Inuit community of Kangiqsujuaq harvests first bowhead whale since 1928 at Akulivik Bay

On this day in 2008 the community celebrated the first harvest of a bowhead whale since the 1928 whaling ban. After >20 years of advocacy by Inuit leaders including elder Naalak Nappaaluk (ᓈᓚᒃ ᓇᑉᐹᓗᒃ), the community was able to harvest a whale. Today we celebrate this important milestone for their community but also the broader work of Inuit elder Naalak Nappaaluk, who was a lifelong advocate for Inuit rights and proponent of the Inuktitut language. Nappaaluk pushed hard for the restart of the hunt, which Inuit people believe is necessary for their populations to remain healthy and abundant. We also honor his wife Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk, a respected elder, educator, and author of several books in Inuktitut.

“It was something for Nunavimmiut,” says Qiallak Nappaaluk (Naalak's daughter), who was also on the beach when the whale hunters returned. “We ate it, and it seemed like we’d eaten it before, like we were used to it. I think it was in our blood. We were so excited. I remember it was a really good taste.”