Change in season cause for caribou, the Inupiats main source of subsistence hunting, to migrate. Migrations for caribou happen twice a year, in the Spring and the Fall. According to historic customs, the Inupiats allow the first herd of caribou to migrate through the pass with no disturbance, so they do not frighten the ladder herds. After the first herd passes they begin their hunt. This hunt is crucial because the Inupiats survive off the food that is hunted. A bad hunt can be disastrous for an entire village.
In addition to eating caribou, the Inupiats eat fish. The types of fish that they eat include Arctic cod, capelin, Arctic char, and sculpin. While hunting in the water they also eat seal and walrus when available. They kill and eat migrating birds as the seasons change.
While hunting on land the Inupiats hunt polar bears and muskox. These are more rare than the caribou, which is the main source of food for the inupiats while hunting on land. Due to little change in the climate and landscape over multiple generations of Inupiat people the animals that the Inupiats eat has stayed consistent.
When it comes to eating the bowhead whale, very little has changed. Inupiats have hunted this mammal for thousands of years. However, it is not a very easy task to do. As a result of Inupiats' hunting this animal for so long, they begin to teach their children about whale hunting at an early age. The children might be faced with the task of preparing the umiaq (traditional skin boat) Women also help with the creation of the boat by preparing bearded seal skins to be used to cover the boat’s wooden frame. This information is passed down to children to assure continuation and survival. The subsistence hunting of the bowhead whale by the Alaskan Natives is protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and hunting is allowed for registered members of the AEWC. The AEWC allows a total of seventy-five strikes among the communities so each community must make the most of their opportunity.
The Inupiats look to hunt the bowhead whale as they migrate from Canada looking for Krill. This usually happens in the Fall and Spring. To put the mammal into perspective and for one to realize how many people one whale can feed, a good sized whale is not only twenty seven feet long
The Inupiats look to hunt the bowhead whale as they migrate from Canada looking for Krill. This usually happens in the Fall and Spring. To put the mammal into perspective and for one to realize how many people one whale can feed, a good sized whale is not only twenty seven feet long
but also twenty seven feet in circumference. As a means of survival the Inupiats share their resources among different villages. Subsistence hunting is difficult and the people that live in these difficult conditions realize that it is better for every village to share food because it may benefit themselves when necessary. Sharing of food is considered one of the most important values of the inuit culture.
If time permits. A video of bowhead whale hunting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWtA7Jqx_zc
Overview of Inupiat Culture video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-6E50Mgi4c
1998
Subsistent Hunting Activities and the Inupiat Eskimo. Electronic Document.
http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/united-states/subsistence-hunting-activities-and-inupiat-es
DeMarban
2013
Whalers Find Good Fortune this Fall and Land Arctic Bowhead 'butterballs'. Electronic Document
http://www.adn.com/article/20131109/whalers-find-good-fortune-fall-and-land-arctic-bowhead-butterballs
DeMarban
2013
Whalers Find Good Fortune this Fall and Land Arctic Bowhead 'butterballs'. Electronic Document
http://www.adn.com/article/20131109/whalers-find-good-fortune-fall-and-land-arctic-bowhead-butterballs
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ReplyDeleteAs an eighteen year old that was born and raised here in Tampa, Florida I find it very difficult to connect with the Inupiat people, especially in bearing the cold weather. Although my dad’s side of my family is from Egypt and my mom’s is Greek and Italian, I was raised as an American with normal American traditions.
ReplyDeleteIf I am ever hungry and I want food I simply drive to the nearest Publix or stop in at a restaurant to eat. Personally, I have gone hunting twice and have had absolutely no luck. This makes me respect the work and the effort that the Inupiat hunters put into feeding their families. While I have eaten fish, I find no similarities in the types of food that I eat compared to the food that the Inupiats eat. I cannot empathize with the fathers who are the providers because I am still young, but I admire their determination. I found the way that the Inupiats hunt very interesting and I respect their customs and traditions. I enjoyed learning and comparing their day to day life to mine.