The size of the whale makes it an important part of the annual
subsistence harvest. The taste of the various parts of the
whale makes it prized as food. The communal nature of the hunt
and the sharing of the whale give it a central place in the
spiritual and physical culture of the region. The bowhead
provides life, meaning, and identity to the Eskimo whalers and
their communities.
Sharing the whale with the whole community, and with other
communities too, is an old and highly- valued practice. At the
butchering site, the parts of the whale are divided among the
whaling crews, with some shares reserved for elders and widows
and other parts kept for festivals. At these festivals,
including Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as the
traditional feasts of Nalukataq and Qagruvik, the food of the
whale is given to everyone who comes to take part. In this
way, tons of meat find their way throughout the region all
year long.
The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission
The AEWC successfully fought the ban, which was replaced with
a small quota. The early years of the quota were marked by
conflict. Scientific studies showed that the population of
bowheads was higher than previously thought, but the quota
remained low. Confrontations with the federal government over
enforcement of the quota led to a bitter standoff in the fall
of 1980.
Out of this conflict came a remarkable agreement The National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the federal
agency responsible for managing whales, and the EAWC signed a
Cooperative Agreement on March 26, 1981. NOAA delegated to the
AEWC the management authority for the Eskimo whale harvest,
allowing the AEWC to manage the hunt without the presence of
federal agents in the whaling communities. The AEWC Management
Plan governs the whales, and the AEWC reports to NOAA on the
results of each spring and fall whaling season.
Since 1981, the AEWC has shown the effectiveness of
cooperative management. The whalers are justly proud of their
record of sound management, supporting research, and of
improving whaling. Better methods for estimation the
population of bowheads have helped the whalers secure an
increased quota, one based on the established historic need of
the whaling communities.
Whaling today
The population level of bowheads - currently estimated at 7500
and increasing - no longer causes concern. However, the AEWC
is now working to protect the habitat of the bowhead from the
effects of off-shore oil and gas exploration activity on the
Outer Continental Shelf. Studies to try to determine the
impacts of such activities on migrating whales and other
marine mammals have yet to produce any reliable indications of
how animals react to the noise, sight, and odour of industrial
activities.
Despite these many changes and challenges, the whaling
tradition remains a strong and vital part of the culture of
Alaska Eskimos. Ancient whaling artifacts and modern whaling
tools are found side by side in villages that have been
inhabited for hundreds or thousands of years. For thousands of
Alaska Eskimos, whaling in a link to the past and promise for
the future.
For several thousand years, Eskimos in Alaska have hunted the
bowhead whale. Since about 800 A.D.,Inupiat and St. Laurence
Island Yupik whalers have regularly taken bowheads. There are
currently nine whaling villages in Alaska: the St. Laurence
Island Yupik villages of Gambell and Savoonga, and the Inupiak
villages of Whales, Kivalina, Point Hope, Wainwright, Barrow,
Nuiqsut, and Kaktovik.
In 1977, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) imposed a
ban on the harvest of bowhead whales by Alaska Eskimos. This
action was based on a population estimate of between 600 and
2000 whales and concern over increasing numbers of strikes.
Although they had not previously heard of the IWC's concern,
the whalers responded quickly, establishing the Alaska Eskimo
Whaling Commission (AEWC) to fight the ban, organize the
whaling communities, and manage the hunt themselves.
Today, the AEWC monitors the harvest of the whales in the nine
whaling communities and reports to NOAA. The AEWC also has a
Weapons Improvement Program to increase the safety,
reliability, humaneness, and effectiveness of the whaling
weapons used in Alaska. Another project to enhance the ability
of the whalers to provide for their communities is the
development of a float equipped with a radio transmitter to
find whales in fog and rough water.