Shaman Whalers of Alaska

In the cruel climate of the islands in the Gulf of Alaska, human  survival, even up to modern times, depended upon what could be taken from the sea. Research that is an ongoing process, studying old petroglyphs, discovered on the barren shores of Kodiak Island, is revealing ever more about the old culture there.

What appears as a truly fascinating whaling culture was in evidence there, deeply spiritual, as well as artistic, and in the habit of mummifying their dead. These were the Alutiiq people, whose on t Gulf of Alaska native settlements include petroglyphs carved into the shore rocks, many images of whales amongst them, by the hundreds.

These intricate carvings seem to be of three things, usually, these being animals, human faces, and geographic designs, faces reminiscent of the famous artist Matisse, many showing holes meant to depict the large lip plugs – labrets – that the Alutiq had on both sides of the face below the mouth.

Carvings of whales are found mainly on rocks close by the sea, those who hunted the whales being holy men, or shamans, almost always extremely solitary, and considered very spiritual beings. Always working alone, unless training an apprentice, they were held in great awe and fear by normal tribes people, the power and knowledge they had being very mysterious

Their unique hunting practices were a reason for their special status these whalers using sharp stone, poison tipped lances to take their prey. the  toxin created from plants still growing there today, the poison glued to the spears with a strong fat adhesive.

The abilities of these hunters was the reason for the mummifying of gifted hunters after death. Whalers needed fats from powerful dead hunters, incorporating their spiritual essence into hunting gear enhancing the power it possessed, so great hunters were honored by being mummified by the tribe

Shaman-whalers then, in the future, used harvested the mummies body-fat for coating spear tips, but the toxin was so lethal that cutting themselves while preparing the lance would kill them in about a minute, should the poison get into the cut. These single-man whaling hunts were very risky, the lucky hunter striking a tail fluke, delivering the poison which could take three days to kill the creature.

Shaman-hunters then fasted for those three days, until tidal currents washed the dead whale ashore. Quite how the tribe coped with the poisoned flesh of the beast is unclear, but it obviously did sustain them. There is much more, without doubt, to be uncovered yet, but these glimpses into ancient ways of life are truly fascinating examples of the human capacity for survival, whatever the circumstances.