![]() We also throw it on fires to make the flames burn higher and We eat it with almost every kind of food. Most important of all, the blubber is made into oil. The intestines are dried and used asĬontainers for oil and water. Finally, everyone else in the village, in Next, each of the men who helped pull the whale onto theīeach get a piece. All the men who went whaling get their sharesįirst. He wants everyone in the village to have a share My older uncle, as first chief, directs them Then, with the heavy whale in tow, they headed home.īutcher the whale. Next, they tied some of the sealskin balloons to the whale so it would float better. First, they tied its mouth shut so its body wouldn't fill up with water, making it difficult to tow. The men ignored the pain of aching muscles and immediately prepared to tow the whale home. Finally, after several strikes, the whale was dead. One by one, the sharp harpoon heads dug into the whale's flesh. At last, the canoes were close enough for the men to throw more harpoons at it. It was daylight before the whalers caught up to the whale. Little by little, the hunters gained on the wounded whale. Their eyes followed the sealskin balloons in the moonlight. The large canoes jumped forward, and the chase was on again.Īll through the night, the men strained on their paddles. Just before darkness fell, the sealskin floats bounced up in the distance. All eyes carefully watched the surface of the choppy water. The canoes sat silently on the surface of the ocean in the dusk. With a huge splash, it tried to sound and was gone.Įverything became very still. The men in the second canoe jumped up and threw their harpoons. It had come to the surface and was swimming slowly. When they finally caught up to it, the whale was becoming tired. They followed the whale for many long hours. ![]() The sealskin balloons bobbed along the surface of the water, making the whale easy to track as it tried to swim away. The sealskin balloons dragged through the water, slowing the wounded whale and making it difficult for it to dive. When the whale dove under the water, they threw the rest of the rope and the inflated sealskin balloons attached to it overboard. The hunters quickly attached one end of a cedar bark rope to the head of the harpoon stuck in the whale. If the flukes of the whale's big tail had struck the canoe, it would have wrecked it and thrown my uncle and his crew into the icy cold ocean. The canoes instantly swung to the left out of the whale's way. Blood spurted out as the sharp head of the harpoon sank into the whale's back. They followed the whale for some time before it came to the surface again. When the whale saw the canoe churning after it, it sounded, diving under the water. When the birds swam close enough, my uncle will toss the net over them and scoop them up into the canoe.įinally my uncle's canoe came up behind it. To get away from it, they will move into the shadow in front of the canoe. The birds will not like the light from the fire that shines on the water at the sides of the canoe. They will paddle to a place in the cove where lots of birds are resting on the water. Hanging from the rod is a big piece of cedar board that will block the light and cast a shadow, making the water dark in front of the canoe. My other uncle will be sitting in the darkened bow of the canoe with a net. It is his job to steer the canoe, and at the same time, he holds a special rod in his teeth. My older brother explains that one of the men will sit in front of the board with the fire behind him. Next, one of my uncles builds a fire on top of the sand. ![]() Then they cover the board with sand from the beach. They place a board across the sides of the canoe. We watch from the beach as the men prepare to leave. One very dark night, my two uncles go out to trap some birds. The first chiefs of the other houses do the same thing for their people. Usually, whenever anyone gets a lot of food, that person gives it to my uncle to use for a feast. Now he will be able to give a feast for all the people in the house.Īs first chief of our house, my uncle must look after the people who live here. He is pleased that we have picked so many berries. When we arrive at the house, we give the full baskets to my older uncle, the first chief of our house. My sister and I trail behind, laughing and tasting the berries. We walk back to the village slowly, carrying many baskets of berries. When my own little basket is full, I help my mother fill hers. Everyone starts to strip the berries from their branches. My mother, my sister, and I make our way with the other women and girls to the berry patches at the edge of the forest. I dress quickly and put on my cedar bark cape. One day when I wake up my mother comes to my sleeping platform and tells me that it is a crisp, sunny day so we are going to pick some winter huckleberries.
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