Alaskan Animals Are a Natural Resource
A resource is a source
or supply from which benefits or an asset is produced and can be drawn upon. A
natural resource is considered any material or substance such as minerals,
forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for
economic gain. In this week’s reading from The
Last new Land: Stories of Alaska Past and Present many different hunting
tales were presented. The Battle of the
Giants by W. Douglas Burden, Moon of
the Returning Sun by Richard K. Nelson,
The Ten-Footed Polar Bear, an Eskimo legend, Moose: Season of the Painted Leaves by Tom Walker, Tornarssuk (Ursus maritimus) by Barry
Lopez, and Dall by Pam Houston. All
of these tales told of human encounters with Alaskan animals for the express purpose
of killing them for their meat, furs and horn or antlers.
The use of animals for
personal gain, as a resource is not a new idea. The meat from an animal can
feed a hungry family or village. The blubber of the whale or seal can heat a
home. The furs or hides from animals can be made into clothing or blankets to
sustain warmth in the fierce Alaskan landscape. Animals are a resource in
Alaska. Many people rely upon animals for life.
The
Battle of the Giants tells the tale of two hunters in search
of a of a giant Kenai moose. They decide before they begin hunting that they
will not take a moose with a rack less than 72 inches (the current world record
was made in 2009 and stands at 75 inches). What they encounter is a battle
between two gladiators in a natural amphitheater surrounded by at least three
hundred moose of varying ages and sizes. Even though they were only about fifty
yards away, no one noticed their presence.
“I had the feeling we had invaded the privacy
of the most primitive and prehistoric of all the deer family-nothing was to be
allowed to disturb it. We might as well have been on Mars, so little did our
presence influence the behavior of this primal gathering” (390).
After the battle the
hunters stalked and killed the loser, finding his rack was exactly 72 inches.
These men killed, not for meat, but for the animals rack. Although they did not
waste the meat they killed for the antlers.
“When you have been pursuing an animal for a long time and
finally catch up with him in a situation where you are certain of a kill, the
thought often comes over you to let him go and sometimes you do, for killing
then seems wrong. But now, I had no qualms; I wanted that spread more than I
have ever wanted anything before”
(390).
The current world
record moose kill was harvested in Alaska on September 5/2004 by Eric Arnette.
The moose had a rack 75 inches wide with 36 points, with a green scored at
approximately 264 B&C (Boone and Crockett). Below is a picture of Arnette
and his moose. For more information on green scores see http://www.biggamehunt.net/articles/scoring-game.
The second story I want
to mention is Moon of the Returning Sun
by Richard K. Nelson. This tale follows an old Inuit man (Sakiak) from the
settlement called Ulurunik as he hunts the seal. In Eskimo communities animals
are not killed for trophies. The lives of every member of a family depend upon the
hunter’s ability to hunt. Eskimo hunters looked for seal breathing holes called
allus, where they would sit and wait for a seal to pop up for air. At this time
they would strike. For many hunters the wait could be extensive,“Sakiak
knew of old men who, in times of starvation, had waited beside an allu for
twenty-four hours” (403). This story is written somewhat differently from The
Battle of the Giants as Sakiak is hunting for necessity rather than for sport
and while the moose meat did not go unused, the seal was killed for the benefit
of many people not one or two men in the pursuit of a record. This tale shows
readers how to the Inuit animals are a very important resource, one that gives
life.
 |
| This picture depicts a Inuit man seal hunting as Sakiak did in the story. |
The third story that
shows how animals are used as a resource is Dall
by Pam Houston. The story follows a young couple who guide anglers on hunting
trips in the search of dall sheep. Houston tells of how she became assistant guide
to Boone, the love of her life. Even though she would be without running water
and live for days and weeks at a time in small camps with stinky men, Houston was
most worried about how she would feel after seeing sheep killed.
“Boone told me it wouldn’t be as bad as I expected. He told
me our hunters were expert marksman, that they would all make perfect
heart-lung shots, that the rams would die instantly and without pain” (438).
Boone told Houston that
they only killed the rams with the biggest horns because that meant they were
the oldest and the most apt to die of starvation in the coming winter. This
turned out to be untrue as most hunters only wanted a trophy and did not care
about the animal. When an expert marksman shot a ram in the hindquarters
instead of in the heart or lungs the surge in adrenaline from fear caused the
animals stomach acid to rot his insides. James, the shooter wanted to leave the
meat and just take the horns,“Let’s
cut the horns off and get out of here,” he said (445).
Alaska has a wanton
waste law meant to keep trophy hunters like James from blatantly killing for
sport. Alaska statute 16.30.010. Wanton Waste of Big Game Animals and Wild Fowl
states:
(a) It is a class A misdemeanor for a person who
kills a big game animal or a species of wild fowl to fail intentionally,
knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence to salvage for human
consumption the edible meat of the animal or fowl.
(b) If a person is convicted of violating this
section and in the course of that violation failed to salvage from a big game
animal at least the hindquarters as far as the distal joint of the tibia-fibula
(hock), the court shall impose a sentence of imprisonment of not less than
seven consecutive days and a fine of not less than $2,500.
(c) The imposition or execution of the minimum
sentence prescribed in (b) of this section may not be suspended under Alaska
statute 12.55.080 or 12.55.085. The minimum sentence prescribed in (b) of this
section may not be reduced.
The Dall sheep record
stands at 189 and 6/8th. Below
is a link to an Anchorage Daily News article about a local hunters record ram
kill of 173 and 3/8th.
All three stories show how Alaskan animals can be used as
a resource to sustain life or to satisfy other needs.
The excerpt, The Battle of the Giants is taken from
the book, Look to the Wilderness (1960) by
W. Douglas Burden. Moon of the Returning
Sun is taken from the book Shadow of
the Hunter (1980) by Richard K. Nelson. Dall,
is taken from Pam Houstons collection of short stories titled, Cowboys Are My Weakness (1992). All
three books can be purchased at Amazon.com.
All book references came from Mergler, Wayne. (1998).
The Last New Land: Stories of Alaska Past
and Present, (Eds). Portland OR. Alaska Northwest Books.
No comments:
Post a Comment