Language
The Inupiat language is taught in Kaktovik school in order to maintain its use in the local community. Bruce Inglangasuk is a native speaker and would be happy to impart his knowledge of the language to visitors, from explaining place names to teaching greetings.
Only about 10,000 people speak various dialects of the Inupiat language across North America, so Kaktovik is an important centre for its preservation. The language is principally oral, and has only been written down within recent centuries. For this reason, it is much easier to learn it from a native speaker like Bruce.
The Inupiat alphabet:
Hunting
"Inupiat people continue to rely heavily on subsistence hunting and fishing, including whaling. The capture of a whale benefits each member of a community, as the animal is butchered and its meat and blubber allocated according to a traditional formula. Even city-dwelling relatives thousands of miles away are entitled to a share of each whale killed by the hunters of their ancestral village. Muktuk, the skin of bowhead and other whales, is rich in vitamins A and C and contributes to good health in a population with limited access to fruits and vegetables."
Source: Wikipedia
Bruce believes strongly in the instrinsic relationship between the Inupiat people and their lands - he says; "we are keepers of the lands and the animals; we respect our animals and try not to overkill them ".
Summer Inupiat Games Boat Trip
In July, Bruce takes a boat trip with the other residents of Kaktovik to Canada, using his open boat only in good weather and camping on shore every night with the other Inupiat. The village will stop at various historic whaling and fishing camps en route as well as at old buildings such as salt houses.
Bruce is willing to take a visitors along with him on what would surely be a trip of a lifetime. The group of boats will travel to Herschel island; a site of great cultural importance to the Inupiat and Inuit, and a Canadian National Park located in Yukon Territory. Here is held the traditional summer games, which you will be able to watch (and possibly take part in). The games happen around the first week of August.
There will only be space for a few people on this trip - it is likely that Bruce will allow two or three maximum due to space restrictions on the boat. Please contact him as soon as you can if you are interested in taking this unique and exciting trip.
Bone Carving
Bruce is beginning to learn the traditional Inupiat art of whalebone carving, using bones left on the shore after the annual whale hunt. If you are interested in purchasing some whale bone art, Bruce would be happy to show you his collection.
The Inupiat language is taught in Kaktovik school in order to maintain its use in the local community. Bruce Inglangasuk is a native speaker and would be happy to impart his knowledge of the language to visitors, from explaining place names to teaching greetings.
Only about 10,000 people speak various dialects of the Inupiat language across North America, so Kaktovik is an important centre for its preservation. The language is principally oral, and has only been written down within recent centuries. For this reason, it is much easier to learn it from a native speaker like Bruce.
The Inupiat alphabet:
a, aa, ch, g, ġ, h, i, ii, k, l , ḷ, ł, ł ̣, m, n, ŋ, ñ,
p, q, r, s, sr, t, u, uu, v, (y), (yy)
Hunting
"Inupiat people continue to rely heavily on subsistence hunting and fishing, including whaling. The capture of a whale benefits each member of a community, as the animal is butchered and its meat and blubber allocated according to a traditional formula. Even city-dwelling relatives thousands of miles away are entitled to a share of each whale killed by the hunters of their ancestral village. Muktuk, the skin of bowhead and other whales, is rich in vitamins A and C and contributes to good health in a population with limited access to fruits and vegetables."
Source: Wikipedia
Bruce believes strongly in the instrinsic relationship between the Inupiat people and their lands - he says; "we are keepers of the lands and the animals; we respect our animals and try not to overkill them ".
Summer Inupiat Games Boat Trip
In July, Bruce takes a boat trip with the other residents of Kaktovik to Canada, using his open boat only in good weather and camping on shore every night with the other Inupiat. The village will stop at various historic whaling and fishing camps en route as well as at old buildings such as salt houses.
Bruce is willing to take a visitors along with him on what would surely be a trip of a lifetime. The group of boats will travel to Herschel island; a site of great cultural importance to the Inupiat and Inuit, and a Canadian National Park located in Yukon Territory. Here is held the traditional summer games, which you will be able to watch (and possibly take part in). The games happen around the first week of August.
There will only be space for a few people on this trip - it is likely that Bruce will allow two or three maximum due to space restrictions on the boat. Please contact him as soon as you can if you are interested in taking this unique and exciting trip.
Bone Carving
Bruce is beginning to learn the traditional Inupiat art of whalebone carving, using bones left on the shore after the annual whale hunt. If you are interested in purchasing some whale bone art, Bruce would be happy to show you his collection.
