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Relationship Between the Native Village of Tyonek, Alaska and Beluga Whales in Cook Inlet, Alaska

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Relationship Between the Native Village of Tyonek, Alaska and Beluga Whales in Cook Inlet, Alaska Relationship Between the Native Village of Tyonek, Alaska and Beluga Whales in Cook Inlet, Alaska Submitted to: NOAA Fisheries 709 W 9th Street, Room 420 • Juneau, Alaska 99801 Submitted by: Stephen R. Braund & Associates and Huntington Consulting Stephen R. Braund & Asssociates P.O. Box 1480, Anchorage, Alaska 99510 • 907-276-8222 (Phone); 907-276-6117 (Fax) • [email protected] June 2011 Front Cover Photograph: Tyonek Residents with Harvested Beluga, 2005. (Pictured from Left to Right: Jane Standifer, Peter Merryman, James Ollice, Joshua Salas, Jaison Salas, Randy Standifer, Sr., Rolland Standifer, Timothy Standifer, Randy Standifer, Jr., Dustin Constantine, Brandy Standifer, Sam Standifer. Photograph provided by Janelle Baker) Relationship Between the Native Village of Tyonek, Alaska and Beluga Whales in Cook Inlet, Alaska Submitted to: NOAA Fisheries P.O. Box 21668 709 W 9th Street, Room 420 Juneau, Alaska 99801 Submitted by: Stephen R. Braund & Associates and Huntington Consulting Stephen R. Braund & Associates P.O. Box 1480, Anchorage, Alaska 99510 907-276-8222 (Phone); 907-276-6117 (Fax) [email protected] June 2011 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SRB&A and Henry Huntington would like to thank the Native Village of Tyonek and the residents of Tyonek for their cooperation and assistance in completing this project. We would also like to give a special thanks to Ron Stanek for his help in conducting interviews, contacting and setting up interviews with a number of active and knowledgeable Tyonek beluga hunters, and for providing valuable advice and insight into the study design; to the 28 Tyonek residents for providing SRB&A with the valuable information used in this report; and to the Native Village of Tyonek for coordinating with SRB&A and providing the space to conduct the interviews and for supporting the project. NOA07_Tyonek Beluga Report_Jun2011 i Stephen R. Braund & Associates EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report is based on research conducted by Stephen R. Braund & Associates (SRB&A) and Henry Huntington of Huntington Consulting. The purpose of the study is to document the relationship between the residents of Tyonek, Alaska and beluga (Delphinapterus Leucas) whales in Cook Inlet. The study team conducted a literature review in addition to fieldwork in the community of Tyonek, during which researchers interviewed 28 residents who provided their knowledge and views about current and past beluga hunting and associated activities. A review of the literature, including ethnographic and subsistence-related studies, first-hand historical accounts, and archaeological research, revealed documentation of the hunting and use of beluga by upper Cook Inlet Dena’ina, including the people of Tyonek, since at least the 1700s until present. Several sources also noted the high value that Cook Inlet Dena’ina placed on beluga products such as beluga meat and oil. Tyonek residents’ level of beluga hunting activity has varied over the years, primarily due to changes in resource availability; however, cultural ties remained strong. After a decline in Cook Inlet beluga hunting during the 1940s through the 1960s, Tyonek residents began regularly hunting beluga again in the late 1970s. A decline in the Cook Inlet beluga population in the 1990s led to restrictions placed on beluga hunting in 1999. Since that time, residents’ harvests of beluga, in addition to their harvest methods, have been regulated. The study team interviewed Tyonek residents who either had experience with or knowledge about hunting beluga whales; this included individuals who may not have hunted beluga, but who had participated in beluga hunting related activities (including hunting preparation, butchering, processing, and other associated activities). These individuals provided descriptions of the methods of preparing for, hunting, butchering, and processing beluga, in addition to observations about the historical, social, and cultural aspects of beluga hunting. Although aspects of the beluga hunt, especially in regards to hunting technologies, have changed, much of the activities surrounding a beluga hunt have stayed the same. These include methods of butchering and distributing beluga and methods of processing beluga for consumption. Based on the literature review, there have been periods of time with few or no documented harvests of beluga by Tyonek people. This may be due either to Tyonek residents focusing on other more available resources at those times or simply a lack of documentation of beluga harvests. Regardless, Tyonek residents maintain the traditions and values associated with beluga whales and continue to pass on traditional knowledge associated with beluga whales and beluga whale hunting. Furthermore, Tyonek hunters continue to apply the knowledge passed on by their elders about beluga hunting in the Cook Inlet environment; the use of this knowledge helps ensure safe and successful hunts. Tyonek residents still regard beluga as a highly valued subsistence food and hope to continue hunting beluga in the future. Their responses indicated that the relationship between Tyonek residents and Cook Inlet beluga remains strong despite recent restrictions on their hunting activities. NOA07_Tyonek Beluga Report_Jun2011 iii Stephen R. Braund & Associates TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................................................. i Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................................ vii List of Figures ...................................................................................................................................................... viii List of Maps ........................................................................................................................................................... ix List of Acronyms ..................................................................................................................................................... x Introduction.............................................................................................................................................................. 1 Scope of Work ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Methods ................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Literature Review................................................................................................................................................ 3 Field Data Collection .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Project Planning and Approval and Fieldwork Preparation ............................................................................ 4 Identifying and Contacting Respondents ........................................................................................................ 4 Interview Method............................................................................................................................................ 4 Field Summary................................................................................................................................................ 5 Post-field Data Processing .............................................................................................................................. 5 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Literature Review................................................................................................................................................ 6 Tyonek – A General History ........................................................................................................................... 6 Hunting and Use of Beluga Prior to the early 1900s ...................................................................................... 9 Hunting and Use of Beluga from the Early 1900s to the Early 1940s .......................................................... 15 Hunting and Use of Beluga from the Early 1940s to 1978 ........................................................................... 17 Hunting and Use of Beluga from 1979 to present ........................................................................................ 18 Current Relationship to Beluga Whaling .......................................................................................................... 25 Preparation for the Beluga Hunt ................................................................................................................... 26 Participation in the Beluga Hunt ................................................................................................................... 28 Hunting Experience .................................................................................................................................
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