Three men in an 18-foot aluminum boat harpooned and killed a 32-foot bowhead whale off Little Diomede Island late Tuesday, bringing the first taste of fresh muktuk and meat to the Bering Strait community since 1999.
It was an exciting night, said resident Edward Soolook. When he heard of the catch by Thomas Menadalook Jr. and his crew about midnight, 'I just started running to houses saying, 'We need help! They got a whale!' '
By early Wednesday, most of Diomede's 140 residents had gathered under a nearly full moon on the ice shelf that surrounds the two-square-mile island, Soolook said. Then, in a tradition that goes back thousands of years, they inched the estimated 16-ton whale ashore using ropes and muscle, butchered it and began hauling the catch to homes throughout town.
But always remember, kids, to protect your muktuk: "An O'Connor Road woman told Fairbanks police that when she went to get a cold beer from her freezer about 9 a.m. Thursday, she discovered her muktuk, whale meat and fish were missing, according to Welborn. Police are investigating."
Previous coverage
No comments:
Post a Comment