Seal Hunting:
Seals represent an important source of many natural resources to the
Eskimo. In all, seals supply clothing, fuel, food, and various manufactured
goods. A number of techniques are used to hunt seals, with usage depending
on the species, the season, and conditions. Eskimos hunt three species
of seals, the bearded seal, the ringed seal, and the spotted seal.
The
bearded seal is the largest species of seal hunted by the Eskimo.
Grows to a massive six-hundred pounds and twelve feet in length. These
seals are prevalent from mid to late winter, and sticks around until
the summer months from June to July.
The spotted seal, which is much smaller than the bearded seal, growing
to an average of about two-hundred pounds. Spotted seal are not very
common in the region.
Ringed seals are smaller yet than the spotted seal, growing to only
about one-hundred pounds. The ringed seal is the most common seal
in the point hope region, hence its importance to the subsistence
economy of North Western Alaskan Eskimos. These seals start to show
up around the time when the sea starts to freeze in mid to late fall,
and sticks around until the ice thaws in the summer.
In the early part of the season before the ice is fully frozen hunters
hunt seals directly from kayaks, or from on the ice shelf. During
this part of the season hunters will utilize a harpoon and a drag
float (the same float used to hunt whales) to kill the animals. During
the winter months hunters wait by the seals’ breathing holes
waiting for them to surface. When they do, the hunter will harpoon
the seal in the face. Another technique is to use nets under the ice
around the breathing holes, which yields a greater number of animals.
Women in many different groups often paddle the boat on the seal hunt,
although they very rarely actually harpoon the seals. The paddle used
by the women is different from that of the men, and is more similar
to an oar. Women don't face the same direction as the men when paddling
the boats. Men face forward when paddling, whereas women face the
rear of the boat.
In the spring months when the ringed and bearded seals are basking
on the ice, Eskimo hunters will attempt to sneak up on the prey and
harpoon them before they can escape into the water. This technique
is employed in different manners throughout the summer months as well.