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Inuit Whalers
During the early period of the Eastern Arctic whale fishery in the Davis Strait, Inuit were not directly involved with European and American whaling ships. The work was done offshore, from aboard the anchored ships and their whale boats. These vessels would return to their ports in late summer.
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A matter of Balance on the Era or the A.T. Gifford, Hudson Bay, 1895-1912
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A group of Inuit inside the cabin of a whaling schooner in Hudson Bay (Era or A.T. Gifford)
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A group of more than twenty Inuit in a whaleboat at Hudson Bay circa 1897-1912
As European and American whalers began wintering in the Cumberland Sound from 1851 on, the role of the Inuit in the whaling industry was radically transformed. Many Inuit became whalers themselves and gave crucial logistical support to the whaling captains. Inuit women sometimes participated in the hunt and were relied upon to sew warm clothing that suited the environment. Several powerful Inuit became managers of whaling operations, using a pidgin dialect that could be understood by the whalers. Whaling-era names such as Johnnybo and Kimilu, Tessuin, Uugaq, Ipiirvik and Taqulittuq, Angmarlik and Etuangat still resonate in South Baffin Communities.
The valuable knowledge that Inuit contributed to the way hunting was conducted was later applied in the Hudson Bay whale fishery, which began in 1860. Ships' captains relied increasingly on Inuit leaders such as Angutimmarik, Nivisinaaq, Melichi, Ippaktuq Tasseok, and many others. Inuit remained essential to whaling operations until the final decline of the industry, around 1915.
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Crewmembers of whaling schooner ERA or A.T. GIFFORD removing baleen from a beached bowhead whale