The NWMB's five-year study to collect Inuit knowledge
of bowhead whales in Nunavut documents the observations of Inuit hunters
and elders that the number of bowheads is increasing, after having been
significantly reduced by commercial whaling in the last century. The
report was released in 2000.
Inuit have a strong desire to preserve their culture,
which is intimately linked with bowheads and whaling. Inuit would
like to see a limited, on-going hunt for bowhead whales in order to
ensure their knowledge of the bowhead whale and how to hunt it is
passed on to future generations. However, Inuit also recognise that
bowhead populations must be properly and carefully managed, in order
to ensure population growth and sustainable hunting well into the
future.
You can download the text of the full
report (2.5MB) of the Inuit Bowhead Knowledge Study or part
1 (1.3 MB) and part
2 (1.2 MB)
PDF versions of six IBKS maps are also available
for download. These show informants' knowledge of the distribution
and migration routes of bowhead whales during each of the Inuktitut
seasons. Please note, each map below is approximately 900 K.
Map
1:Distribution and migration routes of bowheads during UKIUQ
(winter).
Map
2: Distribution and migration routes of bowheads during UPIRNGASSAQ
(early spring).
Map
3: Distribution and migration routes of bowheads during UPIRNGAAQ
(spring).
Map
4: Distribution and migration routes of bowheads during AUJAQ
(summer).
Map
5: Distribution and migration routes of bowheads during UKIASSAAQ
(early fall).
Map
6: Distribution and migration routes of bowheads during UKIAQ
(fall).
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.01 (Version
4.0 or higher recommended) to open these files. Click here to
download Adobe Acrobat Reader if you don't already have the software.
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