2009 in review - June: Kalib goes south, I go north, Point Lay celebrates in first Nalukatak in 72 years; Jason and his boat crew

Okay, I've got a big problem. I begin writing these words at 6:19 PM on the last day of 2009. When I started this month-by-month review of the year that is about to end, my plan was to have it done before the year ended.

And so far, I've only managed to get five months up. But I must finish before the year ends and there are other things besides this blog that I must do between now and midnight.

So I am going to hurry. I will give the rest of the year short thrift, I fear.

Here I am, with Jacob and Kalib, out on a walk.

And here Kalib is, at the Alaska Airlines Terminal in Anchorage's Ted Stevens International Airport, taking a look at stuffed Kodiak bear. He will soon get on a jet with his mom and grandma and they will all head to Arizona. 

I will be gone when they get back, so more than six weeks will pass before I see them again.

Melanie and I took a little hike in the Talkeetna's, in the Hatcher Pass area. I wanted to do much of this kind of thing last summer. My plan was to go to the Arctic Slope, work hard on my project for two months and then take the month of August just to go out and do nothing but hike, fish, bike ride, camp and any damn thing that I wanted.

It would not work out that way.

Now I am in Point Lay, where I have come to document the first whaling feast in the village in 72 years. This is whaling captain Thomas Nukapigak, showing his nephew a photo of the whale harpooned from the boat of Captian Julius Rexford.

And this is Julius, at the feast, reaching back to place a hand upon the Elder, Warren Neakok. In the middle part of the 20th century, Point Lay became a near ghost village, after many of its residents were sent to outside cities by the federal government as part of the Indian Relocation Act.

Only Warren and his wife, Dorcas, stayed - in the belief that the Point Lay people, the Kalimiut, would one day come back.

And they did. Their population was small and they did not whale at first. When they decided that they were ready and applied for a quota, they were denied. This was because they could not prove that they had been a whaling village.

Fortunately, Dorcas had written letters back in the 1930's describing how she had helped after three whales had been landed. With this proof, Point Lay was granted a quota of one. They went out in 2008 and I went with them, but they did not strike a whale.

In 2009, as I was leaving for India, Julis landed his whale.

Whale meat is distributed at the feast.

During the blanket toss of Nalukatak, Christina Lane, daughter of Julius, distributed candy to those who came to the feast.

The whale feast ended early the next morning with a rousing celebration of dance. This is Willard Neakok Jr., a young whale hunter and excellent dancer.

Wainwright celebrated its whale feast of Nalukatak the very next day. These are the members of Iceberg 14 who were in the boat when they struck the whale. I will start at the right, since I ended my April review with a photo of Jerry Ahmaogak throwing ice out of a boat ramp.

That's Jerry again, on the right, who harpooned the whale. Next to him is Co-captain Jason Ahmaogak, Co-captain Robert Ahmaogak, shoulder-gunner Benny Ahmaogak and next to him, Artie, who was not actually in the boat but he is now the Elder of the crew.

Mary Ellen Ahmaogak is also Co-captain.

My Uiñiq magazine contains a big story on this crew and this event. After it comes off the press and gets time to get out and circulate around, I will come back and share a little more, here.

Comments

[WhiteStone]

I like this post. And I like seeing the people you portray! May their New Year be one of joy and peace and all good things.