Alaskan Eskimos subsiste
d 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.
