High in the Arctic .. .. .. Eskimo !!

Is there a need to EARN ?? .. Yes !! the need is greater than ever, because so many groups are trying to take away our rights to live.. our way. There are very few jobs in the small villages. Virtually no work per say, so people have to depend on other ways to make money and that usually is accomplished through Arts & Crafts. This is a huge business here in the Arctic and all over the state. Native Art is more popular than ever.


Some famlies are not so fortunate and have to make do with what little they have. Our food prices up here to purchase food is astronomical. Gas has been well over $ 5.00 per gallon for years. It is very easy to spend 1,000 on food and not get very much at all. I once purchased 300 dollars of food in Anchorage for a whaling captain. and it cost over 400 just to ship it up there.

Point Hope is a whaling village, they are allowed by the International Whaling commission 7 strikes.. 7 attempts.. that is all. These people live out on that ice waiting for the chance to receive their favorite food. This is what they live for "blubber" fat.. flammable fat.. maktak (muck tuck). this is their main diet for many thousands of years. Without blubber they cannot survive. This year the people of Point Hope are rejoicing .. greatly, they received two whales. that is not near enough to feed 800 people for a year.



T his is brutal weather out here, especially this day, I would scream when I had to change a roll of film for each of the cameras I had. Touching metal @ 50 below zero with gloves off is an excercise in pure torture. It would take a long time for me to gain use of my fingers, the pain was so intense. Try as I might, to figure out a better way to change film, was always the same results. Intense pain. numbness, frostbite, Pain for hours.... Only becuase I refused to listen to what these people kept telling me to do.. .. so I suffered. This was the day.. I could take it no longer, frozen tears..
Inupiaq Technology: time tested for many thousands of years.

This is why.. .. your nose runs so much when it is cold out. Use it !!

is home for huge herds of Caribou. 400,000 in one herd alone. Caribou migrate up to the top of the world, Barrow, Prudhoe Bay and ANWR. We would enjoy 1.00 a gallon for gasoline if they would open ANWR. But people who have no idea how vast this area is. are keeping it closed for enviromental reasons.

There is one house here in the village of point hope that always has about a dozen caribou. on the roof of the house and a half dozen seals.



Food is abundant here in the Arctic. .but it is all soon to be taken away from us through mass deception and lies. Polar Bears are now on the endangered species list even though they are not in any danger. the population is at an all time high. We do not hunt the polar bear, they are much too dangerous and extremly unpredictable. But now that this animal is on th elist.. walrus and seals are next. The species that is in grave danger of becoming extinct is the Inupiaq Eskimo !!!

POLAR BEARS
The marine mammal act has governed industry activities in northern Alaska for three decades, and the result has been only "negligible" impacts on polar bears, federal biologists say.
BUT .. someone else says different and has put the animal on the endangered list , (MARCH 14TH) Much to the anger of the people of Alaska, this is headed into court for litigation. .because it IS NOT TRUE !!
UPDATE: Polar Bears are not in any danger !! They have been deciding for over three years now, whether to put them on the endangered list. Last year or so ago they put that animal on that list and then quickly took it off. Now, the decison is being pondered again, with much scientific research & 5,000,000 dollars.
If they succeed in putting this animal on this list, .. .. a tragic disaster would take place. The walrus and seal and caribou are next ! This unique culture will perish, - we do not hunt. for that bear. it is too dangerous.
Here is something your not even aware of.. Alaska; - the Arctic - Sibera. only counts for 20% of the Polar Bear Population of the entire globe. Now it is going into court for litigation !!
The federal government is with-holding the info needed to make this decision. There is so much you do not know about this ferocious beast. A mother can take her cubs into that water and swim for hundreds of miles. this is fact: Polar bears also know how to tread water. Do you actually think a mother would take her children on a suicide mission ?
These scientists cannot possibly cover this huge vast area up here. A hand full of scientits have to check out an area that is bigger than the us of a. We know how to deal with these animals. .. the white man doesn't. Just leave them alone. half the time they are running from the very people that are trying to study them. shooting them. performing their research. Just leave them alone. Only as an absolute last resort, do we have to take one down. single digits each year. We do not go out to hunt them. they are too dangerous.It has also been documented on the history channel with 'film' of a polargrizz. !!
Here are some facts and information, I bet you never knew.

Well lets pause here for a moment, (pun intended)

Danger warning: POLAR BEARS are not soft cuddly cute animals, they are ferocious beasts of prey that are extremly dangerous and very unpredictable.
There is much you do not know about these animals, this short segment will teach you much about this magnificent animal, that should never be underestimated.
ALL bears.. .. are left handed, they will always strike with the left PAW first!
Even after a polar bear has been killed, that bear can still kill that hunter if he is not careful when that bear is opened up.
The liver must be burnt and destroyed, anything that eats this will die!

Admiral Perry on his expedition to the North Pole lost 3 members of his crew due to attempting to eat a polar bears liver, It is saturated with millions of units of Vitamin A. This is extremly toxic and deadly.
when that bear has been opened up for gutting, skinning, etc.. A hunter must be extremly careful, not to get any of that "juice' on himself, gloves must be worn. Great care must be taken when cutting the liver out of the animal. the tubes must be tied to prevent leakage of this "JUICE" it contains tooo much, Vitamin A and just by getting some on your skin it will kill you!
When the hunter is finished with the procedure of gutting that animal, any clothing that has "juice" on it must be burned and destroyed !
Barrow Alaska 1940's Vincent Niigak was gutting a bear, and all was well and finished, His gloves were removed and burnt. His hands were cold and he brought up his hands to warm them by blowing on them close to his mouth. Unknown to him at the time of this event. The tiny-est speck of juice touched his lip.
He Lived to tell about it in a very unusual way. He lived for many decades but he stood out in a most peculiar way.
Eskimo's are darkskinned and with black hair. Vincent's appearance was white as snow. His skin, his hair. ALBINO. pure white skin, pure white hair. Everything was bleached white by that small miniscule amount of vitamin A on his skin.
Everyone in Barrow knows of this famous hunter, He died in the late 1980s I believe. I have never had the pleasure to meet this famous man, but many have told me the same story in each and every village. His claim to fame was well known all over the area.
A polar bear can run at speeds of over 40 miles per hour, they can attack without notice, out on the ocean ice. They are ferocious predators. Each month, certain women must get off the ice. go home. come back later in a week or so. get off the ice. you present too much of a danger out here for everyone.
That bear can smell blood for many miles, these bears are extremly clever and will stop at nothing to eat, anything.
Seals are their main food supply. A bear will sit over a breathing hole in the ice and cover his nose and eyes with its paws, and wait for a seal to surface to breathe. One quick look around by the seal, and it is all over,.. ... ... .. burp!
BILLLY WEBER WAS OUT ON THE OCEAN ICE; and a polar bear came around the corner and ran towards Billy at full speed.
Billy turned and ran. he had a .22 rifle with only one bullet left. he took off running, he had no choice but to run.. that bear was gaining on Billly as he ran for his life. Other hunters out on the ice saw this event unfold, but were too far away to offer any assistance. There is only one place to shoot a polar bear to kill it.
that one vital spot is in the ear. While running for his life, with that bear quckly gaining on Billy he merly pointed that rifle back as he ran and took the shot.. .. ..
.. .. Billy lived to tell about this and everyone up here knows of this famous event.
That bear was that close, because Billy waited, and waited until the last possible second to point it at the ear and take the shot while on the run. That bear went down.
A very close personal friend in Point Lay Alaska, My electrical apprentice, Charles Stalker Jr. III was not so lucky. A polar bear was going after his pregnent girl friend. Charles distracted that bear away from her, and armed with only a knife, and a very thin jacket, that bear literallly cut him in half with the swing from the left paw. The villagers came out and blasted that very skinny bear, but much of Charles had already been eaten. Dec. 1990 sob!
1950's Allan Rock was out on the ocean ice. Same predicament.. A polar bear was charging him, armed with only a large knife, Allan was successful and jumping on that bears back and taking him down the hard way.!!!!!
During the 1970's it was LEGAL for the white man to hunt the polar bear in Alaska.
A permit had to be obtained and it was good for only one day. The cost of the permit was 10,000 dollars, This practice had to be discontinued because too many of the great white hunters were shooting polar bears from the planes they chartered.
Polar beat meat is the most delicious meat I have ever tasted in my life.
It is jet black, grainy like old gnarled wood, but it is so sweet and tender, 10 times better than the best prime rib I have ever tasted. In fact it was the ONLY time I had ever asked for seconds at a meal, and all at once everyone responded NO!
Scientists are puzzled at all the recent drownings of polar bears. They say it is because of the huge distances between ice packs, that the bear cannot swim that far. That is not the real reason for bears drowning, no.
The real reason for their drownings is they have no fear, they will attack a sleeping walrus on the ocean ice. A walrus will sleep on its back with head back revealing the vital neck region. when that bear pounces on that walrus, the walrus merely lowers its tusks around the bears head and rolls over into the water bringing the bear down to huge depths !

Polar Bears were recently put on the endangered species list and then quickly taken off that list. We are only allowed to take them down as a last resort to protect innocent lives here in the village. Each year a few bears will enter the village. Bears stay on the ocean ice pack, sometimes they wander into town.
We do our very best to get them out of town, back onto the ocean ice. Sometimes
that is not possible and we have to take them down quick, due to the fact there are children outside in the village. This year three bears entered town, two of those bears had to be taken down quickly, as they were trying to gain access into homes.. A mother with three cubs entered town.. We were successfull in getting that mother and those cubs, out of town back onto the ocean ice.
The bear and the meat is the responsibility of the hunter, the skin is worked on by the women. It takes many women to perform a "Native Tan" on the skin using very sharp Ulu knives. This can take as much as ten hours or more.

These women work hard to scrape that skin clean, this is not an easy task to accomplish. Sally Killigvuk, the mother of the hunter with the polar bear. Elizabeth Oviok (postmaster) work hard with these other women. Six - Eight women will spend the entire day, working on this skin, when that skin is cleaned, then it is put into the ocean, tied up to soak for a week or two, then it is placed up on a rack in the strong north winds to dry, for many months.

Well we live a simple life in a very dangerous place, under the harshest conditions known to man on the entire face of the earth. We would not have it any other way.
Believe it or not, YOU are all invited to take part in whaling festival next June in Point Hope !! A three day non-stop event held every year (coming soon).
J.J. Russell Lane, displays the skin of his very first polar bear.
J.J. caught two whales this year! His first, and His second.


Khristopher Nashookpuk caught these two bears, in fact his girlfriend took down the big one.!!
Actually, they caught three brown bears in two days.

Grrr... Grrr.. you ain't so tough !! Grrr.. Grrr.
These dogs just have to show how tough they are, when a dead animal is hung or brought into the village.

Well I truely hope that you found this all "bear-y" interesting !
Lots more to come, lets go back to the ocean ice and see what happens when a whale is received !!

3 people out of millions have accused me of spam. We get 1,000,000 hits a month. from over 97 countries.. Do you just watch one channel on television? 58 photo forums to spread the word.. to the world.. we need your help. We are about to become extinct. this culture must never perish. North America's oldest people are in grave danger. 10,000 strong in the mid 1800's then the whaling companies arrived with their greed. We were reduced to just 190 people. in the Mid 1950's we were recovering and our population was 300 people then the government decided to conduct a little experiment.. they spread nuclear waste all over our area and watered the area to spread the radio active waste. "to see what effects it would have on the animals the enviroment and the people.

GOOGLE : PROJECT CHARIOT GOOGLE THE FIRECRACKER BOYS.

300 OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS ARE ALL DEAD FROM CANCER !

No one is held accountable for this bizarre act. The world famous whale bone graveyard. It is the wierdest feeling in the world to walk into a graveyard and you personally know every name in there. I cannot possibly describe this ..



"trips etc for sale.???"

Thank you all very much.. I promise you a spectacular story with amazing photographs .. with facts you will just never believe.!!

first of all .. .. .. these images were created in 1982 ! 1983, 88,89 90 ! I have been on five whale hunts with these .. the greatest hunters in the world. this is all done the old fashioned way.. .. using FILM.
Mechanical cameras, no batteries, no light meters. One image, one exposed frame of film, move on, no bracketing !!



I got rid of my light meter(s) in 1973 when I first purchased a mamiya RB 67. I am using two cameras out here.. King & Kong the temp is 50 below at times (beginning of the 1st hunt). with vicious winds that never seem to stop.. At times we approach 100 degrees below zero with wind chill factored in. I have a pentax K1000 extremly rugged and able to withstand these extreme temps mounted on a tripod for 2 months. !!

I enjoy a very high degree of confidence using film.. I learned how to 'read light' It is not difficult to do.. it just requires a bit of practice.. then you begin to understand.. very easily and I will teach you how to do this. so effortlessly ! and in time you don't even have to think about it ..your eyes become automatic.. not the camera !!



First of all.. .. there are ONLY 3 things that happen, when you release that shutter, and capture that image.
That image is too light, it is too dark. or it is right on perfect !! (thereabouts)
Now, knowing that, usually you have to do one thing.. open your F stop or close your aperature.. I always choose the shutter speed I need first .. then I adjust the Aperature.
So, in essence, I walk around out here, year after year using just one shutter speed and my aperature is the only thing I have to adjust.

Now look at my surroundings.. .. the most difficult scene to 'read' for any light meter because of all the brightness bouncing in all directions !!



this is a typical whaling camp. Each camp is set up identical in each and every aspect. Time tested methods, dating back many thousands of years. This is their life, this is their culture, this is their FOOD !! This is extremly hard, difficult work in the most unforgiving climate on the earth. All this work is for one purpose.. .. food to eat! No one receives any pay for all of this work. Just the right to eat! No one ever complains about anything. these are very happy content people.




That sled under the umiak (00 me ack) is to protect the thin skin(s) that are used to make this craft sea worthy, six ugruk (00g rook) skins from the bearded seal are used. These skins are hand sewn together with a zig- zag type water tight stitch.. .. .. using 'dental floss' !!

Last summer, while walking along the beach, with Ernie Phillips of Wainwright, My electrical apprentice whom I worked with in wainwright in 88,- 90 ! First time we have seen each other in 17 years ! quite a surprise when this shark showed up..! Dave.. that is not a shark.. tis a whale.. bottom feeding this close to shore.



well it looked like a shark to me.. I dunno nothing about whales.. but I have seen sharks on television.. I thought it was two sharks..(chuckle) yes these people laugh at me constatnly.. for my stupidity when it comes to the ocean the animals and even the birds. fish ?? I can't tell one from the other.. !

On many forums -this particular thread appears - EVERYWHERE.

What to purchase for a camera ? The answers are similar on every thread - no matter which country that forum is posted on.

I have some results to post- using inferior - cheap-O cameras that might shed some light on this subject.