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Abstract THE PEOPLE OF WHALING: Aron L. Crowell In the northern Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean, a 2000 year tradition
of Alaska Native harpoon hunting for bowhead and gray whales continues
to the present day. The annual hunt – and the preparations
and celebrations which surround it – are a key part of cultural
identity and survival. Now in cooperation with the Smithsonian and
other museums, Iñupiaq and Yupik Eskimo community members
are interpreting the technological, cultural, and spiritual dimensions
of whaling artifacts from the 19th century. One benchmark for this
discussion is the extraordinary group of whaling amulets and ceremonial
objects acquired at Barrow by the IPY’s International Polar
Expedition of 1881-3. The collections and observations made by expedition
leader Lt. P. H. Ray and ethnologist John Murdoch reflect a period
of rapid change, when new equipment from New England Yankee whalers
took the place of bone and stone harpoons and Iñupiaq ceremonies
and shamanism were suppressed by missionaries. Yet these older pieces
- clothing and regalia for whaling ceremonies, and charms owned
by the harpooner and whale boat captain - reflect beliefs and values
that are still taught and celebrated. Research and current exhibitions
exploring the past and present of whaling benefit from both living
Alaska Native knowledge and a rich ethnohistoric literature from
Barrow, Point Hope, Gambell, and other northern communities.
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