Point Lay Nalukatak: Cakes - dedicated to graduates and whalers; oil's watermelon gift... getting ready for blanket toss (part 7 of 10)

The first cake presented at the first was dedicated to Kali High School Class of '09, of whom there were ten. Eight, whalers all, came to feast. Several plan to attend college. Above is Daniel Pikok, John Stalker, Rhoda Rexford (daughter of Julius) Kuoiqsik Curtis, Dorothy Pikok, Christian Young, Melva Sampson and Lloyd Curtis.

The second cake presented was that for the Atkaan crew.

To make certain that there was enough for everybody, the decorated cakes were supplemented by the plain in appearance but delicious in taste. Harpooner Brenton Rexford, younger brother to Julius, prepares to serve.

I fear that, immediately after I took this picture, I grabbed a piece for myself.

And then there was watermelon. Shell Oil, Incorporated, who hopes to drill in the home of the bowhead, gave fruit and other gifts at various whale celebrations on the Slope.

The suckers are from candy thrown to the crowd during the blanket toss - which will be posted shortly after this.

But this was a whale feast. Patrick Tukrok uses a pick axe to separate chunks of quaq, frozen whale meat, from each other.

Having eaten her fill, Jamie takes a quiet moment for herself as she waits for the adult blanket toss to begin. After it begins, she will have a rather exciting moment, as you will soon see.

Four girls pass beneath the outer edge of the blanket as they play "Follow the Leader" behind Bill Tracey. Traditionally, the blanket is made from the skins of the umiak manned by the crew that caught the whale. In Point Lay, they hunt with motor boats, so the skins for this blanket came from the umiaq of the Little Kupaaq Crew captained by Harry Brower, Jr., of Barrow.

Very soon, this blanket will be put into action.

And that will be the subject of my next post, which go up almost immediately after this one.