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Just curious, what does it mean when you said "The other villages gave Barrow 12 strikes" ? What does it mean to give strikes? Thanks!
The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) voluntarily cooperates with the International Whaling Commission by allowing the IWC to set quotas, which the AEWC enforces. (The AEWC is a consortium that operates under the sovereignty of the tribal governments of the Alaska Eskimo villages, both Inupiat and Yupik, that hunt for whales. The significance is that they do not operate under the color either Alaska State law or US Federal law.)
The IWC every five years allocates a subsistence quota for Bowhead whales to both Russian and Alaska Native subsistence hunters. The quota is made up of two parts, one being the actual number of whales landed and the other being the number of "strikes". A "strike" consist of any action that pierces the whale. Hence if it is shot with a gun or harpooned that is a strike. Regardless of whether any whales are landed, only so many strikes are allowed. When either the number of strikes or the number of landed whales has reached the quota no further whale hunting is allowed.
The quota is for five years, but comes in increments of 1 year. Unused portions may be carried over to the next year. The AEWC allocates per year quotas to each village. A village, through a Whaling Captain's Association, may transfer unused quotas to another village. That happens fairly often, generally with other villages transferring quotas to Barrow simply because Barrow is almost always able to make use of the quota. And when Barrow catches a whale using a transferred quota they ship half of the whale meat to the village that gave them the quota.
I can't offhand recite what the quota is each year, but I'm pretty sure that Barrow is normally allowed 22 whales before any transfers.
Last edited by Floyd_Davidson; 10-02-2010 at 08:46 PM..
The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) voluntarily cooperates with the International Whaling Commission by allowing the IWC to set quotas, which the AEWC enforces. (The AEWC is a consortium that operates under the sovereignty of the tribal governments of the Alaska Eskimo villages, both Inupiat and Yupik, that hunt for whales. The significance is that they do not operate under the color either Alaska State law or US Federal law.)
The IWC every five years allocates a subsistence quota for Bowhead whales to both Russian and Alaska Native subsistence hunters. The quota is made up of two parts, one being the actual number of whales landed and the other being the number of "strikes". A "strike" consist of any action that pierces the whale. Hence if it is shot with a gun or harpooned that is a strike. Regardless of whether any whales are landed, only so many strikes are allowed. When either the number of strikes or the number of landed whales has reached the quota no further whale hunting is allowed.
The quota is for five years, but comes in increments of 1 year. Unused portions may be carried over to the next year. The AEWC allocates per year quotas to each village. A village, through a Whaling Captain's Association, may transfer unused quotas to another village. That happens fairly often, generally with other villages transferring quotas to Barrow simply because Barrow is almost always able to make use of the quota. And when Barrow catches a whale using a transferred quota they ship half of the whale meat to the village that gave them to quota.
I can't offhand recite what the quota is each year, but I'm pretty sure that Barrow is normally allowed 22 whales before any transfers.
But really how would they know? It's an on your honor system correct? I guess only the best shooters are allowed to shoot then? Although didn't I hear a story a while back that a 9 year old landed a whale?
But really how would they know? It's an on your honor system correct? I guess only the best shooters are allowed to shoot then? Although didn't I hear a story a while back that a 9 year old landed a whale?
How would they know who struck a whale?
Well it is somewhat on an honor system, but it isn't an honor system based on the Western concept. Plus nobody is ever alone when a whale is struck, so there is always a group involved.
The "honor system" here has to do with a culture that fully understood how everyone depended on everyone else, and that the actions of each person affected the entire community's very survival. So traditionally people here have been raised with the belief that doing the wrong thing out on the ice might cause the whole village to be without food when times are critical.
Not that there has never been dissenting views though! When the system was initially set up in the late 70's and early 80's there was one Captain who claimed they could not tell him when he could hunt for a whale. He made an unauthorize strike... and spent some time in jail as a result. The AEWC has a compact with the US government where the Department of Commerce (NOAA) represents the AEWC before the IWC and also prosecutes any charges brought by the AEWC. So in that particular case the AEWC indicted the violator and the Federal government prosecuted and incarcerated the individual.
Regardless of that, being allowed to harpoon a whale is not a decision left to the individual. The crew captain (authorized by the Barrow Whaling Captain's Association) makes that decision, which of course cannot be taken lightly. And yes a 9 year old was chosen to harpoon a whale! I don't know the story, but you can bet that young fellow has shown some extra ordinary character and talent. It is not easy to do, and it involves a great deal of responsibility (consider that doing it wrong will cost the village many tons of food). The fact that the young fellow was successful speaks well for everyone involved.
How long will a whale feed the village? Did I read on a thread that you had to make sure you hadn't had any salt of something like that the day before eating whale? That sounds odd, maybe I'm getting my facts crossed. I personally think it's great, and the fact that the tradition and culture of whaling is able to live on is a testament to the elders. I think it would be great to see one day, but I'm not sure I could handle the smell, or even taste the meat. I'm not a seafood person.
Go whales! Jump really high and smash some boats...
And may a cow kick you a few times too...
There are two ways to look at how it works (given that Bowhead whales never jump nor do they smash boats), and perhaps both ways are correct and valid views.
Native whalers will all explain that the whale is a gift. They do not claim to have greater power or any dominion over whales, and instead admit they could not possibly catch a whale that did not choose to be caught. In return they treat the whale appropriately, and its spirit is set free and will return again, and again.
A different view is that Bowhead whales are simply too dumb to have any notion that they are being hunted. Whales are about as bright as the average beef, which any farmer will tell you is the dumbest animal in the barnyard. Bowhead whales are probably slightly more intelligent than the krill they eat.
I don't really give a rats ass about "tradition." They pull this crap in WA state, too. Trouble is, "tradition" didn't involve machine guns and other convenient little implements they acquired from the hated "white man."
Oh yeah, flame away.
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