Breaking Trail in Barrow for Whaling !! (Point Hope, Hope: housing, vehicles, weather)

[JessE86]

Stiffnecked: Very observant !!

A Norweigan film crew got this far, filmed 20 seconds of narrative and video, and was told.. it is time to leave !







Eugene explaining why we have to get off the ice .. .. now.. the wind,, look at those clouds, see that dark open water.. see the super white cloud pan, that is advancing ice towards us. Southwest wind.. time to get out of here, now.. We are all packed up.. ready to go. Eugene says, he hopes that the ice is 'tall' enough to cut through all the young ice, so that the lead may be open. (his exact words).






Everyoneis leaving, time to head back to land. why ? It is just too darn windy .

[AQHA]

JessE86, I was told yesterday that Pt. Lay got a whale, first one in 70 years? Have you heard anything about it? Pretty cool if its true.

[JessE86]

Yes it is true.. Point Lay never goes bowhead whaling.. too much work.. but congratz to the crew who landed it..

Update on our situation. we are in the village .. only because of vicious winds. We had to leave the ice yesterday. southwest winds are causing massive ice to advance.

Eugene says.. this is the worst year ever, for the lead closing and opening and closing.. Last year, the Browers landed a whale on the 27th of April.

We sit and wait .. !! The Inupiaq people are extremely patient, they will wait and wait, for how ever long it takes.

[JessE86]

Let me take the time to explain something about whaling, our position and what is going on.

From the land - to our tent site is about two miles. This is where EVERYONE keeps their aluminum boat.

From the tent to the lead is another two miles, this is where the umiaqs are positioned at the open lead.

The ice is a very dangerous place, there is always the danger of the ice breaking in back of you. if it does. you need a boat !!

That is simple enough to undersand. the main reasons- every camp is set up identical in each and every aspect.

We left the ice Thursday afternoon - due to high winds. We wait, in town for the winds to shift !! (again).



Weapons of every type and description are here out on the ice for hunting, Ruger Mini M-14 that looks like an M-16. Many hunters have AK-47's also.

Every calibar and type of weapon are in all the villages, these people are experts in hunting - they are truely the best hunters in the world!

[stiffnecked]

Someone mentioned Pt. Lay, isn't it still pretty small population wise?

[JessE86]

Xtremly small.. I have lived & worked in Pt. Lay many times. I know virtually everyone in the village. in three years, it isn't hard to see, and interact with all of the people. AS IN ALL !!

Janis Joplin - wrote a song about "famous amos". just ask anyone in Pt. Hope or in Point Lay.. that was written for the mayor of Pt. Lay. they were close personal friends.. When I asked Amos about this.. he said.. sssh.. NO !! then later when he had me aside.. (chuckle) he admitted the truth.

she was one wild woman he said. two bottles of Jack for breakfast !!


and I am so sad.. so sad to say.. that my baby.. (photograph) I was so close to this person.. in real life.. I watched her grow, up she moved to Point Lay.. " Daisy Della Fay" .. she recently died in Pt. Lay.. very young. she had lots.. (lots) of children.. they have no idea what caused her death.. so young.. (late 20's). she had been to the clinic many times.. complaining.. .. she could not breathe. Several (as in three) children in recent years up here, have died suddenly, with no knwn cause after intense autopsies. One young man, was talking to his aka on the phone, and just fell over (29 yrs young). They could not find a cause to this day.



Point Lay has a 'distinct' nickname.. by the natives.. and for a good reason!!

Whaling is next to impossible in Pt. Lay becuse of the huge distance ofland to navigate from the village to where the actual ocean begins.. also.. Pt. Lay has the largest lagoon in the world I am told. that is if that's the correct name for that body of water betwen the village and the ocean.

when I say whaling I mean the Bowhead part.. beluga is a huge harvest in Pt Lay every year, walrus hunting also as with caribou and the other animals of the arctic.. Yes I was surprised to hear that they made the effort to go whaling.. that is so great.. THIS CULTURE MUST NEVER PERISH.

The more that the world, knows about these people and their way of life. then .. maybe then they will back off with all the restrictions these people have to obey.

[JohnPF]

Hey JessiE,

this is an awesome bit of trivia on Janis. I love her singing, no more, no less. Thanx!.

[JessE86]

Here is a short introduction - from a whaling book that is given to all STUDENTS in the North Slope Borough, (every whaling village) !

This hunt is a very spiritual undertaking, RESPECT must be shown:



I want to take you back down to the lead, but first a map to show you the currents that have to be dealt with out here, this is a dangerous place out here, I keep saying this.. .. anything can happen at any time with no warning !!



I will attempt to get a booklet like this for Barrow Students, and show the currents, winds, and most important how to read clouds !!



One thing I must metion here (for the last time) The North Slope Borough School District has linked to our site under Teacher Resources, the main thing I keep hearing from both mayors, the school district is the 'accuracy' of my Story !! They commend me for the ten years of effort I have put into this web site and promoting a postivie image of the Inupiaq Peoples.

That being said, Lets go back to the ocean ice.






Notice: the fine crack back a few feet from the edge..

New cracks are always monitored: As the lead closes, that crack will fill up with water and freeze over. IN this image we are on 3 foot thick young ice. We need tall ice to come in and crush this all up. The currents can eat away at the bottom of the ice, that is what is happening here, We need new strong ice with huge pressure ridges.

Last year, in point Hope, Luke Koonuk's crew, just put their umiaq into the water, to go after a whale, as soon as they left the edge. A huge chunk like this broke off and sank, (behind them). As they paddled, that ice came up, right under the umiaq, and flipped the entire boat and crew fell into the water, Lucklly, several crews near by spotted this, and rescued the men as they were hanging on to the overturned umiaq in the water. Everyone was saved with no injuries !

This is very easy to verify.. !! Word spread through all the villages !! These stories I write about, are all, common knowledge. Students are encouraged to write them down. These stories are told in all villages as news reaches via phone / internet or by whatever means, these villages are all closely connected.





We could hear, whales in the distance, a few hundred feet in front of us, behind those big pressure ridges, it is obvous there is another lead open, in the distance. It is extremely quiet - the bowhead makes a distinctive noise when it reaches the surface. that 'whoosh' as water (spray) flies into the air at least 50 feet high.

When they pass by, and you view the photos, THEN you will notice, the whales do not lift their tails out of the water .. .... BUT.. .. (continued).

Photos will be coming, as soon as this lead opens

[Barkingowl]

David does that whaling book have an ISBN number?

[JessE86]

Unfortunately.. it doesn't have that #

I am getting a few copies of the Barrow hand book, DM me and I will send one to you.



My sons have gone whaling in Point Hope a couple of times with Killigvuk's crew (killigvuk) where have you seen / heard that word before ?