this warped formula ? We are under a quota system..

we now play baseball.. 3 strikes and your out.! go home, you cannot eat your food, and we have to obey !! There is no one out on that ice watching us.. but we obey.

In 1982 A federal team of biologists were in the village to partake of a cenus of the bowhead population.

Isn't Greenpeace a lovely world organization.? They go so far out of the way to lie, and cheat to promote their way.
In Boston Mass in 1983 I was there, with my albumn, Stop the Eskimo's from hutning and killing whales. There are only 250 Right Whales leftl ! Stop the Eskimo's !!

I went into to visit greenpiece.. er excuse me.. Isn't a right whale, the same thing as a bowhead whale. ?? Er .. " Well yes it is !" I showed them my album. they kicked me out !

These biologists that were sent to the village to take this cencus with all of their sophisticated equipment.. was a complete joke !!

In a one months time, they counted 15,000 whales !! They did not take into account how many whales migrated before they arrived. They did not take into account how many whales mirgrated after they left and they only conted the whales they could lsee.

The elders scoffed at that figure 15,000 there is more like 200,000 is the true estimate ! We see these whales each and every year. and some of what I am about to tell you about the whale will astound you, and make you sit up and take notice and THINK !!!

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That is a lot of cooking to accomplish, In such a tiny place, to prepare food for that many people, every day, 4 - 5 times a day, for two whole months !! There is no kitchen sink, inside of that tent. and everything has to be washed and cleaned. Even the plywood on that floor is cleaned every single morning.



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Each week this tent must be moved to a new location. The tent begins to sink into the ice frm the heat from that wood stove. Everything is broken down, the tent moved and the stove pipes must be cleaned out from all the soot that piles up inside of them.

This is no easy task and the boyers job and the job of children is to clean these pipes out, by filling them with snow, repeatidly, which accomplishes this easy but necessary task.
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If you get that tent too hot, put a little bit too much "sicpan" inside of that stove and it is very easy to burn down that tent. I have never seen any boyer burn down a tent, but I have seen two captains burn down their tent. too much wood, or too much sicpan, that will be all that it takes to cause that tent to catch on fire.!

anything can happen out here, Polar bears are a very big problem, we do not hunt the polar bear, they are too dangerous and extremly unpredictable. In fact, each month, certain women must get off the ice and head back to town, YOU present too much of a danger for all of us out here. ..get off the ice, go home, come back in a week, or so.

these animals have a very strong unique sense of smell. and sight !
a polar bear can smell the presence of blood, from many miles away. We aer always on guard from attaks from these magnificent animals. There is so much you do not know about a polar bear .!!



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although they look so beautiful and magnificent, they are ferocious beasts of prey and they will eat anything they can sink their teeth into.

Time to "pause" here.

Well lets pause here for a moment, (pun intended)

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Danger warning: POLAR BEARS are not soft cuddly cute animals, they are ferocious beasts of prey that are extremly dangerous and very unpredictable.

There is much you do not know about these animals, this short segment will teach you much about this magnificent animal, that should never be underestimated.

ALL bears.. .. are left handed, they will always strike with the left PAW first!

Even after a polar bear has been killed, that bear can still kill that hunter if he is not careful when that bear is opened up.
The liver must be burnt and destroyed, anything that eats this will die!
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Admiral Perry on his expedition to the North Pole lost 3 members of his crew due to attempting to eat a polar bears liver, It is saturated with millions of units of Vitamin A. This is extremly toxic and deadly.
when that bear has been opened up for gutting, skinning, etc.. A hunter must be extremly careful, not to get any of that "juice' on himself, gloves must be worn. Great care must be taken when cutting the liver out of the animal. the tubes must be tied to prevent leakage of this "JUICE" it contains tooo much, Vitamin A and just by getting some on your skin it will kill you!

When the hunter is finished with the procedure of gutting that animal, any clothing that has "juice" on it must be burned and destroyed !

Barrow Alaska 1940's Vincent Niigak was gutting a bear, and all was well and finished, His gloves were removed and burnt. His hands were cold and he brought up his hands to warm them by blowing on them close to his mouth. Unknown to him at the time of this event. The tiny-est speck of juice touched his lip.

He Lived to tell about it in a very unusual way. He lived for many decades but he stood out in a most peculiar way.

Eskimo's are darkskinned and with black hair. Vincent's appearance was white as snow. His skin, his hair. ALBINO. pure white skin, pure white hair. Everything was bleached white by that small miniscule amount of vitamin A on his skin.

Everyone in Barrow knows of this famous hunter, He died in the late 1980s I believe. I have never had the pleasure to meet this famous man, but many have told me the same story in each and every village. His claim to fame was well known all over the area.

A polar bear can run at speeds of over 40 miles per hour, they can attack without notice, out on the ocean ice. They are ferocious predators. Each month, certain women must get off the ice. go home. come back later in a week or so. get off the ice. you present too much of a danger out here for everyone.
That bear can smell blood for many miles, these bears are extremly clever and will stop at nothing to eat, anything.

Seals are their main food supply. A bear will sit over a breathing hole in the ice and cover his nose and eyes with its paws, and wait for a seal to surface to breathe. One quick look around by the seal, and it is all over,.. ... ... .. burp!

BILLLY WEBER WAS OUT ON THE OCEAN ICE; and a polar bear came around the corner and ran towards Billy at full speed.
Billy turned and ran. he had a .22 rifle with only one bullet left. he took off running, he had no choice but to run.. that bear was gaining on Billly as he ran for his life. Other hunters out on the ice saw this event unfold, but were too far away to offer any assistance. There is only one place to shoot a polar bear to kill it.
that one vital spot is in the ear. While running for his life, with that bear quckly gaining on Billy he merly pointed that rifle back as he ran and took the shot.. .. ..
.. .. Billy lived to tell about this and everyone up here knows of this famous event.

That bear was that close, because Billy waited, and waited until the last possible second to point it at the ear and take the shot while on the run. That bear went down.

A very close personal friend in Point Lay Alaska, My electrical apprentice, Charles Stalker Jr. III was not so lucky. A polar bear was going after his pregnent girl friend. Charles distracted that bear away from her, and armed with only a knife, and a very thin jacket, that bear literallly cut him in half with the swing from the left paw. The villagers came out and blasted that very skinny bear, but much of Charles had already been eaten. Dec. 1990 sob!

1950's Allan Rock was out on the ocean ice. Same predicament.. A polar bear was charging him, armed with only a large knife, Allan was successful and jumping on that bears back and taking him down the hard way.!!!!!

During the 1970's it was LEGAL for the white man to hunt the polar bear in Alaska.
A permit had to be obtained and it was good for only one day. The cost of the permit was 10,000 dollars, This practice had to be discontinued because too many of the great white hunters were shooting polar bears from the planes they chartered.

Polar beat meat is the most delicious meat I have ever tasted in my life.
It is jet black, grainy like old gnarled wood, but it is so sweet and tender, 10 times better than the best prime rib I have ever tasted. In fact it was the ONLY time I had ever asked for seconds at a meal, and all at once everyone responded NO!

Scientists are puzzled at all the recent drownings of polar bears. They say it is because of the huge distances between ice packs, that the bear cannot swim that far. That is not the real reason for bears drowning, no.
The real reason for their drownings is they have no fear, they will attack a sleeping walrus on the ocean ice. A walrus will sleep on its back with head back revealing the vital neck region. when that bear pounces on that walrus, the walrus merely lowers its tusks around the bears head and rolls over into the water bringing the bear down to huge depths !

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Polar Bears were recently put on the endangered species list and then quickly taken off that list. We are only allowed to take them down as a last resort to protect innocent lives here in the village. Each year a few bears will enter the village. Bears stay on the ocean ice pack, sometimes they wander into town.
We do our very best to get them out of town, back onto the ocean ice. Sometimes
that is not possible and we have to take them down quick, due to the fact there are children outside in the village. This year three bears entered town, two of those bears had to be taken down quickly, as they were trying to gain access into homes.. A mother with three cubs entered town.. We were successfull in getting that mother and those cubs, out of town back onto the ocean ice.

The bear and the meat is the responsibility of the hunter, the skin is worked on by the women. It takes many women to perform a "Native Tan" on the skin using very sharp Ulu knives. This can take as much as ten hours or more.

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These women work hard to scrape that skin clean, this is not an easy task to accomplish. Sally Killigvuk, the mother of the hunter with the polar bear. Elizabeth Oviok (postmaster) work hard with these other women. Six - Eight women will spend the entire day, working on this skin, when that skin is cleaned, then it is put into the ocean, tied up to soak for a week or two, then it is placed up on a rack in the strong north winds to dry, for many months.

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Well we live a simple life in a very dangerous place, under the harshest conditions known to man on the entire face of the earth. We would not have it any other way.
Believe it or not, YOU are all invited to take part in whaling festival next June in Point Hope !! A three day non-stop event held every year (coming soon).
J.J. Russell Lane, displays the skin of his very first polar bear.
J.J. caught two whales this year! His first, and His second.
Khristopher Nashookpuk caught these two bears, in fact his girlfriend took down the big one.!!
http://majikimaje.com/JJ.JPG

http://majikimaje.com/2brnbears.jpg

http://majikimaje.com/beardpg.jpg

Well I truely hope that you found this all "bear-y" interesting !

Lots more to come, lets go back to the ocean ice and see what happens when a whale is received !! :thumbsup:

you leave us speechless with anticipation.

I thought I knew a lot about bears, but this has been an eye opener. I always knew polar bears were much more dangerous than grizzly bears, because they will actually hunt men, including tracking them. However, I never realized they were all southpaws. Also, that part about the vitamin A was totally fascinating. Here is what I learned since.

"Vitamin A originates in marine algae, and then passes up the food chain to reach the large carnivorous animals. Toxic levels of Vitamin A may accumulate in the livers of a wide range of creatures such as Polar bears, seals, porpoises, dolphins, sharks, whales, Arctic foxes and huskies."

Please, keep the photos and story coming. I'm enjoying and absorbing every word. :thumbsup:

Seems like I have seen this very same post on a different forum a few months ago. Nice work, looks like you have added a few images since.

High in the Arctic .. .. Eskimo !! has been posted on over 40 forums on the internet. Each one is a little bit different. each one was hand typed except for two chapters. Pause for polar bears, and what is an Igloo !

A book is in the works. I want the movie. and the hard part is getting George Carlin to play my part. he is the only person that closely resembles my personality !!

I am just an electrican who fell in love with photography many decades ago. I know nothing about writing and such and this affords me much practice learning how to acomplish this huge task.

It sure is a lot of work, and it keeps my very busy. I have so much to do. and this is my way of preparing to make the story and all of the different images FIT !

I have so many hundreds of images that have not been scanned into the computer yet. I have perhaps six months work just to accomplish this task.

If you would like to see all of these images without the story behind them. that is possible now. they are located here.

What I am about to explain to you will sound preposterous. but it is true.. Irma Oktollik will explain it all much later. but in essence.. we do not hunt that whale. we wait for that whale to give itself over to the captain of its choice.!!

so.. we wait.. out on the ice. for signs of animals migrating.

http://majikimaje.com/images/SUNROCK.JPG

This image was created precisely at midnight in mid May. Rex Rock Whaling Captain (umailiaq) - whaling captain is scanning the horizon at midnight in search of signs of animals migrating through the lead opening.

Sit, wait, watch, look & listen. this is what we do all day long, day in and day out for many many weeks. it would be boring for you. perhaps but this is just the most exciting time of the year.

http://majikimaje.com/images/Jake2.jpg
My Captain, Jake Koonuk (umailiaq) he was the person who made this all possible.
That seal skin is stuffed with "air" it is "Avatakpak" it is used in much the same manner as a bobber is used in fishing. There is 200 feet of thick rope attached to that "float". It is the #2 person's job in that umiaq to make sure that the rope does not pull anyone or the captain out of that boat when a whale has been harpooned !
Jake told me.. '" the truth must be told" Wow. now I know why I am here. and what I have to do.

John denver paid a visit to this village in 1976. and on the toinght show with Johnny Carson he told some bold faced lies and hurt these people in many ways,
some of which you will find terribly disturbing.!! I just had to do something, and all I can do is try.. .. to attend a closed meeting of the whaling captains in Barrow. This meeting is CLOSED. you must be a Umailiaq . a whaling captain to gain access to this meeting. Whaling captains only.. a Captains wife is Umailiaq also ! she is at that meeting also. this is serious !!

Now for more of the bizarre.. when this first whale hunt finished. I had no water to process this film. .I did this all myself. I could not let any lab have these images.. no.. too many of them have been stolen by huge famous corporations here in alaska..

British Petrolium stole 75 of my best images !! Graphix Art publishing company in Portland Oregon hosted this rip of and laughed in my face about it. They did publish a book called Alaska's Arctic my six images start at page 128

The house I was living in had no water, no running water, no water period. I had to attempt something that I had never done, and I had to take a chance, I used snow as my water source to process 60 rolls of vericolor film.. and this was quite a chore. TONS of snow had to be melted. and it was not what I thought it would be. when the snow was melted, the water was full of debris, animal hairs, soot and paper bits and other stuff that had to be strained throu towles many times. but the water still had a yelowish tinge to it.

27 years later, these negatives are still in pristne condition !! how do you effetively wash color film with no running water ? I had to devise a system that would work on the first attempt at this new process. But I had to do something. and I was going to make an album of 100 11 x 14 images to try and present at that closed meeting in Barrow. I worked feverishly around the clock to try and get this done. This was months of incredibly hard work to do all of this in such a make shift color darkroom, with no water source.

I finished this album (7 of them) with just days to spare and I hopped on a plane at considerable expense and flew to barrow. The day of this meeting arrived and I am excited. I know I am up against incredible odds of ever gaining access to this closed meeting with the International Whaling commission, The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission and 2 state senators and many other very important people.

I just have to try. I am walking to this meeting, in downlown Barrow and my foot hits a piece of ice and I slip and go completly horizontal. the album flies into the air and lands hard, breaking both front and back covers and the pages are all scattered all over the street in mud. I sat there and cried like a liltle baby.. got uup and decieded to see what I can do to reach this meeting.. I am a total mess, mud all over me.. the album is ruined.. pages with mud on them and all torn and messy.. Itook my jacket off and clean up the pages as well as possible and arrainged them . I have a mess in my hands. I am covered in mud.. I walk into this meeting adn I am immeditely thrown out. physically.

Outside.. I gain my compsure and try to thin what can I do.. I walk back in and again I am trhown out physically.. Oh this is serious. I need help !!!.. ... .. .. "thanks you : ! I take a deep breath.. I gotta do something differernt.. and I walk back in.. here they come.. and as they are about to grab me for the third time. I opened the album and I screamed out.. You need these photographs.!!! after much whispering, I was allowed in and was able to get up on that podiium and present my case. in Inupiaq and in english. I apologized for my unruly appearance. and the condition of the album.. I assured them a new identical album would be sent on the very next plane.

I thanked the very kind Native people for allowing me in and to state my case.. NO Commission, no agency, no group,no one, no government may have that authority to say.. you may not eat !! come and sit out on this ice and say that !! you would never last 1 hour !!! This is brutal weather. and there is no place to go, to warm up !!!
I flew back to the village, very depressed at the outcome of my experience in Barrow.

A few days later, this arrived in the mail.

http://majikimaje.com/images/AEWC.jpg

It doesn't matter in which whaling camp you visit, everything is in the exact same place. These are time test methods dating back hundreds of years and this tradition of living out on the ocean ice pack dates back many THOUSANDS of years. This culture must not ever perish. We have so much to learn from these unique people.. now for the sad part.
http://majikimaje.com/images/TENT.JPG

Point Hope used to have a population of over 10,000 Inuuiaq Eskimo's .. .. then the whaling compaines arrived and the population was reduced .. .. through greed, disease and mass starvation.. .. this village was reduced to just 190 people..

The U. S. goverment tried their best to wipe out the remaining people of this village. they were going to detonate a nuclear bomb close to the village to create a deep water port or harbor. they had no intentios of ever telling the people.. nah !! they are not important.. !!

It only took one rock to stop the whole shameful thing !! (Howard Rock was the one person responsible.) want proof ??? GOOGLE:: project chariot

The government was succesffully STOPPED from carrying out this barbaric sensless perverted idea. BUT. then the people of Point Hope were given most unique present with no warning.. the radio active waste was buried all over their hunting ground to see what effect it would have on the people and its enviroment.


BASTARDS !!.. 300 OF MY CLOSEST friends are now dead. all died young because of the rampant spread of cancer throughout this village. The government again denies this and states it is because of tobacco use!!

People that don't even smoke.. have cancer.. and nothing can be done about this incredible travesty of justice of North America's Oldest people.. sob ..!!

The Whale bone graveyard is the most famous graveyard in the world. There is only one !

http://majikimaje.com/images/wbgy.jpg

and very few people are aware, of what put all of these people in this graveyard.. it was the "white man" and his ways !!


I can't begin to describe what it feels like to walk in here, (sob).. the names of over 300 people I knew so intimately.. everyname was a very close personal friend.!!!!
Imagine walking into any graveyard anyplace and you recognise and know the names of everyone on those head markers.. the feeling ??? it can't possibly be put into words.

John Denver should have been tried, and put into jail and hung for what he did to these people..
all in the name of greenpeace activisim.. deception - lies and anything is "right' as long as their means are achieved.

I was in "Boston when I saw this on TV on that episode of the tonight show. I became very upset at some of the things Mr. Denver was talking about. It just didn't make sense to me.. He complained about the children.. how they trashed his private air-plane. and cut up the tires and how expensive it was to fix and get out of that village. what he conviently left out, was the fact that the children were furious at what he did to their parents !! They took revenge !! and rightly so.. (IMHO) Jo-Jo Omnick was out on the tundra, for over three days, running around, thinking he was a caribou.. Jo-Jo thought they were giving him candy, chocolate mesculine.. cocaine, alcohol, pot was brought in by Mr. Denvers crew to bribe these captains to let mr. Denver take his TV crew out to the ocean ice.. The captains said no!.. Destruction and deception is what took place.. just to get his way so he could "help the people in their plight to hunt their food.. THEN.. Mr. Denver SAID the biggest bold face lie ever when he says.." they caught a whale and just left it there to rot.".

no no no no no no not ever !! would that ever happen in ten thousand years. No matter who much work is involved . these people are ONE with that whale. Their whole world revolves aruond that whale, It takes a whole year, just to get ready to go whaling, theer is just so much work to be done. The world just doesn't understand what is involved here. this is my goal, . to get this message out to the entire world before.. these people perish..

This unique oldest lifestyle / culture is on the brink of extinction. all because of agencies and lies, and mis-information. The ocean has no shortage of animals, it is us humans that have a shortage of people capable of telling the truth any longer.!!

We will pay 50,000,000 for the "head" of one person.. but we will kill and lie and kill our own people and not give a dam about it one bit !!!

I came here for just 3 weeks to wire a construction camp, but I met a group of people unlike anyhthing I had ever encountered ever anywhere in my whole life and that was 30 years ago and I have no desire to ever leave the Arctic.. it is paradise for sure.


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/ice-design.jpg

Well ya just gotta stop and say to yourself. how did this ever.. .. "just haqppen" how ??

that is one of the beautiful things about the Arctic.. beauty is everywhere. if you look !!!

When the Makah nation wanted to exercise their treaty rights to hunt whales a few years ago, all the protesters would say that they don't understand why they needed to hunt whales.
I don't think people should protest something they don't understand.

"The relationship between Makah and whales is very old. Ozette deposits dating from 2,000 years ago hold humpback and gray whale bones and barbs from harpoons. The relationship is also very recent. The Makah Tribe resumed whale hunting under international and domestic law, and on May 17, 1999, harvested their first whale in 70 years" A quote from their home page.

Well it doesn't seem that these people depend on that whale to live as the Inupiaq people do. Barrow Alaska is allowed 50 whales each year,, and they get all 50 every year ..

Point Hope is the only village that does it the old traditonal manner. and it is at least 1000 years older. 2000 years older than Barrow Alaska !!

chances are, these two are related Pt. Hope & Makah because most all villages in alaska were founded by people from Point Hope.. Greenland was founded by the same people so chances are these are some that went south instad of further north..

This has been the most enjoyable thread I have read on any forum...What a blessing....And to think it was done on film...Those images are incredible...

I had so much fun out here on the ice, creating images of people, and I gave everyone in the villaqe, all their own photos for free.

this turned out to be the wisest thing I ever did. I knew what I had for images, I did not need their money, I needed their trust.

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/abe.jpg


This has to be a first. creating images out on that ice, and then delivering them many hours later down to the lead. for everyone to see!

http://majikimaje.com/images/RAY2.JPG

GORGEOUS color enlargements 11 x 14

since then, Jacques cousteau, BBC London, Paramount studios have tried to gain access to this village. they were all blocked and denied and asked to leave the village !!

I have carte blanche in any village from Kotzebue up to Barrow and beyond.

Everyone that comes up here, only wants to "take" I wanted to give !!

All I can say is what a fantastic and incredible thread! The pictures are absolutely fantastic, and the stories behind them are incredible.

Thank you so much for sharing this. It is absolutely unfathomable what has been done and the whole project chariot... just plain F'%#$% scary. Look how far we have come along... after reading about that, I don't think very far at all in retrospect.

It is nice to see the other side of things, from someone that is not just a visitor, but someone who has been a part of the culture and has lived it. Myself would have been reluctant to "blow my nose into my hands, massage it in, and put my gloves back on" but now, I don't think I would be.

This has been a eye-opener, and a fantastic learning experience. Your example of wanting to give back is something that is all to rare today. Thanks again so much for sharing.

Cheers,
Greg

Well to tell the truth. I sorta got used to that way of keeping my hands warm(er) with no problems of pain and such.

While working in Prudhoe Bay, many years later, I would often sneak and hide and do what had to be done. I guess I got caught. ha ha. (chuckle). when I went into the lunch room, everyone gotup from the table and moved. After I got up from the floor, from laughng so hard I explained what was going on. At first they all looked at me in the same discusted manner thatyou felt, when you first read those words. ewww!!

Let me explain something, it is impossible for you to comprehend; now matter how much imagination you possess.

Get on a snowmachine, when it is 60 below zero, head straight into that wind that is blowing @ 80 mph and travel @ 100 mph for hundreds of miles.

You have no idea what that feels like on your face ! It is just like someone is moving a razor blade on your face or skin. I have seen hunters many times, that have come back into the village after being out there for weeks at a time. the black burn marks on their faces, as though someone had used a propane torch and this skin is all burnt and black in a straight line, where they didin't get enough kakiik on that part of the face !!

It takes many, many months for that skin to heal. and they never complain. that's the part that I can't understand. These people have every reason, every right, buty they just never. such happy happy people.



Children are our most important precious valuable resource.

The imaginations of these children playing are just so priceless.

is just undescribeable.

You cannot keep them inside. no matter what these temps are.

I just love watching them and capturing them while they are just doing their thing !!

I just never know what "treasures" that I am going to "capture". I am filled with anticipaton as I come around a corner of the ice. or here in town as walk past a house. I walk until I hear "voices" and here in the arctic that can be a great distance away.

This place is just so quiet. .. that when two people are speaking to each other (provided the wind is calm). 1/4 of a mile away. you can hear them !

and it was just such a day. when I was walking through the village and I could hear children yelling in excitment. they were speaking in Inupiaq, but I clearly understood everything that they had said. Killiak Killimak, (hurry up, hurry up) samma (look I show you), Agviq !! (whale)!

I came around the corner of a house I was walking past, and this is what came into view -=[click]=- these children are actually going after that imaginary whale,! This is their whole life. This is all that is important in life. Getting ready, for that next hunt, as it takes a whole year, just to get ready, there is just so much to do. In the beginninig of this thread you saw an umiaq being brought down to the lead opening and it was on .. a sled !!

these children copy & mimick every detail; of that which they see their parents do.

It is 9:00 a.m. Easter sunday Morning and the temp is 40 below. This is our #1 best selling image for 20 years.

http://majikimaje.com/images/dual.jpg

Again, I am walking, whew, lots & lots of walking, this must be the reason I am still alive. so much difficult walking out on that ocean ice. I hear.. .. "children.. giggling, behind some huge ice wall I am walking past. I came into view and there she was whoa !! Daisy !

The girl on the far left Rachel Koonuk laughs as she says.. "wanna see me eat snow" ?

Daisy Della Fay Koonuk - close cousin to Rachel, and Doreen Long is in the middle. It is more than 30 below here. and these children will play out all day long, all night long, (may)because if you stay out in that sun, you easily become solar powered and it is so easy to say awake and alert for 3 days or longer. No one knows which day of the week it is out here and no one cares. but those 8 weeks are packed with lots of fun.

http://majikimaje.com/images/eatsnow.jpg

Children.. I just love to capture children, naturally, and some of my very best; most powerful images are of "children" of all ages !!

Back on page one, YOU SAW; a little girl, cleaning some dirty stove pipes for the tent.



http://majikimaje.com/images/NANCY.jpg


she is only ten years old. I was watching her older sister cut up some whale blubber (MAKTAK) muck tuck) A = ah "blubber" flammable fat" !!

This is what these people crave. this is what life is all about, food ! and giving thanks to the creator of all things.

http://majikimaje.com/images/MORTON SALT.JPG

burp ! I walked over to Kathy, we are 7 miles out on the ice. she is sitting on the seat of a snowmachine, I asked if I could create a photograph of her, with my camera, she smiled

I knew what I wanted before I ever approached her. but how to achieve this with her. I brought the camera up to compose and she began to smile, I brought the camera down and said No ! Please do not do that. I am not even here. you cannot even see me, I want you to look riht past me and through me. I brought that camera up and asked for my additional help !! ( always do this) and I wait, there it is,, yes yes yes ! -=[click]=-
I spent 1/2 hour talking to this child.. .. and I only exposed one frame of film !
http://majikimaje.com/images/KR.jpg

I knew what I had just seen, Aningnah !! (oh so pretty).!!

so many people in other forums have pm me and said. you shouldn't have cut the top of her fur ruff off. (chuckle) !! Excuse me, I am the creator of this image and as such I did not want that extra bit of nothing in this image, enough of it was there, the full focus of this image is that look in her face and eyes.

This is our # 2 best selling image. .

If I type in the word IGLOO no doubt you have heard that word, but do you know what an IGLOO IS ? I sincerly doubt that very much, you think an IGLOO is built out of snow or ice.. that is a myth ! that simply is not true, NOT FOR ALASKA EVER!

First of all, in the Inupiaq language there are no O's or E's. Therefore the correct spelling of THAT WORD is Iglu

Iglu = one dwelling place.

Iglut = two dwelling places.

Igluk = three or more dwellings.

ever since the begining of time thousands of years ago, The Inupiaq people have always constructed an iglu out of whale bones and sod ! These ancient ruins are all over the place and still visible here today. and in many villages. From Kotzebue just over the Arctic circle clear up to Barrow and beyond, Kaktovik

This is an Iglu, this broken down "condo" once had electricity running to it. The service drop is on the left hand side. one of the porclean insulators is still visible. :rolleyes:

http://majikimaje.com/igloo2.jpg

When covered with snow, the inside of these dwellings were quite protected from
the elements of the constant never ending strong Arctic winds.

http://majikimaje.com/iglu3.jpg

As you can easily see, there is quite a bit of room in some of these old units. Some of them were very long with rooms off to the side. Large families lived in these dwellings for 2,600 years and some of the old ancient ruins are still visible here today as the wind and erosion, uncovers earth and sod to display the ancient bones dug deep into the permafrost many thousands of years ago!

http://majikimaje.com/ENTER.JPG

All over the OLD TOWN SITE, ruins are still visible and more are becoming visible each year, The village of Point Hope had to be moved 2.5 miles south in the late 70's due to flooding. That is still a major problem today, we are only about 12 feet above sea level, one huge wave and we are all fish food!


http://majikimaje.com/ots02.JPG

Bones are everywhere, and they have significant meanings and uses !

and of course.. .. stories !


Bones.. .. .. what is there to say about .. "bones" ?

Well usually a subject not many would find interesting, except up here, because of the "varied" use of bones. A lot can be said and shown to explain many things and uses for "bones".

The whalebone graveyard has jaw bones from many whales collected over many thousands of years.

Nothing is ever wasted by the Inupiaq peoples. Jaw bones from whales mark grave sites and cermonial festival sites.

The last chief of Point Hope (1920s era) is buried here. Atangorak.

http://majikimaje.com/BONES.jpg

The whale bone graveyard is 1 mile away in the distance, yes it is that far away from this, grave which as you notice, for some reason is not among the people of Point Hope. He was not considered a nice person. He had six wives and took another man's wife for his # 7 th wife. He was murdered shortly there after. all of his six wives are buried here also !

Jaw bones from a whale of that whaling captain are always used to mark their grave sites with the biggest whale that captain has ever "received".

Kamaktoaq is a cermonial festival site used once a year @ whaling festival which is held each June, if we have been successful in receiving a whale.
Point Hope used to have more than 20 clans, before the whaling companies arrived here. Now we have just two clans left. Kamaktoaq & Unisigsicauq.

http://majikimaje.com/KAMAKTOAQs.jpg

Back to the ocean ice :

back out on the ocean ice.. these tents have to be moved each week because of the heat from the wood stove will cause the plly wood to sink down deep into the ice.. time to move and set up a new camp site at or very near the same location.

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/2tents.jpg

fIRST THING that must be done, is get some new water for cleaning & washing. this is always done using snow. But which "type" of snow. In the U.S. we have one word, for that white stuff, that falls out of the sky landing on the ground. "Snow"! But in the Inupiaq language, that word is not enough. There are many different types of snow and as such in this world, you need to know exactly which type of snow your talking about. up here, this is very important.
There are over 100 words in Inupiaq, to describe this white stuff ! There is also special methods to use to get "clean snow" for washing dishes and cleaning, not any type snow will do. it must be very clean.to find this type snow. you must walk and find some very hard snow and knock of the top crust, then down deep is your clean snow.

When placed into this pot. we do not want to waste time, melting it several times. Melting it once is what we need.So to accomplish this. the snow has to be compressed as much as possible. A big pot of snow does not equal that much useable water to work with. This chore is done, all day long constantly we need much water for washing dishes, and cleaning other items.




Once the tent is all set back up. we need water immediately. but first the new floor must be put down. four sheets of plywood at least are used and they must be washed first before putting them into place.

A ten foot sled is against the wall, covered in caribou skins. At least 3 sleds are required for each camp. One for the hunters at the edgeof the ice.
one for the inside of the tent and one for going back and forth to town to get more supplies and equipment.


This is your arctic kitchen. miles out on the ocean ice pack for 8 weeks !!!

Time to cook for 15 people in here.

these people laugh and have so much fun, even in the most difficult of conditions


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/TENT.jpg

I was a boyer on the Oktolliks crew for three years. I was amazed and exhausted from all the work that had to be done, during the night time.
and I am replacing a 3 year old or a very young boys job and responsibility ! How they do this is beyond me. I was all thumbs. There is not much room here to work with and at least two or three women are sleeping in here. Once the women are awake and they do not need a boyers help any longer, that boyer is allowed to go to sleep at the back of the tent on the left side. It was just such a morning when I was told.. go to sleep. when I woke up some 3 -4 hours later. my eyes focused on the back of that tent wall. all I could see was red blood all over that canvas. blink blink I wasn't sure what I was looking at but it was blood. I moved my hands in front of my face and their was blood all over them. I bolted straight up sitting in that area looking at my hands and grabbing my body and clothes all over the place as fast as I could, to find the area of pain. There was none. I looked over at the cooks and I ust know they could see the question marks coming out of my head floating upward. Instantly they broke into that high pitched hysterical laughter that is heard all over the place out here constantly.
Calvin was out on the ice. hunting ducks, he shot one, and it flew right into the tent and was flapping all over me while I was sleeping. I was in such a deep sleep. I never felt anything. but that story was told up and down the ice and in every village, news travels very fast up here.


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/tent-clean.jpg

Out here, thre is just one thing we cannot do without. It is in every camp site. It is mandantory out here. but it is not allowed down near the lead opening where the hunters live.


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/TENT01.jpg


when the tent is moved, everything is broken down, the wood stove has to be off and cooled down to move.
The stove pipes must be cleaned out as the soot is thick in side. Buring wood all day long, all night long for a week, coats the inside of these pipes, with a very thick layer of this soot (pualar)

this is a very dirty job to do, but it you do this correctly, the process of using snow to clean out these pipes works perfectly in fact it is so easy to clean these, that children are given this important chore to do each week.

Just make sure your wearing "old" gloves. scoop up a pipe full of snow, and empty it out. simple as that Keep repeating this simple procedure until the snow comes out clean. then the pipes are ready to connect to the tent / stove and fire it back up again.

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice...stovepipes.jpg

There she is. Cleaing stove pipes. do you recognize who that little child is ? That is Kathy Rock.. the young girl in the begining of this thread.

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice...tovepipes2.jpg

Here they come "ducks" what can I say about duck hunting. ha ha..(chuckle)

Two hunters were at the old town site. hunting ducks, waiting and two flew over in range of the shotguns. This is a true verifiable story. with any of these stories all you need is person's name and Point Hope Ak. 99766

that letter will reach that person. two hunters raised their rifles and one of them squeezed that trigger. One duck fell. The other duck did a nose dive straight towards that hunters house. (very few "shacks in this area) as that duck was diving towards that hunters house, he took careful aim as that duck was flying down down down. BOOM he missed. as that duck was seen climbing high back up into the sky, the hunter had just successfully shot.. his dog!

dem dux shore bee smart!!


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/Irma-ducks.jpg

Delicous fresh duck soup, prepared out here daily, for many weeks.


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/2ducks.jpg

although there is a lot of work out here to do..
Children are used to accomplish some of the simple
chores. this is hard work none the less and every so often
you just gotta take a break !!


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/JESSE.jpg

Some of the food is cooked outside if possible and always on the south side of the tent as the wind whips all over the place out here. There is only so much room inside that tent and many coleman stoves plus the wood stove are used all day long for a lot of difficult hard work.

washing dishes out here. is a huge chore also. Nothing comes easy out here.


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/cooking2.jpg


Aquaq is getting ready to make caribou soup. tuttu is the name for caribou ("2 - 2 ")is the sound that word makes.
Caribou meat is delicious, it has no fat in it.. If you grind up 3 pounds and fry it.. when finished there is less than 1/2 teaspoon of fat. Caribou tastes much like beef, depending on how you cook it.

but it is delicious.

There is a house here in town, that always has a dozen caribou sitting on top of that small roof.

A tiny frozen fossilized "steak" in this town from the store.. is over 17 dollars. with a family of ten people it is impossible to feed that family at those outragous prices when you do not have a job.
one of the herds up here above the Arctic circle have more than 400,000 animals !!

there are less than 15,000 Inupiaq eskimos above the arctic circle.

http://majikimaje.com/AQUAQ.JPG

It is 20 below zero. does she look cold ? she is.. but it is only for a very short time.. and that "tingle" on your skin is very refreshing at times when working inside the crowded tent area.



http://majikimaje.com/collection/vil...anes-house.jpg

http://majikimaje.com/ADD/CAMP2.JPG

Beluga whales have been caught and divided and quickly brought back to the village for the elders as shares.
Beluga whale looks almost exactly like a dolphin. They are (maktauk) (muck tock) instead of Maktak. (muck tuck)

Fresh beluga is delicious when boiled and eaten with "mustard" ! It is grey in color and I enjoy beluga much more so than whale. Although I am from back east in Boston I still miss the food from back east.! Pizza !, fried clams and steamers and lobster.!

Alaska King Crab is a delicacy and is much sought after but visitors. It is one of the main foods that tourists crave. Salmon, King crab, are just two of the food items tourists search for when arriving in Anchorage.

http://majikimaje.com/600/BOAT08.jpg

1 A.M. in the morning and this crew is ready to head out. Something seems to be happening and more and more umiaqs are leaving the camps to head out south.

I am not aware of what is going on, I just notice that people are leaving.

and a lot of conversation is going on that I am not understanding

http://majikimaje.com/600/TRIPOD_TENT.jpg
A world of ice, in all directions, except for the narrow lead opening which grows and opens wider and sometimes closes when that wind shifts.

http://majikimaje.com//600/TENT.jpg

http://majikimaje.com/600/REX.jpg
Twenty-Four hours a day, sitting, watching, looking, waiting, days on end, NO SLEEP. The wind is constant, it is strong, it is cold, each "" day "" is the same. Whcih day of which week of which month is irrelevant, it doesn't matter, nothing matters except to accomplish the work, to obtain FOOD...

no pay... no unemployment.. .. no funds.. .. no sponsers.. .. .. it takes a whole year, just to get "ready" to begin!! This hunt is extremly hard work in the worst conditions imagineable. It was impossible to capture images in "bad" weather, nothing but a white horizontal snow wall moving past you. In white out conditions you cannot see but a foot or so in front of you.. if that .

http://majikimaje.com/600/LOOKING.jpg
NOW. with some modern technologies we can communicate along that vast ten mile or so "gaunlet" of whaling captains & crews that are "hidden" behind & in the ice.
http://majikimaje.com/600/HANKs.jpg
Not only do the captains at the edge of the ice have C.B. radios & VHF radios, the tent areas and the homes back in the village can all stay in touch with each other over many different channels.. Ch68 for VHF and CH2 for C.B. and the static is always heard, and adjusted, and then the familiar voice comes over and is heard in every camp and home throughout the village.. .. .. Can You hear me now ?

http://majikimaje.com/600/FLAG05s.jpg
When a whale has been caught, a FLAG IS put up so other crews can see where EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY must converge to the help organize the enormous work that lies ahead. NO SLEEP for days & days, !!!
the hunters are at the ready constanly, in any weather, the sun provides the power to keep going, on and on and on!!
Everything is white and blinding, constantly!


One by one, umiaqs and crews are taking off from the ocean ice. Something is going on, I guess this is serious, so I head, to see which crew I can come upon that is close to my area.

http://majikimaje.com/600/2BOATS.jpg

This is Ernie Frankson's crew, casting off, getting ready to wait for a whale, the time has come, after six long weeks of sitting and waiting, and watching in this frozen cold windy climate of ice and brilliant sun. a cloudy day is always a relief for me.
http://majikimaje.com/600/ERNIE.jpg

Each and every crew I reach is just leaving as I approach them. whew I am out of breath, walking carrying all of this camera and tripod. fully dressed I have over 38 pockets !!! ha ha.. !! Having a simple system for placing items in my pocket(s) was always a very disclipined procedure, because it is so easy to loose things that can't be found with that many pockets, just to discover at a much later time, oh, there it is!
Out here on the ice, I was a dumb as could be. simple obvious things such as drinking water was a complete mystery to me. Where is all this delicious fresh drinking water coming from ??? I just wasn't observent enough to notice in the begining.
Take any large piece of ice and stand it up. brush all the snow off the top and most of the sides. We gotta take the salt out of the ice, out here in the middle of frozen no where. We use the sun for that, and or sand! We wait.. ... .. and the sun beats down on that ice and the ice begins to become "clear" at the top. Wait and the ice will become clearer and clearer going down into the ice deeper and deeper. NOw walk over to that ice with your Kettle and chip the ice horizontally and fill your kettle with the most delicious drinking water you have ever tasted !!!


http://majikimaje.com/600/LETSGO.jpg

Floyd Oktollik is looking back at me, and I know exactly what he is thinking! "what is that dumb city boy from Boston going to do next"?
when they left I walked over to that calm spot to the right of the umiaq and stuck the tips of my bunny boots over the edge just about 2 inches and stood tall, My camera strap is abound my neck, I moved my hands and arms behind me and stodd just a little bit taller.. hey look at me.. this is so kewl. and I am here absolutly alone, everyone is gone, The women are all behind me 3/4 of a mile or closer. but for all practical purposes I am here alone. Six weeks out here, I am getting very used to it. I am somewhat cold but comfurtable. I gaze down at that water that is just like black glass. so calm like a mirror, not the slightest movement at all. I am starring at that one area, it is black glass.. so black, so calm, not even the slighest ripple of movement of water at all.. blink blink and ther is a huge hole in the water ? hmm?? I could have easily reaced over and stuck my foot right down into that huge hole. a big bowling ball would have fit in with room to "spare" !(pun intended).

There was absolutly no warning whatso ever. WHOOOOOSSSSSSHHHHHH!!!!
OMG. what a stink.. 5,000 gallons of "whale-aid' is raining down me.. oh what a stink..OMG. gag. running for my life to get the heck out of there and I am in the middle of a rainstorm of stink and yuk all over me!!! I am soaking wet all over, and I can't breathe because of this gosh awful smell of yuk.. I am running and I know what is about to happen.. Ice is forming all over me, I can hear it craking and falling and every place on me that is "dripable" if freezing and I approach the nearest camp all out of breath.. huffing and puffing and gaging and choking.

when them women looked up and saw me they instantly knew what had happend and they fall over into hysterical fits of uncontrollable laughter, NO STAY AWAY.. DON'T COME NEAR US. GET back.. I tried to hand my camera over to one of the women to take a photo of me.. NO STAY BACK AND THEY ran into the tent.. STAY OUT.. GET BACK.. AND I could hear the high srhill of laughter as they threw out two towels for me to clean up! gosh that stink I will never forget. but I do want to know.. I want to ask two questions.. and some day I want the answer.
who? beside them women ... who laughed the hardest and the loudest.. that whale or the "persona" that sent it !!!!!!!
JONAH had his experience with a beast from the sea and it is written in a book called the bible.
I have had my true experience with a whale, and it is written on this web site and many others!!

BUT, ..I truely want to know.. whose idea was that ??.. that was tooo well precisesly and prefectloy executed with no knowledge of what was about to happen. Yes whales have a great sense of humor.! I only wish I had a photograph to show all the ice I was encase in !!! cracking all over my parky and everyting, I was a mess! cold and it stunk !!

Some of these same women still today, after all of those years.. just fall into fits of laughter when they see me about the village.!!!

http://majikimaje.com/ADD/IRMA04.JPG

IRMA OKTOLLIK explians to me the way of the whale. We are one with that whale.

It is impossible for us to "chase" a whale in that small umiaq, that whale can swim very fast, and deep, One flip of the tail or the flippers and the crew is gone, that does not happen. those whales know we are in the water, they are very smart.
Whales can see, they can hear.. .. and they can smell. whales are like little children, some are shy and timid, some like to play hide & seek, and some are pround and show off and boastfull, making a big show of their gift to us.

We wait... .. .. for that whale to give itself over to the captain of its choice.!!! This is something the world does not know. A whale will always match the personality of the captain that it gives itslef over to, no matter which year it is, and so does the weather. !! Each captain has his own personalilty & the whale will always match that captains personality no matter which year it is,,, t hat whale will always do the same thing, for that captain each and every year!

Some captains will never receive a whale because of their (bad) personality. Whales some how know this and respond accordingly.

WAIT & WATCH Irma said to me, laughing, she can see the look on my face, she knows I dont believe what she is saying, (we know better.. right??) Well . I don't know how to explian this. just to repeat what Irma said, using her exact words. I still don't understand all of this, but I am amazed beyond what words can ever express on how these people truely are one with nature and the animals.

Wait & watch Irma said to me. This year it is a very warm year ( it was 25 below) I dont consider that very warm at all, to me it is freezing indeed. Irma laughs. This is Joes weather. she added. laughing, watch, When Joe receives a whale it is all over very quickly she said. he will receive that whale near the edge of the ice.
but she added (laughing) when he harpoons that whale, It will die and give up quiclly, still & dead. The wind will come screaming in at over 100 miles an hour and the temperature will drop by 100 degrees as well. you better be prepared she said and laughed. Ididn't believe one word of it I have to admit, it all sounded preposterous to me.
So with much skeptisim I moved my camera and tripod over to Joes crew up high above him and behind him on the huge ice pressure ridges.
A very close personal friend of mine frmo Boston, Brad Parker came up to visit and view this intriguing experience. We were sitting up there, playing chess, looking at the board. we didnot notice or hear Joe's crew slip silently into the water, we were concentrating on the board and we hear BOOM (exploding harpoon). I look up to see a dead whale about 30 foot long beside Joes Umiaq, as I got up that wind came screaming in, the temperature was oh so cold and bitter and Joe was standing up .. into the wind, arms outstretched with a smile on his face.
HOw did that woman know, and explain everytihng so perfectly, two weeks before it ever happened I will never know or understand how she called it all so perfectlly!!


A whale giving itself over to the captain, and the actions of the whale will always be the same no matter which year it is.
I have been on 5 sacred whale hunts, each of the five years,
one whale
two whales
one whale
two whales
four whales

last year no whales, this year 3 whales

that is not much food for a community of this size and getting bigger each year.

There are many things that happen up there that just do not make sense to me!
If you have an explanation that makes any kind of sense please tell me, because I am totaly clueless how some of these skills are ever explained. One captain has a personality that is hidden.. his whale will always hide under the ice and he has to use his nose to find it.. !!! now how it is ever possible to smell through ice ten feet thick is way beyond my comprehension or understanding!!

Wow, missed this the first time or two around. Good read and pictures.

Out on the ice: the bottom of that umiaq should be kept dry. They do not want that skin to freeze the skin to the

ice, which could result in ripping that delicate skin. Great care must be taken for all equipment, The proper tools,

the proper equipment, is checked and re-checked many times, Nothing can ever be taken for granted out here. Too many

peoples lives are at stake in this endevor. This is hard core hunting to the maximum extreme.


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice...n-iceblock.jpg

When that wind is blowing strong, you beter have a belt to put around your parky, to prevent that wind from blowing

up inside the bottom of your parky, you will ve very cold, all day if that wind penetrates your clothing. This north

wind is vicicious. unrelenting.

http://majikimaje.com/WIND/K19.jpg

There is plenty of time to sit, and watch, tell stories and act out favorite events on particular hunts. Issac

Killigvuk is tellign his story, and I will tell you another, that person beside him to the right, Is his son

Lazarus. Laz had an older brother named Jonah. One day Jonah's girl-friend and their baby, just got up and moved to

anoher house. He could not handle the stress and pressure of the situation, he committed suicide, using a gun.

Lazarus a few days later tried to do the same thing and blew the whole front of his face off and he lived. He has

had countless reconstruction facial surgeries !

http://majikimaje.com/WIND/shoot.jpg

Whenver anytype of animal is brought up on the ice, or into town at your house, some curious pets stop by to check

it out, take s aniff and see what they can discern. Seals are used for food for people and for dogs, Walrus,

caribou, and fish are the main parts of the diet, The favorite food is of course.. blulbber... fat.. .. 'flammable

fat' !!

http://majikimaje.com/WIND/dog-seal.jpg

Everyonce in a while, it is time to get back out on that trail and make it smoother, chop down the high spots and

fill in the low spots and smooth it all out. This is important. or equipment will break down. Out here there is no

place to go for spare parts. If something breaks, then that whole crew has to pay the price of the extra work

involved without that mode of transportation.


http://majikimaje.com/WIND/chop.jpg


A whaling captain takes time out for me to create an image of him, while is high on the ice, his crew is sitting

down on the sled in front of him watching the whole event unfold !!


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/abe2.jpg


That wind is strong and it is cold, Seldom do you see these captains with thier hoods up like this. Only when it is

very bitter cold, They have to put up their hoods to protect them from that wind. This is hard core hunting at its

extreme. These temps can go way down and with wind chill, otten it gets down to 100 below zero!!

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/coldhunters.jpg

The work that these women do each day is non stop, cutting food, preparing meals for all of the many different

people that make up a crew. It is that Captains responsibility to feed that whole crew for the entire two months.

That is every expensive. No one gets any pay for all of this work. In th event we catch no whale. it is has all be

done for nothing !!. In 2006 we struck out. No whales !! A lot of very hard work, just to eat. and even that is not

guaranteed !!


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/CUTTING_FOOD.jpg

Take that shot. it is the difference between getting food and going hungry. Our way of shopping is not getting food

off the counter or off a shelf but out of the ocean. The choices are many, but you have to be a very good shot to

get your food out here.


http://majikimaje.com/WIND/seal.jpg

Once that whale has been caught, then it is time to move all these ropes to the area where all the work is to be

done, Whose camp site does this go to.. for now it waits at a half way ponit till the first successfull captain

catches a whale. then the tedious work of laying out all of this rope is accomplished. There is a lot of work to

rig for pulilng a whale out of the ocean, A whale weighs an incredible ton per foot. We have a 48 foot whale here.

48 tons, That's a lot of weight for people power only to pull this whale out of the ocean and onto the ocean ice.


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/ropes.jpg

Here they come, singing away, towing a whale, Paddling against the wind for 9 miles to bring that whale back to the

camp of the captain that haprpooned it. All crews will converge on this one spot, for here the real work begins.


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/towing-whale.jpg

Setting up the ropes for rigging this whale, is a pains taking process, everything must be checked and rechecked

for there is no room for any mistakes.

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/ready-to-rig2.jpg

There is lots to do. cutting these holes in ice that is 8 - 10 feet thick. is no easy task to perform, It takes a

lot of work. This is when the real work begins. It is time consuming to butcher a whale, Once it is started, it must

be all finished before anyone can get any sleep. Round the clock workers are working, taking the necessay steps to

get this entire whale back to the village into the freezers and into the underground ice cellars that are deep into

the permafrost of the tundra.


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/ready-to-pull.jpg

Once the whale lhas been brought over to the ice to the place where it will be pulled out of the water, several

things have to be done. First a huge piece of maktak (muck tuck) is taken out of the middle of the back of the whale

a 4 foot square piece. It is time for everyone to eat! YOu can see the piece that has been taken out, under the

water on the right side of this image. It takes quite aq few people to move that piece of blubber.

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/pullmaktak.jpg

the whale is tied off. Time to take a break and everyone eats a portion of this whale. but we cannot eat it in the

traditional manner, it must be cooked, it is too fresh to eat 'raw' and frozen. we boil it, and the pink blubber

turns to a grey like substance in color and texture. It is quite good when eaten with mustard !!


http://majikimaje.com/images/CALVIN04.JPG

The flippers and flukes are taken off the whale, they are brought back to the village asap. to each of the homes of

th elders for careful and close examination. the church bell is rung, over and over and over again and everyone in

town knows the meaning of that bell. success !! Food. Myra Lisbourne runs down to the edge of the ice to help

these two captains carry that flipper up to the sled. to be whisked back to the village. It is more than 50 below I

don't see how she can do this with no gloves.!!

http://majikimaje.com/images/Flipper.jpg

A lot of work and planning goes into getting ready to pull that whale out of the ocean, upon the ice.

anything can go wrong, anything can happen, this is a lot of weight, 48 tons, 96,000 pounds! That is a lot of food

to be dragged upon this ice.

The ice 'ramp' must be carefully 'shaved" and smoothed out so that whale can 'slide" easily without getting caught

on the edge of the ice itself.
The block and tackle has to face the correct way. once the strain is put on here, this better lie in the correct way

, without flipping in the opposite direction. Anything can go wrong out here and sometimes does in very tragic ways,

that are totally unexpected !

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/blur.jpg

BARROW ALASKA NO PHOTOS: > 1991 This is the exact same situation, the next step, to put the massive strain on

that whale and many people are pulling with all the collective strength they have, as one, to move that massive

animal. It was at this point. 3 women from the hospital were watching, standing on the side as many others were,

watching this climatic ending of getting that whale upon the ice.


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/rope.jpg

Without any warning, the 'O' ring snapped, broke, sped through the air like a speeding bullet, two women from the

hospital were struck in the head(s). the block & tackle was shattered as well as their skulls, Everything went into

the third woman who lived but will never be functional as an employee, many people were hurt very badly, a coast

guard helicopter was dispatched to the ice to clean up and transport victims back to the hospital. Some of the

hunters were given bags, to pick up the scattered 'brain matter' all over the ice. skull fragments with hair still

attached were found and placed together. Everything was removed, cleaned up, prayers were said. .. .. 'this is in

the past now, we have work to do now !!" Such is the way. of life on the ice. It was the first time, anything like

this has ever happened in modern times that we know of. I posted this same story on CITY-DATA dot COM. enter:

"floyd davidson" - A white man (tanik) ((ton eek)) - "Nalaugmii" (Pt. HOpe dialect) ((nah log me)) each word

means the same thing "white man" and floyd is a typical know it all white man. Who just had to open his mouth as

soon as I made this post. I am discusting he said. I am wrong, that did not happen only one woman was killed by

getting hit in the chest were his words.. He had just called a "friend" on the phone, I was banned from that site

and all three of my threads were closed.

When this incident happened I was in Anchorage, word quickly spread all over the entire state of Alaska. It was

published in the news papers that two women died, from having their skulls smashed, We spoke recently to one person

who was down there. He was one of the hunters that were given bags to go around and pick up all the "brain matter"

and other portions & parts of what once were people. Sad but true. But it jsut shows todays mind set. Find something

wrong with someone's post and blabber away and put them down, even if it isn't true.!! Ol floyd has a wonderful web

site, completle with photo essays of the Inupiat whaling, taken from the edge of the road! Once I remarked about

the site design he quickly took it down and posted a new look. 1,307 visitors in 6 years is something to be proud of

on the front page for sure.!!

that "ramp" for the whale to slide on and up on the ice requries quite a bit of work to get the angle of the slope

correctly smoothed out, no jagged edges for the tail to get caught on.


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/flipper.jpg

Arrange all of the ropes, get them laid out just right, make sure nothing ever gets crossed or tangled. A simple yet

very important task is how these ropes are placed on the ice.

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/ready-to-rig5.jpg

There is "humor" in everything that is done out here, on the ice,

trying to portray it, is often a challenge.!


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/ready-to-rig4.jpg

As you can easily see, there is a lot of different ropes laid out
in different configurations. neatly, precisely, in the manner in which
it is done, each and every year. Nothing changes out here, except
the arraignment of the ice.


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/ready-to-rig6.jpg

People are notified, people, more people are on their way. this is going to require
a lot of people to pull this out. but in Barrow, Perry Hopson told me that just 9
people on his crew pulled out a 50 foot whale!! I have no idea how that is ever
possible, but he insisits his crew did just that !

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/ready-to-rig7.jpg


Everything seems to be ready, time to put a strain on these ropes and see what happens.
this whale must not flip over, everything must remain straight, swivels are used
in key locations to prevent the "swivel" action associated with placing such a huge
strain on the block & tackle.

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice...o-rig7b4-2.jpg

finaly everything is checked and rechecked and make sure every one is out of the way.
There are plenty of people around watching, that is always the case.
Making sure no one gets hurt is always the Captains responsibility.
He gives the final word. when everything is ready, all eyes and ears are on him.


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/getting-ready.jpg


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/b4holdrope.jpg

At certain times, adjustments must be made, and everyone has to grab that rope to prevent it from moving.
Sometimes the simplest of chores requires a hundred people !!
It is impossible for me to capture a 48 foot whale inside of this viewfinder,
but to give you an idea of just how much work is involved, you can see the size;
of a 48 foot whale, in relationsip to he size of the people working on it.


http://majikimaje.com/images/HOLD_ROPE2.jpg

Seventeen grueling hours later, we finally have this animal upon the ice, without any cracking or breaking. 1/2 of

the entire head had to be removed from the whale, with workers using umiaq's out in the water to accomplish this

very difficult task. Everytime we got this whale upon the ice, the ice would crack and break, and we had to start

all over again. This was a very difficult day.

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/pulling-whale.jpg

Pull.. Pull... everyone, pulling at once.. ONE COLLECTIVE GRUNT !!

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/pullWhale.jpg

It took a lot of time for me to move all over the place out here. huff puff.
this is no easy task, It is cold, yet Iam too hot.
trying to put this all in perspective with such a huge animal to portray
effectively is no easy task, especially when there are so many people
gethered around the important areas.

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/pullWhale03.jpg

I have learned one thing up here. how to wait, watch, look & listen.
the time will come, when I can move in and get a much better look
at some point I have to help, I just can't stand here.
http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/pullWhale02.jpg

Finally, after all of that work, Success !

All of this work,for just one purpose. so that everyone can eat their favorite food.

blubber, maktak - fat - 'flammable fat' This is what these people live for.

their favorite food to enjoy. their whole lives revolve around the whale, they worship the whale!
it takes a complete whole year, just to get ready, to go whaling ! there is that much work that must be done.


http://majikimaje.com/images/35.jpg

Everyone is bent over, tired, exhausted,

sweating out here is not good.

I hear some one, calling my name.

I turn around to see smiling faces and this 'scene' !!

http://majikimaje.com/FOOD.jpg

The whale is upon the ice, Now it is all carefully marked out, in the traditional manner, for each of the shares,

that everyone in the entire village gets a portion of. Each of the crews gets their shares based on in which

particular order they reached that whale after it had been harpooned.
Most of the whales head is gone, froM the butchering that was done in the umiags to lighten the load.


http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/FLAG06.jpg

This is no easy task to butcher up the entire whale. This is gong to take a great amount of time,
everything is done in a systematic way and method, for everyone receives 'shares' for the roles they play in the

work involved.

Here is a one in a lifetime opportunity. My shares which were given to me for my part as 'boyer' for the

Oktollik crew 3 years in a row. um ? er. ah ! what am I going to do with all of this ??

I traded it all, for a bag, of M&M's (peanut of course)! burp !

http://majikimaje.com/collection/ice/mysharesR.jpg

Whaling Festival - 3 days of non stop fun ( Point Hope ) !! A time of great rejoicing for the food we have received.

in Barrow it is different. whaling Festival is only one day long. The traditions are different also in how certain things are done.

Point Hope - is the oldest of all the villages. This 3 day non - stop event features visitors from all over Alaska - many people from other states and even many countries, such as France, Japan, Russia and more.

Whaling Festival = 'Qagarauq' (Cog Ah rook) (Point Hope dialect).

all villages have their own unique dialect !! from Kotzebue clear up to Barrow - in each village - some words are different !!

Whaling Festival = Nalakutaq (Barrow Dialect) Nah Lah Koo tuck

In Point Hope Nalakutaq is just one part of the festival - 'blanket toss' !!

http://majikimaje.com/Oops.jpg

There is much about blanket toss - nalakutaq- that most people do not know about or understand and again, it is different in Barrow than in Point Hope.

In Barrow ( 1,500 ) years younger than Point Hope, Different traditions are honorered or respected.

ANYONE may get on the blanket, and go for a ride into the sky.

But in Point Hope - A mother - with a first born son - gets on that blanket to 'throw' gifts to the crowd.

Do you think the NFL is tough ?? nah !! The NFL football league has 'rules'.

Blanket toss has no rules - This is for keeps !! This is taken very seriously by the oldest elders of the village - the women - !!

We are talking about women in their 80's & 90's !! DIVING HEAD FIRST - running - jumping - grabbing & throwing - that child out of the way !!

If any child - gets their hands on any of the 'gifts' it is going to be a bad year (next year) for hunting success - THEREFORE - .. .. 'anything goes' !!