Photography as a "Hobby" .. .. ..

[Majik Imaje]

This person arrived at our camp site (with permission), He walked up to Jesse my son and asked.. .. Are you Jesse? He said yes. This person said.. I am so and so from City Data forum ! Wow what a small world.

video page is working - lots more videos to post of polar bears, hunting, camp life etc.

Tonight's supper ready to be cooked. Seal !!

Intestines, (boiled) taste like gum with no flavor. meat and other organs, fried or boiled. - Fresh food, fresh delicous beverages of many types, coffee ? Unleaded or diesel is how it is prepared and spoken of. weak coffee is unleaded - diesel is thick (like mud) !

Zachariah said to the young members of the crew - See that umiaq ? do you know when the last time those skins were changed ?? The crew was silent as he smiled and said.. 12 years ago. them seams are getting ready to pop, so when your paddling and you see some of these seams pop open, start swiming, .. .. if you know how !! Huge laughter erupted as some of the new younger members do not know if he is serious or not. the look of fear on their faces was priceless !!

 

[Majik Imaje]

A game is played out on the ice - FOR VISITORS !!

A game is played out on the ice - FOR VISITORS !!

A Norweigan film crew got this far,(2 MILES from land to the tent) filmed 20 seconds of narrative and video, and was told.. it is time to leave !

Pack it all up, time to leave - the wind is changing.

Watch what happens - with this film crew & all other visitors that want to 'take". - bye bye !

 

[Majik Imaje]

Eugene explaining why we have to get off the ice .. .. now.. the wind,, look at those clouds, see that dark open water.. see the super white cloud pan, that is advancing ice towards us. Southwest wind.. time to get out of here, now.. We are all packed up.. ready to go. Eugene says, he hopes that the ice is 'tall' enough to cut through all the young ice, so that the lead may be open. (his exact words).

Everyonei s leaving, time to head back to land. why ? It is just too darn windy . you can hear it, but fortunately for you - you cannot feel this. but the sound, imparts unto you easily just how bad it is out here now in these conditions

weapons of every type description and calibar are in use - when hunting.

It is not uncommon for one person to carry four hand guns on his person when hunting !!

Assult rifles are easily visible in every camp. For an individual to claim that there are no assault rifles in Barrow - is plain misleading in all aspects.

AK - 47's M-16's Rugger Mini M- 14's are all the norm in every camp site in every village all throughout the vast area of the Arctic !!

 

[Majik Imaje]

Update: Last night - Sept 15th of 09.

The Barrow whaling captains association had a closed meeting of all whaling captains: In 10 days fall whaling begins !!! 18 strikes are available.

 

[tull777]

What is a "Strike"???

 

[Majik Imaje]

Well a strike (Inupiaq whaling terms) is when you 'strike' (harpoon) a whale.



Now I want to be very careful in describing this because most have no clue as to how this happens or what is involved.



On one forum a member said: I am ashamed of myself, I always thought that eskimo's just stood on land and shot the whales as they passed by. I am ashamed of how I used to think. I was once against whaling but after seeing all the incredible work involved. I am all for whaling for subsistence use.



If you shoot a bowhead whale - that is a felony ! Let me be very specific here. FIRST strike must be an exploding HARPOON. After that harpoon has struck the whale - then the shoulder gun exploding harpoon can be used. The shoulder gun cannot be used first.



A strike is when the Captain harpoon's the bowhead whale.



Kappii (cup - pea) Eskimo word for "to harpoon a bowhead whale".



You always hear in the village, when a whale has been received and harvested.. .. "Who Kappii?"



Once a whale has been struck, if that whale gets away; then that strike counts against the total quota. Barrow is allowed this fall 18 strikes.



Now they might strike 18 whales and only harvest six or ten or whatever.

Once a whale has been harpooned, other crews in the immediate area might help and harpoon that whale again and again to prevent it from escaping. As each crew reaches that whale, even though it did not assist in the killing of that whale - each crew receives a share based on the order in which they arrive to that whales location. (spring hunt) that is what I have observed in Point Hope which is much different in traditions and methods used for hunting than Barrow is. Point Hope is the only village where EVERYTHING is done in the old traditional manner.



Each strike counts whether you harvest that whale or not. if all 18 whales are struck and they all get away.. then that is it .. the hunt is over !!!



18 attempts to feed a village of many thousands of people is not near enough.

Barrow is the only village that goes fall whaling. Point Hope, Kivalina and others do not participate in their respective villages, but some people will come to Barrow to join crews for a share of the whale.

Point Hope is allowed 7 strikes .. all 7 strikes were used last spring and they only harvested 2 whales I believe. That is usually the norm most years that I have been around here. 2 whales, 3 whales, In 1988 they had a banner year with 4 whales received.

Barrow however has a much higher quota then the other villages - based on population.

Fall whaling uses metal boats only. DUAL 350 horse outboards on one vessel I know of. 60k each !!! Of the 37 whaling captains here in Barrow. there are a variety of crafts for metal boats. Jacob Adams and George Ahmaogak have the two most powerful largest boats in the village.

George laughs when he says: I can tow two or three of those puppies with his boat.

Most of the small vessels have to have help from other crews to haul one whale back to the landing site.

Again this hunt, we have invites from THE OVERWHELIMING MAJORITY of the whaling captains to join their crew(s). They all love all the photographs we always give away for free to all the people.

It costs us many thousands of dollars to go whaling. That is one of the major reasons we have succedded in all the villages we have lived in. We GIVE so much BACK to them that is totally unexpected and greatly appreciated.

So far on the spring hunt of 09, I have gone through 2k in ink and 1k in paper and I am only half way finished.

I haven't even started on the 44" wide or 64" wide prints yet.

I am way behind in a lot of areas. We are busy busy busy with carving and many other events ongoing on a daily basis. There is just not enough time in the day to get this juggling act moving forward fast enough.

sorry for the long winded rant.

 

[Floyd_Davidson]

What is a "Strike"???

The number of Bowhead whales from the Western Arctic harvested each year is set by the International Whaling Commission, which assigns a quota every five years. The Russian Federation and the United States (on behalf of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission) jointly petition for the quota.

A quota of 280 whales was set in 2007 for the years 2008 through 2012. 255 are available for the AEWC to distribute among the 11 Eskimo villages that are qualified. Note that amounts to 51 whales per year, and means whales actually landed. (The Russians get a quota of 20, and 5 were traded to allow the Makah Indians to take 5 grey whales.)

In addition there is a "strike" limit of 67 whales harpooned per year. Up to 15 strikes per year may be carried over to the next year, thus a maximum of 82 strikes per year are allowed. The strike limit is divided up with 75 for Alaska and 7 for Russia.

Hence Alaskan whalers can take up to 51 Bowhead whales per year, as long as they do not harpoon more than 75 whales.

In addition, the AEWC allows the 11 villages to assign unused quotas between villages. The typical result is that a village which is not able to use their entire quota will typically assign the remaining quota to Barrow. Barrow crews will fill their own quota and then hunt for the other villages. When a whale is taken with the quota from another village the meat and blubber is divided 50-50, with half of it being shipped to the other village.

The stated number of 18 is probably the quota for landed whales, not strikes, available for the fall harvest.

 

[BrianW]

The village of Nuiqsut also hunts Bowhead in the Fall. They hunt a few weeks earlier than Barrow, as the migration route in the Fall is from east to west.

 

[Floyd_Davidson]

The village of Nuiqsut also hunts Bowhead in the Fall. They hunt a few weeks earlier than Barrow, as the migration route in the Fall is from east to west.

Barrow, Nuiqsut and Kaktovik all hunt Bowhead whales in the fall.

Also, typically the key timing element for the fall hunt from Barrow is the air temperature, which in early October will fall below freezing. That allows the whale meat and blubber to be cooled before it is placed into "ice cellars" that are dug into the permafrost. If tons of warm meat were stored it would melt the walls and damage the cellar. For that reason it is unlikely that the Barrow Whaling Captains will allow whaling to begin until well after the first of next month, or about three weeks from now.

 

[Majik Imaje]

 

[tull777]

Thanks, Majik! Interesting!!!

 

[Majik Imaje]

I have to finish the photos and explanation for what REALLY happend to end the spring hunt. 3 young captains screwed it all up for everyone !!

Eugene Brower - President of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission was DISCUSTED at the GREED and the lack of proper protocol when he specifically told the captains NOT to use metal boats until after a certain date. Just as the animals were arriving at our location. 3 captains who were not well experienced - did not listen and charged into the middle of the group of animals that were begining to advance to our location which was much further West than all other crews. We have to move our location 3 times - due to excessive noise from other crews that hyjacked our trail. We moved as far west as possible. we were first in line to have the animals pass by our location. That was all ruined when crews from the east charged into our location instead of waiting. as a result only 3 whales were harvested.

Fall whaling is a big deal, It is wrong to say, that only 4 or 5 people go out and shoot a whale. nothing could be further from the truth.

Each crew has 8 members - I do not know the exact number of crews involved. but I will attempt to get a number and show you how many people are directly involved.

18 strikes is what was told to the captains .. there is no 'probably' about what was said. It was very straight forward and simple. How many whales will be harvested remains to be seen but rest assured I will provide many (hundreds) of photographs showing as much as possible.

 

[Majik Imaje]

I have to humble myself and apologize for making such a terrible mistake about Fall Whaling. I made the mistake of saying that only Barrow has fall whaling, Yes Kaktovik and Nuiqsit & Point Lay also participate.



I took the liberty of printing up Floyds answer to the question : what is a strike. You provied an amazing answer very well detailed to what the quota system is all about, but many mistakes were made.



I have taken great care and a lot of work to explain what goes on up here in a land and culture that few are familiar with. I have been told by Mayor(s) and by the whaling captains, The AEWC and BWCA The School District and many others complimenting me on the accuracy of my story (especially about Point Hope). so in the interest of keeping the facts straight. ( we all make mistakes ) No biggie. but I feel compelled to point out the errors as the Captains insist that the truth be told at all times.

Two whaling captains went over the post about quota that was so eloquently written by my buddie !!

I will post the quota info and point out the mistakes in red, not for the purpose to insult anyone. NO THAT IS FAR FROM THE PURPOSE - it is just to make sure that all info is accurate and not biased in any direction.

The number of Bowhead whales from the Western Arctic harvested each year is set by the International Whaling Commission, which assigns a quota every five years. The Russian Federation, CANADA, and the United States AND OTHER NATIONS THAT HAVE INTEREST IN OTHER WHALES(on behalf of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission) jointly petition for the quota.

A quota of 280 whales was set in 2007 for the years 2008 through 2012. 255 are available for the AEWC to distribute among the 12 Eskimo villages that are qualified. Note that amounts to 51 whales per year, and means whales actually landed. (The Russians get a quota of 20, and 5 were traded to allow the Makah Indians to take 5 grey whales.)

In addition there is a "strike" limit of 67 whales harpooned per year. Up to 15 strikes per year may be carried over to the next year,(PROVIDING THE LANDED PERCENTAGE IS HIGH) thus a maximum of 82 strikes per year are allowed. The strike limit is divided up with 75 for Alaska and 7 for Russia.

Hence Alaskan whalers can HARVEST(take) up to 51 Bowhead whales per year, as long as they do not STRIKE (harpoon) more than 75 whales.

In addition, the AEWC allows the 12 villages to assign unused quotas between villages. The typical result is that a village which is not able to use their entire quota will typically assign the remaining quota to Barrow (OR OTHER VILLAGES) Barrow crews will LAND (fill) their own quota and then hunt for the other villages. When a whale is RECEIVED or HARVESTED (taken) with the quota from another village the meat and MAKTAK blubber is divided 50-50, with half of it being shipped to the other villageS.

The stated number of 18 is probably the quota for landed whales, not strikes, available for the fall harvest.[/QUOTE]


Outstanding articulate eloquent answer to the question that was posted !!



You are the best floyd !! My compliments to your superior knowledge on this subject !

My post was to answer the question: what is a strike.

You answered the same question (you quoted it) then went on to elaborate ! GREAT JOB !!!

 

[AkSKeyMoe]

<snip>



A strike is when the Captain harpoon's the bowhead whale.



Kappii (cup - pea) Eskimo word for "to harpoon a bowhead whale".



<snip>

What do they call the guy that steers the boat if the captain is the striker/harpooner?

The Eskimo word a little further south for harpooning a bowhead whale is "Aghveqi".

The word "Eskimo" is a pretty broad term. If you want to be accurate in describing the life of a people, I would suggest you use "Inupiaq" or whatever the people of Barrow calls themselves instead of Eskimo(es). Just an observation not meant to be seen in a bad way.

Barrow, Nuiqsut and Kaktovik all hunt Bowhead whales in the fall.

<snip>

Add Gambell and Savoonga to that list of villages that hunt Bowhead whales in the fall.

 

[Floyd_Davidson]

The word "Eskimo" is a pretty broad term. If you want to be accurate in describing the life of a people, I would suggest you use "Inupiaq" or whatever the people of Barrow calls themselves instead of Eskimo(es). Just an observation not meant to be seen in a bad way.

The problem is that "Eskimo" is the only term in the English language which encompasses all Eskimo people, cultures, or languages (including ancient ones such as Dorset and Thule). Inupiat and Yupik are both Eskimo (people, cultures, and languages), but are distinctly different. When speaking in the English language, the term "Eskimo" is the appropriate word to use when both Inupiat and Yupik are included. That is why the AEWC is the "Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission"!

If one is describing something in Barrow only, it is okay to use "Eskimo", but is more specific to use Inupiat (Inupiaq is the language, and is also singular). But if one is describing Savoonga, where the people speak Siberian Yupik, it is also okay to use Eskimo but perhaps better to use Yupik. And it would never be okay to mix the Inupiat term with the Yupik term.

It gets even more complex, because Central Alaskan Yup'ik is "Yupik", but is spelled "Yup'ik" to differentiate it. (The two are pronounced exactly the same.) And of course in Canada and Greenland they don't use "Inupiat" and instead have several other regional terms.

(Disclaimer: I am not a linguist, but I know some of the best. After 40+ years I've gotten to the point where I can pronounce Kwigillingok well enough that an English speaker can't tell I'm not right, and a Yup'ik speaker will be amazed at how close it is.

 

[AkSKeyMoe]

Hmm... I can see where that would be a problem. Thanks.

 

[Majik Imaje]

The person who sits at the helm to steer the umiaq is " Aquti"

(Ah Koo tea)

 

[AkSKeyMoe]

In English please.
It kind of sounds like it has something to do with a rudder?
Thanks.

 

[Majik Imaje]

Well the person who sits at the rear of the umiaq is the helmsman. He uses an oar or paddle to steer the umiaq in the direction that the captain requests.

 

[Majik Imaje]

An Inupiaq whale hunt is a sacred event- deeply steeped in traditions that are thousands of years old.

I guess you could say in truth this culture worships the whale in their daily lifestyle as it takes a complete year just to get ready to go whaling. Certain things are accomplished during specific times of the year. As soon as the spring hunt ends - the work begins to get ready for next year. Repairs and maintainence are always on going. There is much to be done. Drying skins for instance requires many months in strong winds.

Skins play a huge part in the Inupiaq way of life - that is obvious. many uses for crafts - two different size umiaq's. The one man version, and the 8 member crew version that are seen in the villages. Clothing, Arts & Crafts also play a huge role.
I will let a (seasoned) Captain explain it much better than I could ever achieve.

Right from the CAPTAINS LIPS !!

READ .. His words !


Notice: Who he is respecting as the authority

Notice: RESPECT FOR THE HUNT -- for the culture


I want to take you back down to the lead, but first a map to show you the currents that have to be dealt with out here, this is a dangerous place out here, I keep saying this.. .. anything can happen at any time with no warning !!

I will attempt to get a booklet like this for Barrow Students, and show the currents, winds, and most important how to read clouds !!

One thing I must metion here (for the last time) The North Slope Borough School District has linked to our site under Teacher Resources, the main thing I keep hearing from both mayors, the school district is the 'accuracy' of my Story !! They commend me for the ten years of effort I have put into this web site and promoting a postivie image of the Inupiaq Peoples.
That being said, Lets go back to the ocean ice.
Early morning 5 a.m. Here at the lead (which is closing) Here is where we lost over 2 miles of work on our trail, the lead closed, the wind shifted the ice cracked and our work went out to sea. Here some of that ice has blown back in. You can see the tracks on the other side of the ice where we used to travel. That is gone now. This location is 4.2 miles from land. we were at one point 7 miles out. That was a months work of chopping ice. Now we have to stand - wait & watch.

Notice: the fine crack back a few feet from the edge.. (Image below)

New cracks are always monitored: As the lead closes, that crack will fill up with water and freeze over. IN this image we are on 3 foot thick young ice. We need tall ice to come in and crush this all up. The currents can eat away at the bottom of the ice, that is what is happening here, We need new strong ice with huge pressure ridges.

Last year, in point Hope, Luke Koonuk's crew, just put their umiaq into the water, to go after a whale, as soon as they left the edge. A huge chunk like this broke off and sank, (behind them). As they paddled, that ice came up, right under the umiaq, and flipped the entire boat and crew fell into the water, Lucklly, several crews near by spotted this, and rescued the men as they were hanging on to the overturned umiaq in the water. Everyone was saved with no injuries !

This is very easy to verify.. !! Word spread through all the villages !! These stories I write about, are all, common knowledge. Students are encouraged to write them down. These stories are told in all villages as news reaches via phone / internet or by whatever means, these villages are all closely connected.