Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling and Indigenous Rights in North America

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This project is an anthropological study of aboriginal whaling activities amongst the Inupiat in Alaska, USA, Nuu-cha-nulth on the Northwest Coast, Canada, and Inuit in Canadian Arctic, in relation to their indigenous rights. The Inupiat hunt bowhead whales within the context of IWC-sanctioned Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling. Although the Nuu-cha-nulth hunted gray whales and humpback whales historically, they have not attempted to revive these hunts because of serious objections from environmental NGOs. On the other hand, the bowhead whale hunt by the Canadian Inuit is recognized as an indigenous right by the government of Canada. Thus, they revived bowhead whaling in the 1990s after a 50 year interruption. As these cases show, there are differences in whaling contexts among these indigenous groups. However, as the whale hunts are closely related to the continuation of identities and world views of these groups, whaling is more than simply a subsistence activity for them.