Majik_Imaje Joined: Mar 24, 2009
Posts: 3
From: Barrow Alaska -Top of the World
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From the top of the world, Barrow Alaska it is that time of year again for the Inupiaq Eskimo to harvest food.
Sleds are being dug out of the snow, after the long dark arctic winter.
The skin boats are covered with new skins from Bearded Seal (Oogruk)
Six skins are hand sewen together using a water tight zig/zag type stitch using dental floss !!
But before we can head out 15 miles far out on that ocean ice pack, We have to cut a trail through the ice. And.. .. Believe me, it is not what you thing at all, 2 story high gigantic slabs of ice and the crew members have to go right through that, not around it !
This is a months long job of incredeibly hard work 12 hours or more a day, Each crew cuts it own trail. There is much about the ocean ice that most people are not aware of. Certainly the media is not even aware of how the Inupiaq People know, what they know. (tricks to survival).
For instance, when a whole community of 800 people ( Point Hope) move out many miles out on that ocean ice pack to live for two months time. How do they get water ?? No we melt snow, but that is just for cleaning and washing, but a population of that size, needs tons of delicous fresh drinking water daily. Just where do you thing that comes from ?? | |
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Adventuremagnet  Joined: Jul 01, 2008
Posts: 466 | |
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| Great stuff. Fantastic photos. | Advertisement  |
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vtrman  Joined: Dec 18, 2008
Posts: 34
From: Nottingham, UK
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| OK - so where does all that extra water come from? | |
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Majik_Imaje Joined: Mar 24, 2009
Posts: 3
From: Barrow Alaska -Top of the World
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Hundreds of people, camped out, hidden in the ocean ice, for two months.
Happy people !! Fresh delicious drinking water? where or how do you suppose they obtain that 'drinking water' ?
This is a typical whaling camp many miles out on the ocean ice, THIS IS HOME, right here, for the next two months.
That image was created precisely @ midnight in Mid May ! We need delicious fresh drinking water. how do you suppose we obtain it ?
You would never figure this out.
Inupiaq Technology - Thousands of years old - time tested over many thousands of years.
The water we need, is all around us, everywhere, but it is frozen, and it has massive amounts of salt in it. We have to get the salt out.
Take any large piece of ice, stand it up, brush the snow off the top and the sides,now wait. .. .. .. .. .. .. The sun will cause the salt in that ice, to settle to the bottom !! Watch it.. as the sun beats down on that piece of ice, even @ 50 below zero, you can watch this happen over time (hours). When the ice becomes crystal clear at the top, take your kettle, and chop ice horizontally from the top and fill your kettle, when melted it is the most delicious water you have ever tasted in your life.!! | |
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