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Feb 25th, 2019: whale of a Tale
A salute to the people all around the Arctic Circle. Personally I think they’re nuts for living there but great respect and admiration
for their ability to survive generation after generation.
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Traditional whaling is practiced in tune with the unpredictable weather of the Arctic. Wind has pushed floating ice near the shorefast ice and the whalers must wait until it shifts again, sometimes weeks later. This camp, erected miles out on the sea ice, is the Iñupiaq home away from home. Despite spending months living in cramped and frozen quarters, the captain of Yugu crew prefers it. “It is quiet here.” This setup is typical of spring whalers, who spend months on the sea ice waiting for whales by their skinboat. |
| Flora Aiken gives a silent blessing to the first bowhead whale of the spring season. The Iñupiaq have a rich spiritual life which centers around the gift of the whale to the community. Foster Simmonds offers a prayer, saying, “Hide something for me. Look at the food, the whales. Look at the sea, the whalers. A blessing for them. Take that and hide it in your heart.” The whale here is tied up after being towed to the ice’s edge and is awaiting the village to come and help haul it onto the ice. |
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Larry Lucas Kaleak listens to the sounds of passing whales and bearded seals through a skinboat paddle in the water. The sounds of bearded seals and bowheaded whales are unique and distinctive, and can be easily heard in the vibrations of the wooden paddle. The frame of a skinboat rests on trestles, a reminder of Yup’ik traditional culture. For the youngest generation of Yup’ik, traditional culture can be a lifeline. 16-year old Sam Schimmel from Gambell says, “What I’ve seen is that when youth are not culturally engaged, you see higher rates of incarceration, higher rates of suicide, higher rates of alcoholism, higher rates of drug abuse — all these evils that come in and take the place of culture.” |
| A large polar bear investigates the freshly butchered carcass of a bowhead whale. The scent of this whale attracted 13 polar bears in a single day, which presented considerable danger to the wary Iñupiaq whalers who nonetheless allowed the bears to feed. |
| Kunuunnguaq Davidsen performs a Greenland kayak (qajaq) roll in the 2018 Greenlandic National Championships in Nuuk. Traditional kayak rolling was done to recover from capsizing during kayak-hunting. It has since evolved into a national sport with 37 increasingly difficult rolls. |
link
Griff Monday Feb 25 07:39 AM
Wow. Last of the humans...
newtimer Monday Feb 25 09:20 AM
Last of the whales, too?
Come on, Polar Bear. Snack on a few of those 2-legged critters.
Gravdigr Monday Feb 25 12:32 PM
He would if he wanted to.
Glinda Monday Feb 25 01:46 PM
| Kunuunnguaq Davidsen performs a Greenland kayak (qajaq) roll in the 2018 Greenlandic National Championships in Nuuk. Traditional kayak rolling was done to recover from capsizing during kayak-hunting. It has since evolved into a national sport with 37 increasingly difficult rolls. |
Also, Kunuunnguaq Davidsen? How do you pronounce that? There's gotta be a story behind Davidsen, too. MOAR INFO!
BigV Monday Feb 25 09:10 PM
laying forward
sitting upright
to the left
to the right
with paddle
without paddle
laying backward
sweeping paddle forward
sweeping paddle backward
one arm
no arms
over to the left and up on the left
over to the right and back up on the right.
over to the left and keep going coming up on the right
over to the right and keep going coming up on the left
starting from still position upside down
...
there are several starting points there that could have combinations of factors... I think thirty-seven different combinations is easily imagined.
xoxoxoBruce Tuesday Feb 26 12:49 AM
Easy to believe from people who have 50 words for snow. They can nuance like a bitch.
BigV Tuesday Feb 26 10:58 AM
Good observation
Gravdigr Tuesday Feb 26 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Glinda
Also, Kunuunnguaq Davidsen? How do you pronounce that?
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Also:
Ain't no 37 ways to roll, man. They's left, they's right, and they's the fuck up outta here.
That's three rolls, tops.
Gravdigr Tuesday Feb 26 01:26 PM
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Originally Posted by BigV
starting from still position upside down
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Rhianne Tuesday Feb 26 03:25 PM
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Originally Posted by BigV
laying forward
sitting upright to the left to the right with paddle without paddle laying backward sweeping paddle forward sweeping paddle backward one arm no arms over to the left and up on the left over to the right and back up on the right. over to the left and keep going coming up on the right over to the right and keep going coming up on the left starting from still position upside down ... there are several starting points there that could have combinations of factors... I think thirty-seven different combinations is easily imagined. |
The list of rolls is here (with links to pictures of some):
http://www.qajaqusa.org/QK/rolls/rolls.html
BigV Tuesday Feb 26 10:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Rhianne
Ha, ha. You missed out Pakassummillugu/unermillugu or 'holding the paddle in the crook of your arm'.
The list of rolls is here (with links to pictures of some): http://www.qajaqusa.org/QK/rolls/rolls.html |
I made up my list off the top of my head in response to Glinda's expression of doubt. But you're right, I *did* miss the crook of the arm trick...
Thank you for the helpful link, those definitely sound like they're in order of increasing difficulty, from "gasping for air" to "I am definitely going to die down here".
BigV Tuesday Feb 26 10:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Gravdigr
So, you're swimming along, and a kayak floats by, ya dive under, put on the kayak, and then roll it upright?
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That's where you're starting from, still, upside down, figuring out this fucking problem, OH LOOK, A MERMAID. Where was I? Oh yeah... I'll do a number 37, "Ready, Begin!"
Like that.
Gravdigr Tuesday Feb 26 11:16 PM
Why dontcha just get that mermaid to help ya?
BigV Tuesday Feb 26 11:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Gravdigr
Why dontcha just get that mermaid to help ya?
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Gravdigr Tuesday Feb 26 11:26 PM
Glinda Friday Mar 1 01:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Rhianne
Ha, ha. You missed out Pakassummillugu/unermillugu or 'holding the paddle in the crook of your arm'.
The list of rolls is here (with links to pictures of some): http://www.qajaqusa.org/QK/rolls/rolls.html |
Why don't they have a roll where the kayaker has a rabid porcupine strapped to his chest? That'd be worth at least 20 points.
Gravdigr Friday Mar 1 08:35 PM
12 pound salmon grabbing you on yer face...Now there's a roll to know.
xoxoxoBruce Saturday Mar 2 11:20 PM
A brick weight is about 3 or 4 pounds I'd guess. Now when they are out in their kayak the chances of having a brick in hand are from what-are-you-kidding-me to not-a-chance-in-hell. However they could have something about that weight they really really don't want to lose. To make the contest uniform they use a brick, then if they drop it in a choice between brick and air it's not a big deal.
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