Cultural Activities

January

  • Trapping continues

  • Seal hunting

  • Seal skins prepared for bleaching

  • Polar bear hunting

  • Build/repair skin boats

February

  • Trapping continues

  • Caribou skins drying outside

  • Seal and ugruk skins also drying/bleaching

  • Seal hunting

  • Continue build/repair skin boats

March

  • Some polar bear hunting

  • Seal hunting

  • Trapping continues for fox, wolf and wolverine

  • Women sew ugruk skins for skin boats

  • New skins put on boat frames

  • Hunting tools repaired

  • Female polar bears bring out their young

April

  • End of trapping season

  • Whaling season begins

  • Caribou and ground squirrel hunting inland

  • Time to clean cellars if not done during winter

  • Birth of young seals

May

  • Whaling continues

  • Geese/ptarmigan hunting inland

  • Duck hunting on ice

  • Ice breakup on rivers

  • Seals on ice at Qaaktugvik

  • Ugruk have their young

June

  • Caribou fawning period

  • Nalukataq in the whaling communities (Kak, Nui, Brw, Am, Pho)

  • Going off to Summer camps

  • Fishing on rivers and lakes begins

  • Seal hunting

  • Fishing in Qaaktugvik

July

  • Camping and hunting continues

  • Fishing continues

  • Caribou hunting

  • Gathering eggs in Pt. Hope

  • Ugruk and walrus hunting

  • Drying meat and making seal oil

  • Preparing ugruk skins for boats

August

  • Caribou hunting by boats, some by snow machines

  • Ugruk and aiviq hunting continues

  • Ugruk skins prepared for boat bottoms

  • Some people still in their summer fishing and hunting camps.

  • Duck hunting at Pigniq.

  • Some fishing with nets at Pigniq

  • Boat frames built

  • Geese hunting in Wainwright

  • Tuktaq making time

  • Fishing on the rivers

  • Berry picking inland

September

  • Panmaksrak coming through

  • Some duck hunting

  • Beginning of fall bowhead whale hunt

  • Moose hunting

  • Whaling in Kaktovik/Nuiqsut/Barrow

October

  • Fall whaling continues

  • Ice fishing on rivers and lakes

  • Caribou hunting first part of the month

  • Ice fishing along coastline for cod fish

November

  • Polar bear hunting on the coastline

  • Seal hunting

  • Some hunters still at fish camps

  • Traditional Thanksgiving Feasts

December

  • Trapping season for fox, wolf, wolverine

  • Seal hunting

  • Polar bear hunting

  • Traditional Christmas Feasts

  • Traditional games of skill and endurance

  • Time to clean ice cellars and houses for the new year