V THE HUNT

INUPIAT - United States, Alaska, 2010
Barrow lies more than 400 kilometres above the arctic circle and is the northernmost point in the United States. Barrow is the centre of the traditional whale hunt. Eighty percent of the population is Inupiat, or native, as the Americans say. The place consists mainly of dilapidated barracks and houses and is abounds with large modern pick-up trucks.
For this autumn hunt, twelve Bowhead whales may be harpooned. The first whale is brought in. Several boats rush to help to get the whale on to dry land. Many people help to drag the whale on to its side. During the actual slaughter, there are now more than thirty-five men involved. Gigantic strips of skin, blubber and meat are dragged to various places. The whale is shared among the population according to centuries-old principles. The sharing of the meat is a binding element in society.

INUIT - East-Greenland, 2009
Tiniteqilaaq is a village in East Greenland with a 140 inhabitants. Mainly Inuit live there, who make a living by hunting seal and whale. The continuation of the traditional Inuit way of life has been under pressure for years because of the low price of seal fur and the warmer winters. Fluctuating temperatures mean that the Sermilik-fjord is no longer continuously frozen. Paulus Larsen used to be a hunter; nowadays he is a youth worker, tourist guide and mayor, but hunting is still his passion. For the Inuit, the thin ice is a major problem. True to tradition, they capture seals, walrus, narwhal and polar bear from the ice.