Whales and Whalers
The Interviews - Related Artwork from Cape Dorset Collection
The Interviews - Related Artwork from Cape Dorset Collection
He could see far ahead. The ship was huge. The crew members that
looked after the boiler would be pitch black when they came out to eat just
before they cleaned up. The only thing that stood out was their eyes. They
would be covered with soot. The whole of the hold was filled with coal.
The upper cargo holds held cargo for various trading posts.
Q. Perhaps we can talk about your father at the time when he used to help
with the whalers, how did they hunt for bow head whales?
A. They would use whale boats which were slightly smaller and narrower than
the ones that we are familiar with. They would go after bowhead whales only
with oars. I believe they had oars like this.
There would be four oars on one side. When there was not enough wind for
them to move, then they would only use the oars when they went after the
bowhead whales and make contact with them.
The whiteman would be minding the steering rudder. The men that would be
the oarsmen would be ANGUTIMMARIK and others. There would be an INUK who
would be the leader with these people. The officer of the ship would be
in charge of the whaling boat and piloting the boat at the same time.
Q. Would the ship be close by?
A That would happen after the ice breaks up. While the land-fast ice was
still intact, they would go from QIKIQTAT to TAJARNIQ when there was still
a floe-edge, they would get these whaling boats to the edge by dog team.
When they got to the floe-edge they would have their whaleboats ready to
launch on the ice. They would keep looking for bowhead whales day after
day. Whenever they sighted a bow head whale they would launch the boats.
They sometimes would spend the whole day searching both sides of the edge.
Apparently that was the way they used to hunt bowhead whales. Upon their
return to their base they would pull up their boat and pitch up a tent.
Q. When they made contact with the bow head whale would they harpoon it
with the line anchored to the boat?
A. Yes, the harpoon gun would be used with an explosive. The harpoon head
would be placed in the bore with the harpoon head line attached to it. There
would be a rod that inserted to the bore. The wooden part would be this
long while the gun would be this long.
Q. Would they have to throw that harpoon?
A. Yes, the cartridge would be complete with the case, propellant, and the
primer without the bullet. The harpoon head was likely flush against the
case.
As they got close to the bowhead whale, they would place the butt of the
harpoon gun here and lift it with this side like this. They would then harpoon
the bowhead whale. When the harpoon head made contact there was a rod that
acted as a trigger. When the harpoon head hit the whale the harpoon rod
bounced back with the force of the explosion.
Q. Would the line be fastened to the boat?
A. Yes. The harpoon line was not to be lost, it would be pulled back. After
that they would tow the dead whale. In the nose was a pulley. That was
the place where they kept the anchor line. There was a wooden bollard or
bow stanchion at the bow and the line was fastened to it. The line was run
to the aft where it was fastened to the APA. The line was run to the side
of the center-board (SIPIKSAQ). From here it went to the aft where the pilot
was located. The line was again attached over there. As the bowhead whale
was towed, the bar that ran across the bow stanchion kept the line in place.
The line that was attached to the aft was kept in place manually by .....
slapping the line to keep it from bouncing. ..... The danger was, that should
the line bounce out of its place, then it has the potential to hit a person.
The boat would keep moving as long as the line kept getting loose (SIAK).
Even at that, the boat went so fast that the aft sank into the water.
Q. I wonder if they used to be pulled onto some ice floes?
A. It is said that it was only on rare occasions.
Q. Do the bowhead whales tend to smash boats with their flukes?
A. This happened when a bow head whale is harpooned and it (the harpoon)
hit some bones. They would hit bone when they harpooned it ...... at the
base of the jaw because it appeared to be situated about the mid-section.
This was the most frequent place where the whale would be hit on the bone.
They would aim just behind the fore flipper. If you hit near the flipper
then there was the possibility that you would hit a bone. Once the bowhead
whale was hit on a bone, it is going to bash its fluke with enormous power,
and the noise that comes with it. Should it touch the boat, the boat would
break in half.
My father once mentioned that he had once witnessed such a mishap. The men
went up in the air and then fell into the water. All of the crew were white
people. Their boat split in half. The leader of the whale boat, who was
an officer of the ship, swam to the ship and he (father) noticed that the
man was smiling. No one was lost because all of them were good swimmers.
When he got close the pilot was observed to be smiling.
