Nalukataq- Spring Whaling Festival

We were finally able to have a day off on Monday, and we went to the Nalukataq in town. Nalukataq means “blanket toss”, and it is the celebration after the spring whaling season. This year was an extremely successful hunting season. Inupiaq whaling teams caught their limit, yielding over 990 tons of bowhead whale. Click here for a news article discussing the success of the spring whaling season.

The whale from the festival is able to feed the entire town for a long time. Each whaling team that got a whale (this year there were 14) are in charge of hosting one festival. You can tell the members of teams at the whaling festival by their clothing:

Above you can see members of two different whaling teams. Three different teams took part in hosting this festival, so they flew the three team flags in their honor. The teams prepare whale in many different ways and distribute it to the people who attend the festival.

We really enjoy going to the whaling festivals. We get to witness a lot of native traditions, which is really interesting and I think that they enjoy our interest. This year a couple of Inupiaq women came up and talked to us about the festival, which was very nice. I did not try any whale because I did last year, and one time was enough. One of the traditions of Nalukataq is the actual blanket toss for which the event is named.

Above is a picture from the child blanket toss. They do this in the early afternoon, and have the adult blanket toss at night. The child blanket toss is much less intense… they don’t throw the kids very high. But, they seem to enjoy it a lot. One thing everyone looks forward to: someone throwing candy, like the girl in the picture below:

Some kids get some pretty good air in the toss:

Also, Inupiaq children are adorable. Like this little girl:

Later on in the evening, the adult blanket toss is held, and there is also dancing and singing traditional songs. It was a great night and I loved getting the opportunity to interact with the Inupiaq people, and also a day to just hang out with the team. Now I am just looking forward to the July 4th festivities. I have never actually gone into town to see them. Hopefully this year will be the year.

A short update on the birds out at the site:
There are now 4 eggs in the plover nest! I can’t wait until they hatch.

The next week is going to be very intense. Our boss is arriving on July 7th, and we really hope he is pleased with our progress when he arrives. Then as late July comes, peak season arrives, and things will get even busier than they have already been. But, so far the season has been great. We are actually ahead of schedule and have been making great progress. I will try to take some more pictures of our science to share next time.