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An Inupiaq hunter scans the horizon for whales
2.5.5.wavFor the Inupiaq communities on the Arctic Ocean, whale hunting was the most important subsistence activity of the year. Each spring, bowhead whales would migrate through the Bering Strait to their summer feeding grounds in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Since whales needed to surface to breathe, they followed leads (breaks in the ice) that opened close to shore. In early fall, the whales would migrate back to the Bering Sea, again passing close to the coast. During these times, the Inupiaq moved from their villages and established camps at the edge of the land or landfast ice. From high points, they watched for whales, maintaining their watch 24 hours a day.
When a whale was sighted, four to eight hunters ventured onto the water in an open, skin-covered boat called an umiak. Most crews consisted of a captain, a harpooner, and six paddlers. The harpooner sat in front and threw the harpoon when the whale surfaced close to the boat. Sealskin floats were attached to the harpoon to make it difficult for the whale to dive. When tired, the whale was killed with a lance. Once dead, multiple umiak crews were needed to tow the whale to shore.
Villagers worked together to butcher a whale and divided the meat and blubber among all village members. The people stored the meat in holes dug into the permanently frozen ground. Because hunting and butchering whales required the work of many men and women, coastal Inupiaq villages had large populations. Whaling communities such as Wales, Point Hope, and Barrow were some of the largest villages in Alaska, with populations of 400 to 600 people.
Modern Inupiaq still whale hunt using traditional umiak boats.
Whaling is still an important part of the subsistence and society of Inupiaq communities.
If interested in more about Inupiaq whaling, here is a 5 minute video: Inupiaq Whale Hunt
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