"We're Back with Our Ancestors": Inuit Bowhead Whaling in the Canadian Eastern Arctic

The revival of whaling in the Canadian Arctic in the 1990s is an important feature of the revival of modern Inuit culture. Inuit feel that the resumption of whaling connects them to their ancestors. In this article we explore traditional Inuit perceptions of whaling and their transformations in modern society. We suggest that especially the notion of the whole plays a central part in whaling. We explore connections between whaling and shamanism as well as the role of Christianity in modern whaling. We show that key elements of the modern Inuit whaling such as the collective sharing of the game and the joy and happiness expressed at the catch provide strong cultural continuities with the past. Modern Inuit bowhead hunting is embedded in a cosmological framework involving the whole community and connecting different communities to each other.