Her aunt gives Heather a helping hand with her Thanksgiving maktak

Today at the Thanksgiving whale feast in Nuiqsut: Her Aunt Doreen spotted Heather struggling to cut her frozen maktak with an ulu, so gave her a helping hand. I just returned from the feast and I am stuffed - and I have a pretty good-sized box of maktak, frozen meat and frozen fish to take home. I took a picture of it but the internet here is extra slow today and Squarespace 5 falls apart with a slow net. I can't face this struggle twice today so this will likely be my only post this Thanksgiving Day.

Jet over whale skull

I stepped out of the Iñupiat Heritage Center about half-an-hour ago and saw this jet, flying above the bowhead whale skull, up where the sun still shines but where it's colder even than it is down here. I wonder where it is coming from? Where is it going? Military or commercial? Headed southwest. Given its trajectory and altitude, one could justifably speculate that is has just come over the Arctic Ocean. As noted in an earlier segment of this blog, in the spring of 2012, I boarded a plane in Dubai, flew directly over the North Pole and then landed in Los Angeles.

On that trip to India, departing and returning from Phoenix, I traveled farther north than I had ever been before in my life.

Cutting whale for the Thanksgiving feast

This is maktak from the whale Larry Aiken lost his cell phone for when he threw the harpoon into it. Larry is here in the Iñupiat Heritage Center too, along with his captain George Adams, Wayne Toovak and other crewmembers cutting bowhead for the Thanksgiving feast.

I was going to use a picture of Larry cutting with these men as as a carry-over from breakfast, but I think I need to be sure the whaler women also get credit they so greatly deserve. On the right is Diana Martin, Iñupiat Heritage Center Museum Curator. She is an expert on the weapons, tools, clothing and other implements from her culture reaching back into time immemorial. As curator, she watches over and cares for the Heritage Center's growing collection of artifacts. Today, she has also been watching over her daughter Katherine who she has been teaching the Iñupiat ways of food preparation. She has also taught her how to prepare the backstrap from caribou into the superstrong, waterproof thread used to sew ugruk seal skins into the boat cover for the umiak used in the spring hunt.

Text added at 5:40 PM. The Squarespace nightmare continues - day 56 and counting.

Potluck to send off the whalers

Nuiqsut elder Amy Taalak, at left in turquoise dress, offers the blessing for the food at a community potluck to send village whaling crews off to Cross Island. Among the food is a bit of bowhead maktak saved from last year. What little is left won't last long. It is time to replenish.

Three Apache sisters on a beach in Hawaii; the betrothed in the surf; humpback tail

And here are the betrothed, Rex and Cortney, swimming at the same

Click to read more ...