Map of North America Showing Political Divisions

This map of North America illustrates the political divisions of the United States, Canada, and Russia during the period of time when the whaling industry was ongoing. Full-scale whaling in the Arctic did not get underway until the mid-1800's, however.

The Inupiaq people of Barrow, Alaska, located in the region on the upper left corner of this map, right above the word "Russian", have lived in Alaska for about 4,000 years. Without understanding the resources at hand, they could not have survived in the Arctic climate. As the map illustrates, the northern Inupiaq live near the Arctic Ocean where life is not easily sustained and an understanding of both climate and environment are the key to one's survival. The sea provides them with their primary sources of food and more, while hunting land animals supplements their diet. It is in this area where the whaling industry thrived on hunting bowhead whales, at least for a period of time. This is also where the Inupiaq thrived on whaling prior to the decimation brought about by the whaling industry.

Figure Caption: The Map of North America,1860. Wellington Williams, engraver, Samuel Agustus Mitchell, publisher, Mapping the Arctic Collection, Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, University of Southern Maine.

Whaling for the Community

Long before whalers sailed into the Arctic in the
mid 1800's, Eskimos were hunting whale, their primary food source, while utilizing by-products from the animal for such things as tools, clothing, sleds, dog food, and bait used for hunting other animals. Nothing was wasted from their catch and the hunters ceremonially honored the death of the animal for the gifts it brought to them and their community. One whale would sustain the entire community for nearly a year. They took what they needed from the sea to survive, not to waste.

The biggest challenge was removing the whale from the water. Landing a whale required the entire village's efforts, with everyone participating in bringing the whale ashore for butchering. As the whale is butchered, it is divided into sections for individual families, after which women of the community will prepare a feast to celebrate. With the whale's bones picked clean of all meat, the bones are returned to the sea to set its spirit free.


Picture Caption: This picture was taken in 1906, Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, by Susan Bernardi, courtesy of University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division (Pg 26, Item 26).

Eskimos Participation in Whaling Industry

As North American whalers of the mid-1800's and later appeared in Alaskan fishing waters, it would not be long before the scope of devastation to the whale population, through over-fishing, would result in hunger and starvation for the Eskimos. With overfishing of whales, walrus, and seals, sustaining year round food sources became perilous for many Eskimos who could not acquire enough food to feed their families and communities.


The Eskimos participated in their own demise, however, through working on whale ships that employed them for their expertise in hunting whales. This picture illustrates the number of Eskimos used on one ship, as it tows them behind to the whaling grounds. The money they earned was used to buy products from trading posts such as tools, food, beads, etc.

By the time the whale population had been depleted and few whales were frequenting Alaskan waters, the whaling industry moved on to other fishing grounds in other seas.

Picture Caption: "Whaling boats containing Eskimos being towed by the ship named Bear", Collection of Dr. Daniel S. Neuman, 1911-1920, Alaska State Library – Historical Collections, Juneau, Alaska.

Hunting the Whales

This whaling ship is in full sail as the men in boats in the foreground are in the midst of hunting whales. The foreground of the photograph is full of small boats surrounding the whale, while the ship stands ready to process it once the whale has been killed. This is an American ship, as you can see the American flag hanging at the stern side of the vessel. Whaling was a treacherous job and this print illustrates the tremendous battle going on between the whale and whalers. Although there is no reference as to whether or not these are Eskimos in the process of killing the whale, the photograph was taken during the time period that they would have been employed by whalers to do the hunting. If you click the picture, it will show even greater detail.


Picture Caption: This is an accessioned photograph, taken by Charles Shute and Son. It is called a scene from "A Whaling Voyage", showing a whale ship in the background with men in whaling boats in foreground hunting whales. This is an albumen print from a stereo card. Print is not dated, but albumen prints are know to have been used between 1860 and 1890, within the period of time in which whaling was ongoing in Alaska. Photograph courtesy of the New Bedford Museum.

After the Whale Kill

It was not uncommon for whaling ships to employee Eskimos during the later part of the 19th century. Some would work onboard the ships, while others were based onshore. Eskimos, known as Inupiat, were employed on the Arctic whalers, as were many other natives.

The Inupiat lived along the northwest coast of Alaska where they were known for their skill in hunting whales. They were steeped in the traditions of the whale hunt where it was more than sustenance for the community. It was also the ceremonies surrounding it which gave meaning to their lives. Unfortunately, for those Eskimos who worked on whaling ships, it was not uncommon for them to leave behind their ancient traditions. This resulted in a rich traditional loss to the native community. It would also contribute to hunger and starvation, for when the men left for whaling, there were few left behind to hunt and fish to keep their families and community from starving throughout the winter months.

Picture Caption: Photograph of Inupiat Eskimos after killing a whale, Point Barrow, Alaska c. 1920, courtesy Anchorage Museum, p 4.

Finding Ways to Feed Their Families

With Eskimo men away from their homes working on whaling ships, many families could no longer rely on the men to hunt, feed, and provide the materials for clothing their families. Without their contributions to the food supply, which was commonly stored in the permafrost for the winter months, it meant hunger and even starvation for their families and communities. This was not the way it was before the whalers arrived, when the Eskimos thrived throughout the seasons on what they hunted.

During these difficult times when food was scarce, some women found resourceful ways to supplement feeding themselves and their children. This picture of a native Inupiaq woman and child in 1888, at Point Barrow, Alaska was taken during the time when vessels would sometimes invite the natives onboard to visit, dance, or talk to them. Those onboard might in turn give gifts of food, as seen here onboard the steamer, Thetis.

Picture Caption: Native Woman and Child, Point Barrow, Alaska, Arctic Ocean, 1888, "A Summer on the Thetis", courtesy Alaska State Library Historical Collections, Alaska's Digital Archives.

The Thetis

The Thetis was a Scottish-built steamer with a rich history. The steamer made several trips to Alaska during the summer of 1888. One of those trips was a four month, 10,000 mile exploration of Alaska's coastline from Sitka to Point Barrow, while another was to search for the missing schooner Jane Grey. Then resident Territorial Governor of Alaska, Alfred Swineford, was one of the distinguished passengers onboard, along with his wife and step daughter, Agnes Shattuck (b. 1879). This picture of the Thetis was from Agnes' collection during her family's residency in Sitka, Kechekan, and later Juneau, Alaska where she lived from 1886 until 1960.

Mrs. Shattuck's collection of photographs was prolific, with scenes of the coastline from the steamer to those of the Eskimos invited onboard or seen going about their daily life. She left a wonderful legacy of old prints of this region during this time period, with many prints taken onboard the Thetis. Eventually, the Thetis became part of the Revenue Cutter Service in 1899 which transported Siberian reindeer to Alaska. After 34 year of service, it was grounded off the coast of Newfoundland in 1950.


Picture Captions: First picture is "USSThetis Leaving Norfolk, USA", collection of Mrs. Allen Shattuck . Below, the picture on the right "A Group of Women and Children on Ship's Deck", and on the left "Woman and Babe on the Thetis", collection of Mrs. Allen Shattuck, "A Summer on the Thetis", 1888, Alaska State Library - Historical Collections, Juneau, Alaska.

Sledge Island - Living on Crabs

Photographer, Edward Nelson, sent a report to Lomen
Brothers Photography regarding finding a "party of about twenty-five people, from Sledge Island, who had been starved out [starving] at home and were camping there, living on the tomcod and crabs which were abundant." By tying bait of dead fish to the end of lines fastened to small sticks secured in the snow banks, once sunk to the bottom of the ocean through a hole in the ice, they were able to catch the crabs. According to Nelson's report, they were surviving well on their crab catch. This depicts a time when the Eskimos had to be resourceful in subsisting on whatever became available to them. The whaling industry depleted the number of bowhead whales to near extinction, which was the Eskimos' primary food source. Although this is a posed photograph Nelson staged to go with his report to Lomen Brothers in 1896, the equipment, clothing and other items were in use during this time period.

Picture Caption: Photograh by Edward Nelson,1896, Lomen Brothers Photographers, Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Print is located on page 20 of website.

Sledge Island Location

Figure Caption: This is a hand drawn map of the northwest coast of Alaska. Drawn between 1896 and 1913 by Otto Goetze, it situates Sledge Island off the coast of Nome, Alaska. This map is courtesy of Anchorage Museum, Anchorage, AK.

View Sledge Island today.

The Meaning of the Bowhead to a Community

Ronald Brower, Sr., an Inupiat from Barrow, Alaska, was born in 1949. He writes a firsthand account of how his community thrives through the seasons on what they catch. The bowhead's significance, described in his 2001, Part II lecture about Eskimos' traditional life, has "for the Inuit people been the center of our cultural, nutritional, and spiritual well-being for over 3,800 years." (Part I of his lecture was given in 1978.)

Brower was raised in a sod house in Iviksuk and, because he was sickly as a child, he was cared for by his neighbors while his family tended trap lines. The elders taught him the myths, legends, and history of his people that led him into a life of teaching. This 2001 lecture speaks of the feeling of starvation that overcomes his community when they are not able to hunt the whale due to regulations imposed by the government.

"For the Inuit of the Chukchi Sea, it is a dismal time when we are unable to capture the bowhead whale. When we cannot capture the bowhead, it is as though we do not participate in celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in our communities. Then we are forced to subsist on less central resources to meet our nutritional needs until we can resume the hunt of the great bowhead the following spring".

The commercial whaling industry served to collapse the native population, yet things gradually became better for the Eskimos in the 20th century with the formation of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission. This organization serves to protect the whaling traditions of the native Alaskans. It is Brower's lectures which help us understand the struggle Eskimos were experiencing to feed their families and what the purpose and use of each animal they hunted meant to them.

Quotation: Ronal Brower, Sr., Part II Lecture, 2001.

Alaskan Eskimo Whaling Commission

The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) formed in 1977 to protect the bowhead whale, while at the same time supporting those who depend upon the whale as sustenance. As the International Whaling Commission (IWC) acknowledged, “whaling, more than any other activity, fundamentally underlies the total life way of these communities.” The International Whaling Commission (IWC) determined in 1977 that the Eskimos were overfishing the whale population and extended regulations to Eskimo whaling. This meant that the Eskimos were banned from hunting bowhead whales. The truth was that there were far more whales than the IWC had estimated, however they never consulted with the Eskimos who knew this as fact.

From 1977 forward, representatives of AEWC have attended every annual IWC meeting where AEWC provides the commission with scientific research on the bowhead whales. In the summer of 1977, AEWC met with the United States government in order to preserve their subsistence hunt, for which the government promised to research into.

Eventually, AEWC approved by-laws to:

• preserve and protect the habitat of the bowhead,
• to protect Eskimo subsistence whaling,
• and their culture and traditions associated with subsistence bowhead whaling.

The IWC agreed to support:

• the establishment of goals that ensures that bowhead whaling follows AEWC regulations,
• will promote the scientific research to ensure the health and well-being of the bowhead whales,
• and will communicate to the world the Eskimo subsistence whaling of bowheads are to meet their nutritional and cultural needs.

Pulling the Whale Ashore

Just as the Eskimo community came together in the 19th and 20th centuries to pull the hunted whale ashore, the same traditions hold true today. A virtual tug of war pulling up to 60 tons of dead whale ashore, dressing it, and dividing it among the community are still ongoing. (Video - pulling the whale ashore) This is a time for great celebration. A short radio program about the women of an Inupiat village cooking more than 30 tons of whale meat after the hunt and the celebration everyone experiences can be heard on "NPR".

Figure Caption: "Kingikmiut Eskimos paddling an umiak, a boat made of animal skins, during a whale hunt", Bering Strait, Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, ca. 1906, courtesy of University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Division.

"From the First People"

This is a short film about changes to Eskimos' contemporary life in Shungnak, a village on the Kobuk River in northwestern Alaska, 75 miles north of the Arctic Circle. In 1977, George Cleaveland and his wife, Sophie, were filmed giving a firsthand account of how life looks to them now, as opposed to when they were younger. The couple was filmed in a way as to represent how they visualize their community and lifestyle. It begins with the river flowing by their village. You sense the importance of this water way for the length of time spent photographing it against the noise of village life in the background.

Once George and Sophie begin to speak, they share their feelings about having the luxuries of electricity, coffee pots, radios, and snowmachines. The younger generation is not spared in their opinions of how little they understand about survival in their environment. In the background are two children playing cowboys. These are the ones Sophie and George say would freeze to death if they had to spend the night outside. You sense their shared loss of tradition through the modernization that has taken its place.

Picture Caption: This video preview is from the Alaskan Eskimo series by Sarah Elder and Leonard Kamerling, Documentary Educational Resources, 1977. It is called "From the First People".

Spring Whaling Celebration

Alaskan Eskimos subsisted on essentials such as the bowhead whale, the dog sled, and traditions. Of the three, only the dogsled has been replaced with the modern snowmobile, though many elders lament over the loss of their old mode of transportation. Hunting the bowhead whale continues, with effort placed upon the sustainability of the whale and its habitat while still meeting the Eskimos nutritional needs. Eskimo traditional lifestyle, though more modernized with electricity, motor boats, and snowmobiles, is resurging as the young find renewed interest in their languages and customs. Eskimos have gradually moved into the modern world, and even though they have learned to integrate the new with the old, they continue to maintain their resistance to giving up their rights to fish for whales, as seen in the formation of the AEWC.

Picture Caption: This is a picture of Inupiaq women dancing on a blanket made of bearded sealskin. This was a dance held during the Nalukataq (spring whaling celebration). Taken by Rev. Samuel Spriggs, Point Barrow, Alaska, between 1896 and 1913. This photograph is courtesy of the Alaska State Library - Historical Collections, Juneau, Alaska.

Past & Future

Whether the Eskimos look to the past to learn from their ancestors,
or into their future prepared to sustain their communities whaling rights,
they are a resilent people who will not turn their backs on their traditions.


Figure Caption: Photo by John Hess, Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC). Barrow, Alaska.
http://www.alaska-aewc.com/aboutus.asp.

Bernadi, Susan. "A Large Group of Eskimos Pulling a Whale to Shore". Alaska State Library – Historical Collections, Collection of Dr. Daniel S. Neuman, University of Washington Libraries, 1906. http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm-ayp/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/alaskawcanada&CISOPTR=2141&CISOBOX=1&REC=11.

--- "Two Kingikmiut Eskimos with Dog Sled". Alaska, Western Canada, and United States Collection, University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Division. 1906. http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/alaskawcanada&CISOPTR=2226&CISOBOX=1&REC=16

Brower, Eugene. "Whaling Video". http://www.alaska-aewc.com/.

Brower, Sr., Ronald. "Cultural Uses of Alaska's Marine Animals, Part I", Alaska Science Conference, University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus. August, 1978. Alaskool. Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorge. http://www.alaskool.org/projects/traditionalife/Brower/Brower-Pt1.htm.

--- "Cultural Uses of Alaska's Marine Animals, Part II". Alaskool. Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorge. 2001. http://www.alaskool.org/projects/traditionalife/Brower/Brower-Pt2.htm.

--- "Biography". Alaskool. Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorge. http://www.alaskool.org/projects/biography/RHBrower.htm

Curtis, Edward. "Eskimo women and children on the deck of a whaling ship". University of Washington, Digital Collections: Libraries' Special Collections, Harriman Alaskan Expedition Collection, 1899. http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm-ayp/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/harriman&CISOPTR=196&CISOBOX=1&REC=14

Dobbs, Beverly B. "Eskimos Standing on the Deck of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Thetis, Point Barrow, Alaska, ca. 1906". Collection of Mrs. Allen Shattuck, Alaska State Library Historical Collections, Alaska's Digital Archives. http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/cdmg21&CISOPTR=4039&CISOSHOW=2101.

Elder, Sarah, Leonard Kamerling. "From the First People". Alaskan Eskimo series. Documentary Educational Resources. 1977. http://www.der.org/films/from-the-first-people.html

"Eskimo Mother and Babe Aboard Thetis", Collection of Mrs. Allen Shattuck, Alaska State Library Historical Collections, Alaska's Digital Archives. http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/cdmg21&CISOPTR=4039&CISOSHOW=2091&REC=3

Gandia, Raymond. "Trip to Sledge Island". 2009. http://www.xalaska.com/snow_trips/st040309-sledge.html

Goetze, Otto. "Map of Northwest Coast of Alaska". Goetze Collection. Anchorage Museum. 1896-1913. http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/cdmg2&CISOPTR=2532&REC=3.

Hess, Bill. Photograph of Eskimo in Boat, Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission.
http://www.alaska-aewc.com/aboutus.asp

Lomen Brothers. "A Malamute Chorus". John Urban Collection, Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Alaska Digital Archives. 1896-1913.
http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/cdmg2&CISOPTR=3125&REC=9

Nelson, Edward. "Miyak fishing for crabs. How does she catch them?" Anchorage Museum, Eskimo History and Culture (p. 20). 1896. http://www.anchoragemuseum.org/galleries/alaska_gallery/eskimo.aspx

Neuman, Dr. Daniel S. "Whaling Boats Containing Eskimos Being Towed by the Bear". Alaska State Library – Historical Collections, Collection of Dr. Daniel S. Neuman, Alaska Digital Archives, 1906. http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm-ayp/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/alaskawcanada&CISOPTR=2141&CISOBOX=1&REC=11.

"Point Barrow Whalers about 1920", Anchorage Museum, Whaling in the Arctic (p.4), http://www.anchoragemuseum.org/galleries/alaska_gallery/whaling.aspx.

Sheir,. Rebecca. "After the Whale Hunt, the Cooking Begins." National Public Radio. 26 May. 2007. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10470060.

Shute, Charles H. and Son. "A Whaling Voyage". New Bedford Whaling Museum, 1920. http://75.150.122.156/newbedphoto/default.asp?IDCFile=DETAILSL.IDC,SPECIFIC=149105,LISTIDC=PAGEL.IDC,DATABASE=68143501

Spriggs, Rev. Samuel. "Drum Dance. Umiak, men with drums, women in summer kuspuks." Alaska State Library - Historical Collections. 1896 and 1913. http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Fcdmg21&CISOPTR=849&DMSCALE=75&DMWIDTH=720&DMHEIGHT=1200&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=0&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=nativespotlatch*%2520dance*%2520regalia%2520holiday*&DMTHUMB=0&REC=12&DMROTATE=0&x=578&y=366

Williams, Wellington. Map of North America Showing its Political Divisions and Recent Discoveries in the Polar Regions, 1860. Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, University of Southern Maine. http://usm.maine.edu/maps/exhibition/15/1/sub-/mapping-the-arctic.