Subsistence whaling is an internationally recognized and protected act. Native peoples that engage in it are sharing a practice thousands of years old. Harvesting whales for food is a culturally binding and an anthropologically uplifting ritual. In stark contrast to commercial whaling, it does not impact the global whale population. The Inupiat are a native people who live in the far north of Alaska. They are hunter-gatherers — with vast oil revenues. Their environment is rapidly changing as a result of global warming, altering their ancestral way of life and threatening their immediate future. Twice a year, they hunt Bowhead whales.
