Eskimos Research Paper

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Pages: 5

The term “Eskimo” refers to two groups of people one being the Inuit and the other being Yipak both of which are considered eskimos who inhabit the Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Siberia. Eskimos are well known for their hunting techniques. Even though there is a wide variety of where eskimos are located majority of them use the same if not similar techniques. “Eskimos are known to rely on large land and sea mammals including whales.” (Burch pg97) Whale hunting is one of the most critical types of hunting in Eskimo culture demanding great skill and precision no matter what technique is being used. Eskimos have traditionally been hunting whales for hundreds and thousands of years to survive off of their raw materials gathered …show more content…
The umiaks may also use sails or recently in the twentieth century may use outboard motors. “When the belugas come into shallow water to eat fish or to have their young belugas, the men waiting lined up on the outside of the shallow water and then slowly follow the belugas going in towards shore.” (Wells pg44) Once the men have the belugas trapped in the shallow water they take turns throwing their spears in the water every so often to keep the belugas scared to prevent the beast from turning around. Soon after trapping the animal in the shallow the men gather their second spear and place the light birch made handle in their mouths for easy access to take the kill shot once the whale resurfaces to breathe. Having taken the kill shot once the captain of the umiak gives the order the whale then dives back down. “The bleeding beluga won’t be down to long before the whale resurfaces and the men strike it once more creating short motions to push the spear through it’s chest and back out again. When the beluga is finally dead, the men attach a spear with the hunters mark on it with a small float made out of the urinary bladder of a seal.” (Wells pg45) Eskimos hunt beluga whales a couple different ways due to how dangerous it is to hunt in a umiak. Another determining factor of what technique to use is what season it is whether it is spring, which is considered whaling season, or