Point Lay whaling captain Thomas Nukapigak shows pictures of the whale that he and his crew helped to land to his nephew, one-year old Uavauq, also known as Jason. The whale was struck by the Atkaan crew, captained by Julius Rexford.
At the very moment Atkaan struck, Nukapigak and crew were closing in to take a whale of their own, but as soon as they heard Rexford's voice announce his strike over their VHF radio, they turned away from that bowhead and went to help him land his whale.
Other members of the Nukapigak crew ride on a fourwheeler driven by Thomas's brother, John. Except for one couple, Warren and Dorcas Neakok, Point Lay was abandoned after World War II, in large part because of the federal "Indian Relocation Program" that sent many of their residents to California, Chicago and elsewhere in an attempt to assimilate them.
After the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act passed in 1971, former residents began to move back, but their numbers were too few to resume the bowhead hunt. Then, when a conflict with the International Whaling Commission resulted in a bowhead quota in 1977, ten Alaska villages were recognized as traditional whaling communities.
Point Lay was not one of the ten and so did not get a quota.
Sadie Rexford, Julius's mother, lives in Barrow but came over to help prepare the feast. She cooks "Eskimo Donuts," highly prized around here.
About ten years ago, Nukapigak and Rexford decided it was time for Point Lay to start whaling again, and began to petition to have Point Lay recognized as a whaling community. Their claim was questioned, as some doubted that Point Lay had ever hunted bowheads, but Dorcas Neakok had letters dating back before World War II describing whales landed by the people of Point Lay and telling of her own actions in hauling the meat and maktak back to the village by dogsled from the landing site.
In 2008, Point Lay was finally recognized as a whaling village and was alloted a quota of one whale.
I went out with them in the spring of that year and it was a great time, but no whales were landed. I might have been with them this year when they landed the whale, but they did so on the very day that I left for India.
But I am here now, for Nulalatak, the whale feast, which will take place Friday, June 26.
The feast has not even begun, yet I have already eaten several of Sadie's donuts. "Help yourself," she invited. And so I did.
This is Julius Rexford, the captain of Atkaan, and he gives Lloyd, who had long hair when I went hunting with them and when last I saw him at Kivgiq in February, a teasing pat on his now bald head.
Kuoiqsik, who was in the boat with Nukapigak getting bombs ready when they helped land the Atkaan whale, with Amy.
When I took my big fall in Barrow on June 12 and shattered my shoulder, Kuoiqsik was there. He is the one who accompanied me to the emergency room in Barrow and stayed with me until the doctors sent him away.
That meant a great deal to me. I will always be grateful. Kuoiqsik graduated from high school this spring and plans to go to the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, come fall.
A little boy whose name I do not know. He was at the site where preparations were being made for Nalukatak.
Amy again.
Little girl and little dog.
I took many more pictures today and have not even downloaded one of the two cameras that I used, but it is already one-hour and 34 minutes into tomorrow and I have other tasks that I must do before I go to bed.
Tomorrow will be a big day. Actually, tomorrow is already today, but you know what I mean.
At least I got a sample of today up.
Friday, June 26, 2009 at 12:33PM ;)
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