High in the Arctic .. .. lives an Eskimo !

[Majik_Imaje]

Hello from the TOP OF THE WORLD !!

COME along for a journey that will leave you speechless, amazed, & spell- bound.

Point Hope Alaska, the oldest continually inhabited settlement in ALL of North America. Life can accurately be traced back to some 3,000 years ago to this one spot of land.

Come along for the journey of a lifetime, from the warmth and comfort of your home or office. The temperature is 60 below zero, when this image was created. I have the flu, but I was literally dragged down to the ocean ice pack for a purpose.



We are headed 7 miles out on the frozen ice pack of the Chukchi Sea in the Bering Strait of upper Alaska some 200 miles above the Arctic Circle in the Northwest portion of the State.

This tiny community of Inupiaq Eskimo's; used to have a population of over 10,000 Eskimos. In the mid 1800's, the whaling companies arrived loaded with greed, disease and through mass starvaton, the population was reduced to just 190 people.

I arrived here, for just 3 weeks in 1981 to wire two construction camps as an electrican forman. the population was 420. When the job was successfully finished, I quit the company and stayed. that was almost 30 years ago. I am still here.

I am originally from Boston. but the Arctic has been my home and I will never leave this frozen paradise of the north.

These tents are for the women only. this is where they perform all of this incredibly hard work ro prepare food for each of the crews. Each Whaling captain has 8 hunters, a Boyer, and 3- 5 women to do all of the cooking 3-5 times each day for 2 months or longer, depending on the conditions of the ice.


This is a typical whaling camp, many miles out on the ocean ice pack.. It is midnight in mid May. This is where the hunters live & sleep, right here 24 / 7

Because we have strong sunlight 24 hours each day until the end of August, you easily become "solar powered" if you stay in that sunlight. It is very easy to stay alert and awake for 3 days or longer.

this is a very dangerous place or enviorment. Anything can happen at any time out here and usually does in many strange and bizarre ways.



Most of the children in the village are brought down to the ice pack as the entire community (now over 800) moves out here to gather food for the next winters months. This is hard work and this is no easy task to gather food.

These children play outside all day long in temps that you could never imagine, 30 - 50 below zero is the norm. Do these chldren look cold ? Nope ! The Arctic is extremly dry, and as such, 30 below zero is a wonderful day to play out. all day long.

I was walking out on the ocean ice and I could hear, children "giggling" As I came around the corner of this huge piece of ice, This is what I saw, thegirl on the far left Rachel said.. .. "wannt see me eat snow" !



We cannot use vaseline up here, the main ingredient is petrolatum and in this enviroment it evaporates quickly and flakes off like candle wax.

So lets see, what, & how these people live and survive in the harshest enviorment on the entire face of the earth.

It is extremly windy, the strong north wind is never ending and it is brutal out here. but this is home for the next two months, happy happy people that never ever complan about anything.

There is no pay for all of this work, no one gets any pay whatsoever. The only reward for all of this work, is you get to eat! that is all these people want, to be able to eat THEIR FOOD!



Each whaling camp is set up identical in each and every apsect. Everything is in the same place, no matter which camp you visit.

18 Whaling captains* (Umailiaq*) are spaced out from each other some 1/2 - 3/4 of a mile apart. the women are in back of the hunters some 1/2 - 3/4 of a mile, on much safer ice.

Home Sweet Frozen Home @ 50 below zero, this is the norm out here. This is our tradition & culture for over 3,000 years. this is a scared hunt and outsiders are not allowed, especially with a camera.

Jacques Cousteau, BBC - London & Parmamount studios tried to gain access to this village, they were denied and told to leave the village and leave the area.



That umiaq (skin boat) is mounted on a sled to protect these thin skins from beng torn or ripped by the sharp edges of the ocean ice. It requires the use of six ugrook (bearded seal) to skin the boat. these skins are all hand sewn, using a zig-zag water type stitch that is sewn together using..... .. .. "dental floss". this is the perfered material because of its much needed strength.

These children copy & mimick everything they see their parent do during hunting. this is their life. to grow up to become a successful Umailiaq.

The temp is 40 below zero and you cannot get these children to stay inside when it is very cold outside, they want to play! Notice the sled !!



I was walking (again) around the village 9:00 Easter sunday morning. I hear some yelling behind the house I am walking past. These children sounded very excited and I could hear them screaming in Inupiaq, Killimak, Killimak, (hurry up - hurry up) samma ( look I show you) Agviq Agviq!! (whale -whale !!)

[WannaBe_80z]

I would like to welcome you to the Photo forum here at the FK and hope you can stay and visit longer then this post. As this is your first post I will be watching it closely and hopefully this is not something you are spamming around the internet as it is very interesting and I do like the photos.

Hope you can post more soon.

[Majik_Imaje]

This is a true story about a people that need help from the world.

during this story (if it be alllowed to continue) I will teach some of the finer aspects of photography and provide true stories and amazing photographs that were all hand processed in the village using snow as my only source of water. This is all film!

Let me introduce you : to a few of my very close friends.

Kathy Rock, Age 10 is sitting on the seat of a snowmachine, many miles out on th eocean ice pack it is 40 below zero I walked over to this child and asked permission to create a "striking image" she smiled and said yes. As I brought the camera up to compose this image, she began to smile, I said NO ! Kathy.. Please do not do that. I am not here, I am invisible. just look past me. look through me. I knew what I wanted before I ever went over to approach her. I needed help , then I saw that look yes! yes yes -=[click]=- I spent 1/2 hour with this child and I only exposed one frame of film.


Daisy Della Fay, Age 3 In 1983 I was offered 100 K for the complete righs to this image. Under the advice of some close personal friends high in the Art world, I turned down that offer. I sure am glad I listened to them. I passed that figure many years ago.


Aaka & Aapa - Grandmother & Grandfather - Lilly & Donald Oktollik, the fancy trim at the bottom of the parkys are called "kupaks" (coo pucks) the kupaks on Donals parky are all hand made and sewn using "beads" !

Lilly made each of these parkys. These two people are my four Inupiaq sons Great Grand parents.
Donald was a successful whaling captain and and Episcopal minister in his day.


Two teenage Inupiaq girlfriends pose for me in traditional native dress @ 50 below zero. do they look cold ? Nope Inupiaq clothing is very warm and extremly light. all expertly hand made and sewn using dental floss. We cannot have a seam rip or come apart many miles out on that ocean ice pack. Quality is #1



Here is a portion of the bizarre, here in this world. This is a different world than you have ever seen or experienced and what I am about to explian to you seems IMPOSSIBLE. but this is true. I have met many that do this.

This is a Boyer Jimmy Nash age 3. again many miles out on that ocean ice pack.
At night when the cooks go to sleep in the tents a boyer is need and used.

His job, HIs responsiblity is to keep that woodstove fired up and keep that tent warm all night long. He stays awake, alone, all by himself he has many chores to do.

He must chop wood for that woodstove to keep it fired up just right. He must use very sharp knives to cut pieces of sicpan. seal blubber.

he has to wash cups and thermoses and make fresh hot coffee, hot tea & hot chocolate for the hunters down at the edge of the ice.
he must melt snow to wash everything that needs cleaning, he must make water for the coffee and tea and other beveages that are consumed in mass quantities all night long.
When the cooks wake up he has everything prepared for them to begin the days work.
His other chores include watching that ice in case it cracks. he must constantlly keep watch of the wind in case it should shift suddenly, wake everyone up and run! He is armed with many rifles in case of a polar bear attack. This is a 3 year old child, hand him your lighter and matches and lie down and go to sleep your in good hands he has been trained very well !!!




Hello honey I'm home.. .. .. hmmm that smells so good.. what's for supper tonight ??

[Majik_Imaje]

Well lets pause here for a moment, (pun intended)



Danger warning: POLAR BEARS are not soft cuddly cute animals, they are ferocious beasts of prey that are extremly dangerous and very unpredictable.

There is much you do not know about these animals, this short segment will teach you much about this magnificent animal, that should never be underestimated.

ALL bears.. .. are left handed, they will always strike with the left PAW first!

Even after a polar bear has been killed, that bear can still kill that hunter if he is not careful when that bear is opened up.
The liver must be burnt and destroyed, anything that eats this will die!

Admiral Perry on his expedition to the North Pole lost 3 members of his crew due to attempting to eat a polar bears liver, It is saturated with millions of units of Vitamin A. This is extremly toxic and deadly.
when that bear has been opened up for gutting, skinning, etc.. A hunter must be extremly careful, not to get any of that "juice' on himself, gloves must be worn. Great care must be taken when cutting the liver out of the animal. the tubes must be tied to prevent leakage of this "JUICE" it contains tooo much, Vitamin A and just by getting some on your skin it will kill you!

When the hunter is finished with the procedure of gutting that animal, any clothing that has "juice" on it must be burned and destroyed !

Barrow Alaska 1940's Vincent Niigak was gutting a bear, and all was well and finished, His gloves were removed and burnt. His hands were cold and he brought up his hands to warm them by blowing on them close to his mouth. Unknown to him at the time of this event. The tiny-est speck of juice touched his lip.

He Lived to tell about it in a very unusual way. He lived for many decades but he stood out in a most peculiar way.

Eskimo's are darkskinned and with black hair. Vincent's appearance was white as snow. His skin, his hair. ALBINO. pure white skin, pure white hair. Everything was bleached white by that small miniscule amount of vitamin A on his skin.

Everyone in Barrow knows of this famous hunter, He died in the late 1980s I believe. I have never had the pleasure to meet this famous man, but many have told me the same story in each and every village. His claim to fame was well known all over the area.

A polar bear can run at speeds of over 40 miles per hour, they can attack without notice, out on the ocean ice. They are ferocious predators. Each month, certain women must get off the ice. go home. come back later in a week or so. get off the ice. you present too much of a danger out here for everyone.
That bear can smell blood for many miles, these bears are extremly clever and will stop at nothing to eat, anything.

Seals are their main food supply. A bear will sit over a breathing hole in the ice and cover his nose and eyes with its paws, and wait for a seal to surface to breathe. One quick look around by the seal, and it is all over,.. ... ... .. burp!

BILLLY WEBER WAS OUT ON THE OCEAN ICE; and a polar bear came around the corner and ran towards Billy at full speed.
Billy turned and ran. he had a .22 rifle with only one bullet left. he took off running, he had no choice but to run.. that bear was gaining on Billly as he ran for his life. Other hunters out on the ice saw this event unfold, but were too far away to offer any assistance. There is only one place to shoot a polar bear to kill it.
that one vital spot is in the ear. While running for his life, with that bear quckly gaining on Billy he merly pointed that rifle back as he ran and took the shot.. .. ..
.. .. Billy lived to tell about this and everyone up here knows of this famous event.

That bear was that close, because Billy waited, and waited until the last possible second to point it at the ear and take the shot while on the run. That bear went down.

A very close personal friend in Point Lay Alaska, My electrical apprentice, Charles Stalker Jr. III was not so lucky. A polar bear was going after his pregnent girl friend. Charles distracted that bear away from her, and armed with only a knife, and a very thin jacket, that bear literallly cut him in half with the swing from the left paw. The villagers came out and blasted that very skinny bear, but much of Charles had already been eaten. Dec. 1990 sob!

1950's Allan Rock was out on the ocean ice. Same predicament.. A polar bear was charging him, armed with only a large knife, Allan was successful and jumping on that bears back and taking him down the hard way.!!!!!

During the 1970's it was LEGAL for the white man to hunt the polar bear in Alaska.
A permit had to be obtained and it was good for only one day. The cost of the permit was 10,000 dollars, This practice had to be discontinued because too many of the great white hunters were shooting polar bears from the planes they chartered.

Polar beat meat is the most delicious meat I have ever tasted in my life.
It is jet black, grainy like old gnarled wood, but it is so sweet and tender, 10 times better than the best prime rib I have ever tasted. In fact it was the ONLY time I had ever asked for seconds at a meal, and all at once everyone responded NO!

Scientists are puzzled at all the recent drownings of polar bears. They say it is because of the huge distances between ice packs, that the bear cannot swim that far. That is not the real reason for bears drowning, no.
The real reason for their drownings is they have no fear, they will attack a sleeping walrus on the ocean ice. A walrus will sleep on its back with head back revealing the vital neck region. when that bear pounces on that walrus, the walrus merely lowers its tusks around the bears head and rolls over into the water bringing the bear down to huge depths !



Polar Bears were recently put on the endangered species list and then quickly taken off that list. We are only allowed to take them down as a last resort to protect innocent lives here in the village. Each year a few bears will enter the village. Bears stay on the ocean ice pack, sometimes they wander into town.
We do our very best to get them out of town, back onto the ocean ice. Sometimes
that is not possible and we have to take them down quick, due to the fact there are children outside in the village. This year three bears entered town, two of those bears had to be taken down quickly, as they were trying to gain access into homes.. A mother with three cubs entered town.. We were successfull in getting that mother and those cubs, out of town back onto the ocean ice.

The bear and the meat is the responsibility of the hunter, the skin is worked on by the women. It takes many women to perform a "Native Tan" on the skin using very sharp Ulu knives. This can take as much as ten hours or more.



These women work hard to scrape that skin clean, this is not an easy task to accomplish. Sally Killigvuk, the mother of the hunter with the polar bear. Elizabeth Oviok (postmaster) work hard with these other women. Six - Eight women will spend the entire day, working on this skin, when that skin is cleaned, then it is put into the ocean, tied up to soak for a week or two, then it is placed up on a rack in the strong north winds to dry, for many months.



Well we live a simple life in a very dangerous place, under the harshest conditions known to man on the entire face of the earth. We would not have it any other way.
Believe it or not, YOU are all invited to take part in whaling festival next June in Point Hope !! A three day non-stop event held every year (coming soon).
J.J. Russell Lane, displays the skin of his very first polar bear.
J.J. caught two whales this year! His first, and His second.



Khristopher Nashookpuk caught these two bears, in fact his girlfriend took down the big one.!!

Actually, they caught three brown bears in two days.



Grrr... Grrr.. you ain't so tough !! Grrr.. Grrr.

These dogs just have to show how tough they are, when a dead animal is hung or brought into the village.



Well I truely hope that you found this all "bear-y" interesting !

Lots more to come, lets go back to the ocean ice and see what happens

[frex]

Hi Majik and welcome,
sounds you have interesting info for us about analog photography under difficult circumstances! Looking forward to hear more of your knowledge and see more of your photos!
But...as nice and 'real' film may be we live in a digital world and it's a challenge and fun to take digitals transmitting an emotional 'feel'
We all should learn from each other!
Great to have you here!

[Majik_Imaje]

If I type in the word IGLOO no doubt you have heard that word, but do you know what an IGLOO IS ? I sincerly doubt that very much, you think an IGLOO is built out of snow or ice.. that is a myth ! that simply is not true, NOT FOR ALASKA EVER!

First of all, in the Inupiaq language there are no O's or E's. Therefore the correct spelling of THAT WORD is Iglu

Iglu = one dwelling place.

Iglut = two dwelling places.

Igluk = three or more dwellings.

ever since the begining of time thousands of years ago, The Inupiaq people have always constructed an iglu out of whale bones and sod ! These ancient ruins are all over the place and still visible here today. and in many villages. From Kotzebue just over the Arctic circle clear up to Barrow and beyond, Kaktovik

This is an Iglu, this broken down "condo" once had electricity running to it. The service drop is on the left hand side. one of the porclean insulators is still visible.



When covered with snow, the inside of these dwellings were quite protected from
the elements of the constant never ending strong Arctic winds.



As you can easily see, there is quite a bit of room in some of these old units. Some of them were very long with rooms off to the side. Large families lived in these dwellings for 2,600 years and some of the old ancient ruins are still visible here today as the wind and erosion, uncovers earth and sod to display the ancient bones dug deep into the permafrost many thousands of years ago!



All over the OLD TOWN SITE, ruins are still visible and more are becoming visible each year, The village of Point Hope had to be moved 2.5 miles south in the late 70's due to flooding. That is still a major problem today, we are only about 12 feet above sea level, one huge wave and we are all fish food!




Bones are everywhere, and they have significant meanings and uses !

and of course.. .. stories !


Bones.. .. .. what is there to say about .. "bones" ?

Well usually a subject not many would find interesting, except up here, because of the "varied" use of bones. A lot can be said and shown to explain many things and uses for "bones".

The whalebone graveyard has jaw bones from many whales collected over many thousands of years.

Nothing is ever wasted by the Inupiaq peoples. Jaw bones from whales mark grave sites and cermonial festival sites.

The last chief of Point Hope (1920s era) is buried here. Atangorak.



The whale bone graveyard is 1 mile away in the distance, yes it is that far away from this, grave which as you notice, for some reason is not among the people of Point Hope. He was not considered a nice person. He had six wives and took another man's wife for his # 7 th wife. He was murdered shortly there after. all of his six wives are buried here also !

Jaw bones from a whale of that whaling captain are always used to mark their grave sites with the biggest whale that captain has ever "received".

Kamaktoaq is a cermonial festival site used once a year @ whaling festival which is held each June, if we have been successful in receiving a whale.
Point Hope used to have more than 20 clans, before the whaling companies arrived here. Now we have just two clans left. Kamaktoaq & Unisigsicauq.

[Majik_Imaje]

"we live in a digital world and it's a challenge and fun to take digitals transmitting an emotional 'feel' ".

You live in that world, I do not ! I live on a different planet a different world and digital will not work out there for any extended period of time. There isn't a digital camera made that can take the abuse of this climate.

Yes I know Canon makes a camera that works well in Antartica. but they are not outside for two months.!! big difference. I have no place to go to warm that camera up !!

and as severe as it is.. My cameras were always encased in ice. 1/8" thickness, the cameras were extremly sluggish the controls worked but everytime they were moved, the ice would crack. I would have to literally chip the ice out of the viewfinder every morning using a fingernail clipper.

I had very rugged cameras, no electronics in them, they worked flawlessly. in the most severest of weather.

stay tuned, for I promise you the most spectacular story and photos you have ever seen or read !!

[frex]

"we live in a digital world ...".
You live in that world, I do not ! I live on a different planet a different world and digital will not work out there for any extended period of time.

Good for all of us there is Internet in your world

[Majik_Imaje]

Yes it is good we have internet up here.. now the phone companies and others can show their greed

$100 a month for dial up !

[Majik_Imaje]

Back out.. .. to the ocean ice pack.

700+ people are out here. for the next two months. This is extremly hard work. Chop a trail with pick and axe for 7 miles, by hand. The high spots must be broken down and smoothed out. the low lying areas must be filled in.

this is a job that is contstantly being looked after. this is a daily routine. It takes a honda or snowmchine many hours to make this grueling trip out there to carry supplies and equipment.



Tigluk is hard at work with his axe. this is his crews territory, for their camp site trail. Each crew has their own access trail, which they have to maintain daily. that man is over 70 years .. .. young !!



walking out here, is not easy task not with what I have loaded on my person.
2 cameras,
50 rolls of film (at least), there is no problem keeping my film cold after it has been exposed. but the biggest problem I have is that fully dressed I have over 38 pockets ! and trying to figure out a way to sort all of the stuff I have on me was my biggest problem. I was constanly loosing things. but later. things were found, nothing was lost, er.. almost. I lost 5 rolls of film.

these rolls were found 5 years later, in Boston. i high heat and high humidity.

According to Kaptain Kodak.. ! Once a roll of film has been exposed and stored under optimum conditions (freezer) that latent image will last up to a year. hmmm these are 5 years old, and storage was improper. Vericolor film.

I almost tossed those rolls of film. I came so close to just throwing them away. because what K.K. said made perfect sense to me. but.. .. I jujst have to process these and see for myself. Wowow!!! the image at the beginning of this thread. the old couple Lilly & donald Oktollik that was on one of the rolls. If I had listened and obeyed Kodak, I would have lost many tens of thousands of dollars.

Now, just because you read something about photography. that does not mean it is true until it is proven !!! I have proved Kodak wrong on so many different things. and this was another . Ya gotta be different to succeed in this business.

I have just recently discovered a "rule" I have enver ever heard about. It is called the rule of thirds. LMAO !!! I have no idea what this rule states and I do not want to know what it says. I do things different.

My rule; which breaks all rules, is that I always put the subject dead center!

Study my images, your eyes are brought to the center in almost all images !!



first whale hunt I had one camera and 60 rolls of film.

next hunt 5 cameras and 300 rolls of film. I have been honored and pleased to have attended 5 sacred whale hunts.






Out here.. the "feelings" are wierd. One side of your face is sweating, and the other side is being frost bit. this is a very wierd feeling to get used to. That strong north wind just never stops. You easily get the best tan of your life, in about ten hours out here. but only on your face and hands. but the order of the day is the same, each and every day.. wait, watch, look & listen.

the only sounds, are the wind, the ice cracking, and the sound of your "thoughts" !!



We eat fantastic food out here, 3, 4, 5 times each day. These cooks work so hard to prepare meals, then they have to walk at least a half mile to serve it to the hunters at the edge of the ice.

That wind is just so strong, it is moving that ice pack on the other side of the lead opening. From right to left in this image, that ice pack is moving south, at perhaps 15 - 20 mph.

It is very easy to hallucinate out here.. do not watch that ice moving. becasue when you do, at some point in time.. that ice will stop, and you will experience the sensation of moving in the opposite direction, I was constntly falling over, much to the delight of these hunters who were always laughing hysterically over this dumb city boy from boston.



Eating a hot meal out here, has it price to pay. The food is absolutly delicous,

Fresh duck soup. Fresh caribou soup, and so much more, some of which you will never believe. such as freshly made "doughnuts" !! ??



50 below zero this day.. now how in the world do you think this woman gets that dough to rise in this drafty tent ?? Once the dough has been mixed and prepared, it is put into a clean plastic bag. then the woman puts her parky on, and the bag of dough is carried inside the parky on her back in the same manner in which a child is carried. Her body heat will cause the dough to rise just perfect.

but when you eat a hot meal, this is what happens. Your body relaxes and you get a little lazy and you begin to get cold(er) !! Your body cannot generate enough body heat to keep you warm(er).



Are you cold ?? then pick up that hacksaw and slice some very thin strips of caribou meat. Do not chew them. just swallow them whole.



This is called quaq, (caulk) this is a hunters breakfast, when he has to go outside for extened periods of time. Fill your stomach FULL. Now this is what happens, your stomach has to work very hard to digest all this raw, frozen caribou meat. fish can be used also. Once your stomach goes into the digestion phase.. your body is workinig hard, very hard to digest that raw frozen meat or fish. You begin to generate body heat the likes of which you have never experienced. @ 30 - 40 below zero, we are taking our clothing off because we are just too hot !!!

Can you tell who has recently eaten in this manner ? It is obvious, 30 below zero, a two month happy long picnic out here in the middle of frozen no where., on the ocean ice.

Just where ?? do you think we obtain delicous fresh drinknig water out here in the middle of a frozen salt water ocean. ?? We do melt snow, but just for washing and cleaning; snow tastes yuk !! We need delicous fresh drinking water, Where does it come from ? There are over 700 people out here. we need massive amounts of water for cooking and for drinking.

where does it come from ?? Inupiaq technology: time tested for many .. thousands of years.






I had a job to do for these people and I accepted it graciously and with out any hesitation.

The truth must be told said my captain, Jake Koonuk.. (Jakey).

I was shocked when I heard what he had to say to me. WoWoW!

I was in Boston 1977 and on the tonight show with Johnny Carson, John Denver was on that show. and he had a video to show & tell.

I got very mad when I watched this show because something did not make sense at what he was saying.

the video showed John denver crouched down, behind some ice .watching a polar bear cross the ice in front of them a great distance away.

the Eskimo man that was with Mr. Denver was wearing a "funny hat"!

I had always seen and spoken with Jake in town on many occasions. he was the person who requested my presence out on the ice.. bring your camera I was told.

when I got off that sled (pic of sled). I had the flu. I slept outside that night @ 60 below and I froze the flu. I was perfect the next morning.

but when I saw Jakey out there, I almost passed out from shock!!

This is the man.. .. .. with the funny hat I saw on tv 5 years earlier. and he is wearing that same hat . Oh wow. WHAT AM I DOING OUT HERE, WITH HIM.????
Introducing my captain.. the person who made this all possible.
Everyone on his crew and others on the ocean ice. were furious, that a white man was out here, with a camera. EVERYONE was mad at me.



That stuffed seal skin is called Avatakpaq (ah vah tuck puck) This is filled with air. there is 200 feet of heavy thick rope attached to this "float" the purpose is to track the whale and to slow it down, much in the same manner in which a "bobber" is used in fishing. The #2 person in the umiaq, that is his job. to make sure when that whale is harpooned, that the rope doesn't take the captain and or others and yank them out of the boat and into the water which would mean certain death out here. the weight of your clothing makes you sink like a rock.

All because of what John Denver did to these people.

[tiGRAN=-2001]

Awesome photos, and very interesting read!

[Majik_Imaje]

This is our food, this is what keeps us warm and happy.



Let me bring you up to date on what is happening right now this moment.

Everyone is getting ready to head back out to the ocean ice. but first, crew members must cut & chop their way through the ice for 5 miles.

I have videos of this incredible work, which will leave you speechless. 30 below zero, 12 hour days of chopping ice, for weeks, no pay involved, just the right to eat !!

We do not go around obstacles, we chop straight through them to blaize a t rail for all of the equpiment. This is back breaking incredibly hard work, for miles, happy happy people. !!! Think about that, and no one complains !!



this is work, chop through that high pressure ridge ! why ? why not go around it ? There is so much about the ocean ice most people are not aware of. This is our home for the spring whale hunt of 2 months thereabouts. Every year for thousands of years, this is the most spectacular time of year.

Safe ice is thick, Extremly thick. smooth ice is easily cracked and can seperate. If you are on the wrong side of that ice, bye bye, the currents here are 20 mph ! so if you begin to drift, and your not aware that the ice has broken in back of you. Lots of people have died in this manner, never to be seen or heard of again,.. .. .. BUT - there have been a rare few, that have survived this ordeal, and the stories they tell, .. .. .. you would never believe it in a million years. (chuckle) ~

[robbmcaulay]

See what you've done now?

[WannaBe_80z]

You have woken the beast. Everyone get their burning John Denver pitch forks!

[Majik_Imaje]

Hunters sleep outside, during whaling, many miles out on the ocean ice.



The work involved, in obtaining food, is staggering. A bowhead whale weighs an astounding TON per foot. We have a 48 foot whale here, Just how much work was involved in getting this animal upon the ice ? more than 17 hours of work, everytime we got the whale upon the ice, the ice would break. finally many tons of blubber had to be removed from the whale before it was successful landed.

[ctranter]

I had a vision about this just t'other day

[Majik_Imaje]

There is a vast difference in how we obtain our food over your method.

You can walk into a grocery store and purchase items from the shelves. Ninety percent of Inupiaq food comes from the ocean, and it is a lot of difficult hard work, to obtain food. Everyone is happy and no one ever complains !! There in lies the major difference between our cultures.

I notice when I am in Anchorage or Fairbanks, everyplace I go, people are busy complaining, and usually about nothing worth while. I can just imagine the complaints if you had to work hard with no pay to obtain food. Would you still be happy ?

This is what has kept me here in the Arctic for 30 years. I want no part of your world.

You people have so much, yet constantly complaining.

Life is about helping others and being thankful for what we have. Think about that for more than 5 seconds.

work here, is incredibly difficult, this is the tast at hand today, bust through this pressure ridge, make a smooth trail, for miles !!!



12 long hard hours of work @ 30 below zero !! and people are laughing and having fun working !! This will continue for almost one complete month, Work hard, and absolutely no pay,.. .. .. just the right to eat, and groups, agencies, commissions want to take that away from us!!

That is the main purpose of this thread, to inform the world, We need our food, no other food will help us. If the world understands our plight, then maybe we can get some of these ridiculous rules against us taken away.

[WannaBe_80z]

I love the copy and pasted responses.

[tiGRAN=-2001]

Wow has this text been pasted before?

[WannaBe_80z]

When this guy first came to FK we were all amazed at the story and shots(I personally still am digging the photo work) but if you search his name or any keywords he has in his post you will find a HUGE search result filling forums all over with the same long messages.