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At the base of Cape Prince of Wales, the most westerly point on the American continent, there is Kingegan, an Eskimo village. During the month of May only each year, the more daring of the male population chase the bowhead whale through Bering Straits.
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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The old walrus hide cover is removed from the frame of his boat, the lashings of thong are examined and new cover put on
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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His meat hook and new walrus hide rope is made ready. His harpoon points polished and sharpened. The new paddles are made in the kozga or dance house where he spends a week preceding the opening of whaling season.
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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His luck pieces and charms are kept in a box on the cache. Perhaps a skull of a wolf or caribou or dried bird.
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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Seal skins filled with air are used as rollers under the boat as it is taken over the rough ice hummocks to the open waters of Bering Straits. They are then made fast to the thong attached to harpoon point and used as buoys to the dead whale.
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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The captain of a boat opens the ceremonies by taking from his meat cellar pieces of the whale he last killed and while sitting in charmed state under his whole charmed whaling gear he serves tiny pieces to each caller.
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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The men dance and feast and sweat and fast for days before their first hunt. The women may only go to the entrance of the dance house to carry food or material for work.
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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Even the boys dance while their elders accompany them with drums & songs, telling of previous wonderfully successful whale hunts.
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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As a precaution against evil influences likely to come from the sea, the captain puts a pendant on his back made of the top end of the tail of each whale killed by him. These are sewed in seal skin and will sustain life in case of famine at sea.
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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A runner is sent to the homes of the crew and as he stands at the entrance on tope of the innie or house he shouts his orders.
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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He bids his wife and babe goodbye and he and his crew roll the walrus skin covered oomiak out to open water, their path made certain and safe by
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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taken the shavings made in the dance house from the whittling of new paddles, made a fire of them, then using the ashes to sprinkle over the path used by the crew and boat to add luck to them and to fly into the nostrils of evil spirits & so retard them.
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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Before embarking, a piece of cooked whale skin is partaken of by each from a charm spoon and wooden pail after a fast of 24 hours, then with a piece of native graphite the tribal mark is drawn on the forehead of each.
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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A black mark of graphite is put around the boat at the waters edge to keep out evil spirits of the sea. The boat is launched and takes its turn patroling Bering Straits with 6 or 8 other crews.
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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Not succeeding in their first cruise after 5 or 6 hours they return to edge of shore ice, make camp, eat, and sleep, and perhaps dream of
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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The steam whaler Alexander that was wrecked in the ice in August 1906 & of her catch of a monster whale 70 feet long and whose
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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Crew wounded it in Bering Straits between the Diomedes and after making fast to it with the harpoon and bomb gun, was surprised when they cut it up to find -
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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the tail was nearly as wide as the ship and whose
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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head contained 780 slabs of whale bone valued at about $12,000 the longest slab being 9 ft. long, but the poor Eskimo is very glad to
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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catch even a 30 foot pup whale and loses no time in donning his water proof seal skin suit & gets right into the whales stomach, not through his throat, but through a hole he makes himself with his sharp knife
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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He carves out the blubber, saves the blood and the old woman care for these. The most valuable part of course is
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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the head that contains the commercial whale bone worth from $5 to $6 a pound. This bone answers to our teeth and is suspended from the upper jaw only - the lower jaw having a muscular tip that covers the bone
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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The bone inside the mouth is covered by a coarse fibre through which the water is forced, straining the food which is always only tiniest jelly fish.
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection
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The women use the man's hunting sled to haul the whale meat to the meat cellars in the village, usually a mile from the place where the whale is landed.
Collection: B1996.009 McBride Collection