Spring, when a man's fancy turns to...

Spring Fever is running rampant in Barrow. I know this because I got a text from one friend who asked when we were buying a snowmachine so we could go geese hunting with her and her family (more on that later).

Whaling preparations are in high gear. Each spring the umiaq frames have to be covered with the skins that make them waterproof. 

This involves sewing seal skins with the waterproof stitch to place on the umiaq. The boat is then left outside in this perfect weather to bleach it and dry out the skins. The women who sew use traditional methods to stitch the skins. They spend long hours at this task. The room you see here is located in the Iñupiaq Heritage Cultural Center. This is named, "The Traditional Room". You can't tell from the pictures, but the floor is solid cement. I don't know about you, but I know I wouldn't be able to spend one hour on that floor without being in hefty pain the next day. It is typical for these sewers to work 12+ hours until the skin is ready to go. 

Think about the responsibility of this. If they don't sew the skins correctly and make the boat waterproof, the hunters will perish! The skins are sewn together with caribou sinew. I was told it took 48 caribou legs to finish the skin sewing on this boat. 

What is hard to describe and what you can't ever experience unless you go there is the smell associated with this task. It is somewhat reminiscent of the rancid salty sea smell I associate with hauling the boat out of the water while standing on the grid in Juneau. Multiply that ocean odor by 2000% and you will get some idea of what it was like to hang out in the room. The seal (ugruk) skins are rendered in seal oil throughout the winter to prepare them. 

This process causes the fur to fall off so you get a nice smooth surface to work with. That is what causes the telltale odor. The odor permeates everything and is so strong, you immediately smell it when you enter the center at the front doors (this room is in the back with no connecting doors to the Center).

If you hang out for awhile, you notice several folks coming and some going. The whaling crew and captain are on hand throughout the process (clearly they have a vested interest in the preparation.) There is a huge table of traditional foods to keep up the strength of those sewing. There is also an undercurrent of excitement in the room.

Husband was lucky enough to come across this umiaq and proud owner. We're pretty sure this is the whaling captain who graciously allowed this picture to be taken. The skins will be white when the drying/bleaching process is complete.

Finally, I leave you with this picture. As Husband says, "no ugruk were harmed in the making of this umiaq". It's fiberglass. The wave of the future? Really? It saddens me to think the traditional preparation of the boat with all of the rich tradition and ritual may one day be lost. I hope this is just a fluke <--HA, HA! HA! A fluke...whaling...you get it ?!?