The First Whale in Two Years

On Tuesday, April 3, during a particularly tough week for the students who were undergoing national testing, the news came into the school that whaling captain Junior Kanooka and his boat sucessfully caught the first bowhead whale in Gambell in two years. When I first came here in August I was told that two years ago, Gambell mayor and three of his cousins perished in a storm in the Bering Sea one night in April while
taking in a whale. Since that tragedy in 2005, no whale had been taken. It was clear to me at this point that this community has suffered a serious setback to its subsistence morale. Afterall, the bowhead whale has been the foundation of Siberian Yupik identity since the first chapter in their long history here on the island. The ecitement in the community was palpable as students and staff alike were released early from school to run down to the west beach to meet the hunters and their catch. When I arrived I was overwhelmed at the transformation these people underwent. Their was a festival atmosphere to the gathering as the crew begin to butcher this 20-ton animal.