Animal Skinning

The Yupiks would not survive without the salmon, moose, seal, Beluga Whales and Walrus. They hunt these animals and use the meat and skins to survive the -30 degree winters. We do not have huge trees here so they must also use the blubber to heat the homes if they do not have money for stove oil.

Respect the soul of the animal: Yupiks do not skin an animal inside a house out of respect for the animal. They Yupik also do not get more animals that they can realistically use during the fall and winter. They do not have a great stock pile of salmon or seal around in the spring to throw away. They strive to kill only that which they need to survive.

It was -13 degrees the past two mornings. I walked home from the restaurant last evening at about 7 PM and it was - 10 and I did not have on a warm cap. My ears froze. A teacher got the school van stuck in a burm of snow. He was taking teachers home from the dinner. It is almost April and the picture shows what I see.