Experience a Traditional Whale Hunt in Northern Alaska | Short Film Showcase
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Published 2018-11-27
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During whaling season, crew members spend their days watching the icy Arctic water for the right moment to strike. It will take courage and skill to achieve their mission, and they must avoid desperately hungry polar bears along the way. But in the long moments they stand on the ice, protected from the wind inside a fur-lined parka, a timeless gratitude develops. In those moments, the patient act of waiting transforms into a prayer for the whale. Anaiyyun: Prayer for the Whale, from filmmaker Kiliii Yüyan, tells the story of an Inupiat whaling crew that hunts where the vast plain of ice meets the waters of the Arctic Ocean.
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Experience a Traditional Whale Hunt in Northern Alaska | Short Film Showcase
• Experience a Traditional Whale Hunt i...
National Geographic
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All Comments (21)
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A lot of work goes into a traditional Alaskan whale hunt, with a successful catch playing a big part in a community's survival. For more information on these hunts, you can read on here: on.natgeo.com/2FU4giC
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I love the way it portrays what it's REALLY LIKE to be hunting or spotting wildlife: Patience. Nothingness. Lookout. Failure. Patience again.
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"Experience a Traditional Whale Hunt" Doesn't show whale hunt.
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I’ve never witnessed such amazing images combined with such incompetent editing and storytelling.
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There's a clear difference between traditional hunting and industrial whaling. Their purposes.
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It’s incredible how much value a single whale can provide for its surrounding ecosystem.
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I'm still waiting to experience a traditional whale hunt.... great filming, but you missed out an entire part, the part I came to see.
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I admire the respect they have towards taking its life. These people depend on whale meat to survive, yet still show enormous remorse and respect towards taking its life. Something we pampered people would take for granted.
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I volunteer at a zoo and know about the subsistence hunters in Alaska and Canada. They continue to fascinate me because of the way they live. These people are deeply reliant on the animals they hunt because it is for survival. They use every part of the animal. They do not waste anything. They hunt to survive and only to survive. To all you commenters who are criticizing them for it, I would like to see how well you’d be able to live like that. You probably wouldn’t even last a single day living like they do
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Such an amazing way to provide food for a whole village. They are grateful and nothing is wasted. We lived in the village of Unalakleet, Alaska for a year. I never got to see them do a whale hunt but I know how they respect the land and the animals in it ❤
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I CAME HERE FOR THE COMMENTS
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I needed this today. Thank you for supporting our whaling rights in our traditional way. I'm native from Washington state and we are also a whaling culture. We had to cease our hunts and fought it to the Supreme Court. Many of our ceremonies and songs were lost. It's such a huge difference though...why is there so much hate and protests for my people and all along the coast really, but all I see is support for this tribes traditional ceremonies. Thank you so much! It means a lot to me and to us
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Tradition is the most precious thing the mankind have.
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I lived in Barrow during the time Kiliii filmed this. We discussed the film. Glad to see it came out and he is pleased with it. I have filmed numerous butchering if whales and can tell you that it is a sacred event that the Inupiaq are very appreciate of their food when given it.
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When you kill the animal yourself, you have much more respect for the meat. These guys don’t waste anything from that whale carcass
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Amazing! They go out in a canoe and get a whale using only a spear. The entire village pulls the whale’s body out of the water and it is then harvested and eaten throughout the winter. They don’t kill a bunch of whales for the “sport” of it, but they kill one whale to feed their people. These are an amazing people!
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Love how they respect the animal and the kill. And 100% of that whale will be used. No waste, which would disrespect the whale.
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They edited out all the gore and people were still triggered lol
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I know it's only meant to be a short film but I really wish there were more! Especially love the "Prayer for the Whale," (0:30--1:00) and bringing in the whale with the blessing ceremony (6:00--7:00). If this was a trailer to a longer and more in-depth documentary film I would totally watch it! <3 <3
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What a wonderful tradition community effort. Seeing the generosity of this community by cooking and serving everyone then celebrating by having fun and singing. Beautiful.
