The Iñupiaq Eskimos have been hunting whales in traditional sealskin paddleboats since time immemorial. A quota limits this subsistence hunt. The Iñupiaq connection to the land, sea and natural resources is essential to the community’s sense of identity. Whaling is the foremost way they express this connection because of the communal nature of the hunt and the sharing of the whale. Hunting is vital to the culture and it’s preservation. Right now, their garden, the sea ice is melting. This traditional hunt is being threatened by climate change. I would like to show it while it is still there.
The Iñupiaq Eskimos have been hunting whales in traditional homemade paddleboats made of wood and sealskins, sewn with caribou tendons since time immemorial. An annual quota, based on whale population, limits this subsistence hunt. The bowhead whale population keeps growing. The Iñupiaq connection to the land, sea and natural resources is essential to the community’s sense of identity. Whaling is the foremost way that they express this connection because of the communal nature of the hunt and the sharing of the whale. Hunting is vital not only to the body, but to the culture and it’s preservation. Right now, their garden, the sea ice is melting. Right now, their natural freezer, the permafrost, is melting. Big whales can no more be landed on thin ice and the meat, supposed to last a whole year, is not staying frozen in the ice cellars during summer. This traditional hunt is being threatened by climate change. I feel the urgency to show it while it is still there.